Norwegian political youth group files humanitarian law complaint against Israeli leaders
The youth auxiliary of Norway's largest political party, Labor, on Thursday filed a complaint for crimes against humanity against Israeli leaders and demanded they be tried in Norway.
But main party representatives distanced themselves from the complaint and legal experts said Norwegian law might be able to allow such a trial but it was extremely unlikely.
"It would have to be decided by the government to raise an indictment, and that is not very likely," said Gro Nystuen, of the Norwegian Human Rights Institute in Oslo.
The Labor Youth's 16-page complaint to the national prosecutor included allegations of attacks on ambulances and medical personnel, destruction of civilian property, hostage taking and summary executions in Palestinian areas.
Eva Kristin Hansen, leader of the Labor Youth, said her group wants to see Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and others held accountable for the Jewish state's military actions in Palestinian areas.
Labor Party deputy leader Jens Stoltenberg said he did not support the complaint, which was not cleared by the main party.
The former governing party, which was ousted by a center-right coalition in elections last year, used its labor movement contacts with Israelis and Palestinians to help pave the way for secret talks in Norway that resulted in the now-tattered 1993 Oslo Agreement.
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior, a former head rabbi in Norway, called the move by the youth group "tragic" and said "demonizing" one party in the conflict would not help bring peace.
"This is damaging to relations between our countries," Melchior said. However, he noted that Norway's current coalition has adopted an entirely different line.
Norwegian justice officials declined to comment on the matter or to say when a decision on the complaint would be made.
Last month, a Belgian appeals court rejected similar war crimes charges filed against Sharon under Belgian law.
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But the "conservatives" are a scary bunch too - just recently I saw on the forum of a major Euro "conservative" paper a poster screaming that "Israel must be dismantled so that everyone could be equal". Sort of like hearing certain "libertarians".