Spanish prosecutors seek to shelve Israel case

[oberliner]

MADRID (AFP) — Public prosecutors requested Thursday that a Spanish court shelve a complaint against seven top Israeli military figures over a deadly bombing of Gaza in 2002, a lawsuit which angered Israel.

The prosecutors justified the move on the grounds that, according to information in their possession, the alleged crimes against humanity in question are already the subject of a legal procedure in Israel, a judicial official told AFP.

Spain assumes the principle of universal jurisdiction in alleged cases of crimes against humanity, genocide, and terrorism but only if the alleged crimes are not already subject to a legal procedure in the country involved.

Prosecutors argued that while "all states have a common commitment to prosecute such atrocious crimes affecting the international community" the complaint should be shelved "to avoid a duplication of proceedings" and give "preference to the jurisdiction of the state where the facts occurred", the official added.

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[Howardx]

1. nothing about these statements

"Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak rejected the complaint as "delirious" and said he would do "everything possible to get the investigation dismissed" while the then Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said Spain was being "cynically motivated" by "politically motivated bodies" that "only want to criticise Israel".

indicates a serious investigation or legal procedure is taking place in israel.