The jury is still out on the effort to indict those responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacres, but it is clear that the Sharon case has highlighted the question at the heart of the debate on international criminal prosecution: are the needs, interests and rights of states to be given priority in deciding whether to investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity? Or will international law prioritize the needs, interests and rights of victims of states and state officials? The fate of the case against Sharon will be a bellwether for the future trajectory of universal jurisdiction in national courts.

Laurie King-Irani

(Laurie King-Irani, former editor of Middle East Report, is a lecturer in anthropology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and North American Coordinator of the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila.)

MERIP Press Information Note 102

Originally Published by Middle East Research and Information Project
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