Israel accused of killing witness in Sharon war crimes trial

The Lebanese government has accused Israel of assassinating a former Christian warlord who planned to testify against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a war crimes case in Belgium.

45-year-old Elie Hobeika was stepping into his 4X4 vehicle near Beirut today when a bomb planted in a car parked alongside was detonated by remote control.

Mr Hobeika was leader of the right-wing pro-Israeli Lebanese Forces militia when it massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees, including women and children, in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps in west Beirut in 1982.

The Israeli army had surrounded the camps at the time and allegedly allowed the massacre to take place.

An Israeli inquiry into the slaughter found that Ariel Sharon, who was Defence Minister at the time, was politically responsible for the killings.

Mr Hobeika was due to give evidence to Belgian prosecutors working a case taken by a group of Palestinians who survived the Sabra and Chatilla massacres.

They have launched a lawsuit against Sharon demanding that he be indicted for war crimes in accordance with a Belgian law which allows for foreigners to be tried for crimes against humanity committed outside the Belgian jurisdiction.

Hobeika said he was willing to testify and met Belgian officials in connection with the case just yesterday. Belgian Senator Josy Dubie said Mr Hobeika claimed he was working with the Israeli Government’s spy agency, Mossad, at the time of the refugee massacres.

"It seems clear to me somebody did not want him to make those revelations", Dubie said.

This stance has been supported by the Lebanese Government, which went as far as to name Israel as the assassins. "We have confirmation that Israel and its agents were behind this terrorist act"

Lebanese Interior Minister Elias Murr said. He did not elaborate. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud also said Hobeika was killed to keep him from testifying in the Belgian trial.

A spokesman for the Israel Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations."Israel had no connection with this event and rejects these allegations with disgust", he said.

Mr Sharon himself also said Israel had nothing to do with the murder. "We have no link to this subject at all and this is not worthy of a commen", he said.