Israel warns army, security officials of prosecution danger in Europe

JERUSALEM, July 26 (AFP) - Israel's foreign ministry on Thursday warned

former army and security officials to avoid countries where they could find

themselves in an "embarrassing" situation, public radio reported.

The warning comes amid reports Israel is studying criminal laws across

Europe to see which nations are most likely to launch human-rights trials,

as Belgium mulls whether to charge Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with

war crimes.

Ministry director Avi Gil said officials should steer clear of "any nation

in which they could potentially find themselves in an embarrassing

situation" but did not give further details.

Belgian lawyers Luc Walleyn and Michael Verhaeghe, as well as Lebanon's

Shibli Mallat, are trying to bring Sharon before the Belgian courts on

behalf of 23 survivors of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut in

1982.

The massacre of between 800 and 2,000 Palestinians in the camps was carried

out by Lebanese Christian militiamen in an area under the control of the

Israeli army at a time when Sharon was defense minister.

The Haaretz paper reported Thursday that foreign ministry experts were

scrutinising the legal code across the European continent to see where

Israelis would potentially be most susceptible to prosecution.

It said that, in addition to Belgium, the ministry was particularly

focussing on Spain and Britain.