Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Photo: AFP
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the State of Israel is under no legal obligation to appeal to Iran to uphold restitution verdicts for terror victims ordered by courts worldwide.
The ruling follow a petition filed by several families who lost loved ones in terror attacks carried out by militant groups funded by the Islamic Republic.
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The petition was filed following a 2003 ruling by an American court, which ruled the Iran must pay the families of three victims of a 1997 terror attack in Jerusalem $71 million.
The Attorney General's Office argued that since Israel does not have any form of diplomatic relations with Iran, the State cannot appeal to Tehran and ask it to uphold the restitution verdict.
The families' petition was initially granted by the Jerusalem District Court, which ruled that the Foreign Ministry must relay the verdict to the Iranian authorities via the UN or any other international organization both Israel and Iran are members of.
The State appealed the ruling with the Supreme Court, which ruled: "We agree with the AG that states that just like Israel seeks to receive international court document through the acceptable diplomatic channels, and not in ways that would hinder its operations, it also aspires to act accordingly when it comes to serving foreign countries with papers regarding proceedings held in Israel."
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