Amicus brief submitted to HCJ on targeted killings

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Jerusalem attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner requested on Sunday that the High Court of Justice add her name as a respondant to the petition filed by a human rights group against the IDF policy of targeted killings. Darshan-Leitner submitted a similar request two years ago, but was not heard by the court at that time. On Sunday afternoon, the court said that it would take her arguments, based mainly on Jewish law, into account when ruling on the petition against targeted killings. The coalition of left-wing groups that submitted the petition is attempting to block the IDF's pre-emptive operations, and say that targeting terrorists in Palestinian areas contravenes international law. Their latest petition argues that neither the Israeli courts nor international law have yet developed precedents that address the operative aspects of anti-terrorist warfare, and cannot be applied to the type of terrorist attacks and security challenges Israel has faced in recent years. Darshan-Leitner asked to speak on behalf of a group of 24 Jerusalem residents who use public transportation who claim that targeted killings of terrorists by the IDF saves Israeli lives.