I recently read a report about two Frenchmen who are alleged to have knocked down and killed a young Israeli woman at the end of September. They had left a nightclub (in Tel Aviv, if I remember correctly), leaped into their rented 4×4 and driven off at speed. They did not stop after the accident but simply took the first plane out of Israel back to France. Shades of DSK? Now one of them has been stopped and fined for speeding on the A8 motorway in the South of France in a car rented at Nice airport, according to Nice Matin. France does not extradite its own citizens to stand trial in other countries, but it strikes me that this guy is going to kill or seriously injure someone else soon. It would probably make France a safer place if he were banged up in an Israeli jail. Needless to say that is where the family of the victim would like to see the two Frenchmen, but they are refusing to return to stand trial. There’s something wrong with this system, I feel. Should an Israeli citizen knock down and kill a French person in France and then escape back to Israel, I’m sure the French government would be demanding action.
Boadicea's Chariot 
It is quite interesting, Sheona. We seem to have extradition treaties with just about everyone, but not so the French! Aren’t the Israelis kicking up a fuss?
Hello Sheona
Makes a mockery of the ‘global village’ doesn’t it? fine when the west want to export consumer products or import valuable raw materials but in matters such as this it a big fat NON
Extradition treaties are a joke, fancy lawyers will forever delay the process, cite 3rd world hardships, human rights considerations (one of your favourites, I know) etc. Look at the circus involving the Dewani. case.
You say that one of the suspects was in Nice, that’s on the Mediterranean isn’t it? Perhaps the Israeli justice dept. should simply have a word with those Mossad chaps to go and fetch them or ‘arrange’ a motor accident, shouldn’t be to difficult.
I too would quietly send a couple of Mossad agents……rough justice but what else with the frogs?
I do not care for a lot of these international hoohaas, world court, UN,WHO etc etc, they are just a means of a bunch of upmarket parasites to spend our taxes high on the hog! Note the screams of outrage from the lawyers that they can’t get Gadaffi’s son on their gravy train for love nor money. (Score one to Libya!)
I suppose I must admit that I think the frogs are quite right to eschew such, the British are the mugs kowtowing to all and sundry and letting their people be extradited anywhere, (If they are white!)
Soutie, I must admit that the idea of telling these two Frenchmen that the victim’s big brother/cousin/boyfriend is a member of Mossad and they ought to be watching their backs for the rest of their lives did occur to me. I believe that in fact the identity of Mossad agents is a closely guarded secret, but why bother telling them that. The way this guy drives, it would seem he’ll be organising his own motor accident.
Christina, I do agree with you about the waste of money called the UN, etc but when it’s a matter of manslaughter, I’m not convinced that any country should be able to refuse to send their citizens for trial in the relevant civilised country. It’s not as if Israel is some third world hellhole, to which any country would be justified in refusing extradition. These two Frenchmen have of course more or less signed a confession by running away.
I am not a fan of Israel. I think Mossad acts with an arrogance that is breathtaking and feel that foreign governments should do far more to curtail their activities, such as using fake British passports during missions to assassinate their enemies.
While I agree that the actions of the French driver(s) need to be addressed, I too have some sympathy with the French attitude towards protecting its own citizens, unlike the British Government (unless the suspect is a person of colour). I cannot imagine that Israel would extradite to a foreign country many of its citizens who were suspected of criminal activity. In fact, I rather suspect Israel provides a safe haven for many such individuals.
But how would you address the actions of these two Frenchmen, Sipu? I’m not sure that they could be tried, under French law, for a crime – causing death by drunk/dangerous driving – committed in another country. Perhaps the victim’s family would have to bring a civil suit in France.