Israel’s decision to recall its ambassador to Belgium was the least it could do in the wake of the decision of Belgium’s high court to open the way to a war crimes prosecution of Israeli military officials. The court reckons that the real target of this prosecution, Ariel Sharon, has diplomatic immunity so long as he serves as prime minister of the Jewish state. But it’s fine, reckons the Belgian court, to go after other Israelis, starting with a former commander in the Israeli army, Amos Yaron, who are accused of having a role at Sabra and Shatilla.

Foreign Minister Netanyahu used the word “scandalous” to describe the court’s ruling. “It legitimizes terror and damages those who fight terrorism,” the Jerusalem Post quoted Mr. Netanyahu as saying. “Belgium is not only hurting Israel but the entire free world, and Israel will respond to it very severely.” The Jerusalem Post quoted un-named diplomatic officials as speaking of the Belgians’ pretensions to “deal in issues that are not their own.” And the Post quoted some officials as saying Belgium was using the pseudo-judicial issue as grounds to slam Israel over its conflict with the Palestinian Arabs.

The spectacle of Belgium moving to prosecute heroes of Israel’s war to protect itself from terrorism is an example of irony in its purest form. Not only was Belgium one of the cruelest, least competent, and most racist of the colonial countries of Europe, but in the last few days we have seen the country collaborate with France and Germany in seeking to block redeployments under the North Atlantic Treaty in support of an endangered Turkey, with the aim of stymieing the effort to liberate Iraq. Thus it abrogates its obligations under one treaty while inserting itself into another struggle against the Jewish state. Eventually those countries that practice a decent diplomacy are going to start asking where a country like Belgium comes off behaving like it does.

As for Sabra and Shatilla, real crimes were committed there. A thousand or more individuals were killed in the huts in which they huddled. The commander who caused the crimes to be committed, Elie Hobeika of the Lebanese Phalange, ended up not in the embrace of the Israelis, of course, but in the service of the Baathist regime in Damascus, whose stooge he was in the Syrian puppet government of Lebanon. He was killed in an explosion in Beirut in January of last year. The fact is that Mr. Sharon is the only one who has faced a legitimate inquiry in a free country for his role in the Sabra and Shatila crimes. If Brussels is looking for war criminals, it would have a more productive hunt if it looked at its own elites.