BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A Belgian court suspended its war crimes investigation into Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Friday while an appeals court rules if Belgium has any jurisdiction in the case.
Sharon's Belgian lawyer, Michelle Hirsch said the investigation into whether he should face charges had been temporarily halted.
``The court is considering whether or not this case is relevant,'' Hirsch said.
Survivors of a 1982 massacre of Palestinians in Lebanon want Sharon, then the Israeli defense minister, prosecuted under a law giving Belgian courts the authority to try war crimes no matter where they occurred.
The investigating magistrate, Patrick Collignon, has asked an appeals court to decide if he has jurisdiction in the case.
No appeals court hearing has been set.
Collignon opened his investigation into Sharon in July, after deciding that two complaints filed against the Israeli leader for his role in the killings of the Palestinian refugees warranted prosecution.
Survivors of the massacre lodged a complaint with a Belgian judge in June, demanding Sharon's indictment on war crimes charges.
In 1982, 800 Palestinian civilians in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps south of Berut were slaughtered by a Lebanese Christian militia allied to the Israelis. Survivors say Sharon was responsible for ordering the raid.
Israeli inquiries into the massacre found Sharon indirectly responsible, prompting his resignation as defense minister.
If the Belgian judge decides to press charges, Sharon could technically be arrested if he enters Belgium.