Judge Asks Israel for Help in Terror Case

     WASHINGTON (CN) - A U.S. magistrate judge sent an official letter to the State of Israel seeking judicial assistance in a terrorism lawsuit involving the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.
     Facciola also asked for any records documenting the use of physical coercion while interrogating Rimawi.
     "As such, the evidence obtained will aid in the prosecution of this case because it may assist plaintiffs in proving circumstances of Esther Klieman's murder on March 24, 2002 near Neve Tzuf, Israel and the support allegedly provided by the PA/PLO and its affiliated parties for and to Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades," the letter states.
     The letter was sent under taking of evidence abroad guidelines established by the 1970 Hague Convention.
     Klieman was ambushed and killed while traveling to her job as a special-needs kindergarten teacher. Rimawi was convicted after allegedly telling police that he committed the murder as a member of a terrorist group called Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Rimawi later changed his tune, claiming he wasn't a member of the group.
     Klieman's family in June sought to depose the Israeli police officer who interrogated Rimawi, an alleged Al-Aqsa recruiter and the former head of the Palestinian Security Services.
     Facciola's letter to Israel comes after he denied the PLO's argument that Al-Aqsa is not a real entity. In that ruling, Facciola granted the family its motion to depose the Israeli parties, with the help of the state.