Israeli plan to sue US tobacco companies

The Israeli Health Ministry says it plans to sue American cigarette companies for part of the cost of treating smoking-related diseases in Israel.

But the action must first be approved by Israel's Attorney General.

If it goes ahead, it would resemble a lawsuit by nearly forty American state authorities against the tobacco industry, which ended last June with a multi-billion dollar settlement.

Israel's Health Ministry estimates that over five-thousand Israelis die of smoking-related diseases annually.

Half the cigarettes smoked in Israel are imported from the United States.

The Israeli Health Ministry also plans to sue Israeli cigarette manufacturers and importers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service