France welcomes legal action by Israeli Lee Zeitouni's family against Khayat and Robic

“This is a very positive decision, which France welcomes with great relief, because it is the only way to avoid a denial of justice” Bernard Valero, spokesperson for the French ministry of foreign affairs declared. “This action will at last allow justice to take its course.”

The complaint against the two youths was filed on Friday in Creteil near Paris.

Claude Khayat and Eric Robic have admitted being in the car at the time of the collision. Both returned to France very hastily, triggering an outcry in Israel, where a campaign group was set up calling for them to face trial in Israel.

Lawyers for the group say the two men left a night club in the early hours of the morning, were “certainly” driving too fast and knocked over the young woman who was on a protected pathway at the time. They say the two men did not go to her aid afterwards.

Although campaigners called for the two men to be extradited to Israel, French authorities were unable to do so because France does not extradite its citizens except to European Union countries.