Israel accused of rights abuses
Human rights group alleges that Israel used Palestinians as human shields.
Published On 9 Mar 2007
“[The Israeli soldiers] said ‘come here’ and they put me ahead of them and took me up to the house. As soon as they were in, they started shooting at the wardrobe,” Amira said.
‘Illegal’
Jessica Montell, executive director of B’tselem – the Israeli information centre for human rights in the occupied territories – said: “It’s a clear case – the Israeli supreme court has determined it is illegal and the Israeli military has committed to not using this ‘neighbour’ procedure or any other kind of human shield by using Palestinians for these dangerous operations.”
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“The land of Israel belongs to both Jews and Palestinians – as long as there are people who reject this fact, the conflict will never be solved” Iskander, Boston, US |
In a faxed message, an Israeli spokesperson said the army had seen the footage and does not see any instance of the illegal use of civilians.
However, the statement pledged to pursue a thorough inquiry.
Fifty-thousand Nablus residents were placed under curfew last weekend when Israeli security forces sealed off the centre of the town and began a house-to-house search for fighters.
One Palestinian was killed during the operation. Israel says they found three explosives laboratories and detained a number of suspects.
Source: News Agencies