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Israeli army's dogs to get new home, upscale cemetery |
| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 9, 2006 |
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An international watchdog group demanded that the Israeli military investigate the shooting deaths of two Palestinian children in recent weeks, according to a statement issued Wednesday.
Human Rights Watch said the military judicial officer must launch a serious inquiry into the cases "to demonstrate his resolve to combat impunity."
On Jan. 23, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 13-year-old Palestinian boy on a West Bank road used by Jewish settlers near the Palestinian village of Mughayer. Soldiers said he was among youths planning to throw rocks or plant an explosive along the road.
Responding to the Human Rights Watch statement, the Israeli army spokesman said soldiers saw a suspicious figure "carrying a large bag and advancing toward the fence in the dark in an area far from civilian population." Soldiers thought a bomb was being planted and opened fire.
On Jan. 26, Israeli troops shot dead a 9-year-old girl near Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians said. Human rights groups charged that Israeli forces opened fire indiscriminately.
In its response, the military spokesman said only, "Senior commanders in the central command continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident."
The army statement added, "The (Israeli military) will continue to do everything it can to minimize harm done to uninvolved Palestinian civilians, while defending Israeli civilians from terrorism."
In calling for the inquiries, the group said international standards require the use of lethal force only when it is "strictly unavoidable in order to protect life." The statement said "eyewitness accounts and the pattern of lethal injuries on the two children indicate a serious breach of these standards."
The group noted the Israeli military has stepped up the number of its investigations recently.
However, Human Rights Watch Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson charged that the military does not conduct effective investigations. "Increasing the numbers of investigations is a step in the right direction, but the ultimate test is whether they bring wrongdoers to justice," she said, according to the statement. |
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