Reuters: Rights group slams Israel for bombing civilians

Rights group slams Israel for bombing civilians

Reuters
Thursday, August 3, 2006; 4:56 AM

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel's military appears to have deliberately bombed civilians
in Lebanon and some of its strikes constitute war crimes, U.S.-based rights group
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.

HRW said Israel's contention that Hizbollah fighters were hiding among Lebanese
civilians did not justify its "systematic failure" to distinguish between civilians
and combatants.

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HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said in the many cases of civilian Lebanese
deaths investigated by the rights group, the location of Hizbollah members or their
weapons stores appeared to have no bearing on the areas attacked.

"Hizbollah fighters must not hide behind civilians. That's an absolute. But the image
that Israel has promoted of such shielding as the cause of so high a civilian death
toll is wrong," he said in the statement.

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