Aljazeera.Net: Report slams Israeli, US rights abuses

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Report slams Israeli, US rights abuses
By Laila El-Haddad in Gaza
Wednesday 25 May 2005, 21:47 Makka Time, 18:47 GMT

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DFF54C66-6978-4679-AA1A-4E1A94CAD1F0.htm

An international human-rights group has accused Israel of committing abuses that constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The annual report by the human rights watchdog group Amnesty International (AI), released on Wednesday, criticises the Israeli use of Palestinians as human shields, extra-judicial killings, systematic house demolitions, torture, collective punishment and closures and deliberate killing of civilians.

Some 700 Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupying forces last year alone, an increase from the previous year's figure of 600, according to the report. About 150 of these were children, many killed deliberately and unlawfully, charged the watchdog group.

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