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Last update - 00:03 22/11/2006
UN official: Israel should review its 'entire' military policy in Gaza
By News Agencies

Israel should review its "entire policy" of military action against Palestinians since violence was bound to cause civilian casualties and destroy prospects for peace, a senior United Nations official said on Tuesday.

Ibrahim Gambari, the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, also told a Security Council meeting on the Middle East that Palestinian militants fired more than 200 rockets and mortar shells over the past month into the town of Sderot, which he called "legally and morally wrong."

Israel Defense Forces operations in the West Bank and Gaza have killed at least 128 Palestinians and wounded more than 380 during the past month, including at least 19 children.
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"Israel should act prudently and proportionally in defending its citizens, so as to avoid civilian casualties," Gambari said, adding that firing artillery into civilian neighborhoods such as Gaza's Beit Hanun, where 19 people were killed on November 8, make civilian deaths inevitable.

Annan: Rights council should broaden focus
The United Nations Human Rights Council should broaden its focus beyond the Palestinian-Israeli issue to avoid accusations it is one-sided, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva for the last time before he steps down as secretary-general at the end of the year, Annan said the council's preoccupation with Israel's actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories while ignoring the situation in Darfur had caused some to wonder whether it had "a sense of fair play."

"They [the council members] have tended to focus on the Palestinian issue, and of course if you focus on the Palestinian-Israeli issue without even discussing Darfur and other issues, some wonder 'what is this council doing?"' he said.

The 47-member council, which earlier this year replaced the discredited Human Rights Commission, has been severely criticized by some countries, including the United States, for moving four times to condemn Israel but not taking up human rights violations in Myanmar, North Korea or Sudan.

Annan's remarks coincided with the release of a council inquiry Tuesday into Israel's actions during the monthlong conflict this summer, which accused Israel of "a significant pattern of excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force... against Lebanese civilians."

The inquiry, which was instigated by members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was not mandated to look at the conduct of the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah during the fighting.

While the inquiry notes that "any independent, impartial and objective investigation into a particular conduct during the course of hostilities must of necessity be with reference to all the belligerents involved," the report concludes that examining the actions of Hezbollah in Israel would have exceeded its powers
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  1.   One Foot At Exit Door 15:06  |  BenAbuzaglo 21/11/06
  2.   No Shit! 15:13  |  Ariel 21/11/06
  3.   better late than never 15:23  |  david kat 21/11/06
  4.   It is too late#1 15:26  |  Ian 21/11/06
  5.   Annan the Fair!!! 15:39  |  Watcher 21/11/06
  6.   Where Was He Over Past Decade? 15:43  |  Menahem 21/11/06
  7.   Smartest thing Annan has ever said 15:48  |  Ryan 21/11/06
  8.   Focusing beyond Israel 15:50  |  Ishak Haskiya 21/11/06
  9.   is he kidding??? 16:04  |  vs 21/11/06
  10.   "forgive me for I have been INEFFICIENT" 16:07  |  nj 21/11/06
  11.   Qassam attack on Sderot walk up Mrs. Arbour ???? 16:08  |  Victor_the_Egyptian 21/11/06
  12.   Annan, the useless wimp. 16:23  |  SystemF 21/11/06
  13.   parse the words 16:25  |  stevie the k 21/11/06
  14.   How dare he? 16:34  |  Allon 21/11/06
  15.   Big Daddy is keen on Darfur, but not on Israel...OIL SPEAKS 16:39  |  Messaoud 21/11/06
  16.   Annan: an utter failure by all accounts 17:10  |  Bimmer 21/11/06
  17.   Annan - the lying dog 17:12  |  dg 21/11/06
  18.   To # 15 17:15  |  Aviv 21/11/06
  19.   Koffi`s change of heart 17:21  |  Rav Harley 21/11/06
  20.   He didn`t do it alone 17:55  |  George 21/11/06
  21.   WELL WE ARE IN FOR A GOOD YEAR!! 17:57  |  paul harris 21/11/06
  22.   Why am I surprised that 2 & a Half Hrs have elapsed 17:57  |  Ari ben Yisrael 21/11/06
  23.   Annan is once more in the "Israel worst enemies" category. 17:59  |  Shlomo Servi 21/11/06
  24.   to #15 - one point regarding your useless comment 18:08  |  Bimmer 21/11/06
  25.   Kofi 18:11  |  Yariv 21/11/06
  26.   WOW 19:36  |  Abir 21/11/06
  27.   Response to Messaoud 19:37  |  Derka Derka 21/11/06
  28.   He Just Doesn`t Get it ;] 19:40  |  Arnold Shore 21/11/06
  29.   Annan is like Palestinian Propaganda 19:46  |  Jon 21/11/06
  30.   Why add credibility to the UN Rights Council? 19:51  |  Gina 21/11/06
  31.   to #24 - one point regarding your useless comment 20:03  |  Lennon O Naraigh 21/11/06
  32.   Where was he? 20:44  |  Micha 21/11/06
  33.   Hey Messy, how bout caring about something in the world 20:46  |  Micha 21/11/06
  34.   Anan is realy a clever antisemite 21:01  |  Uzi 21/11/06
  35.   UN official:Israel should review.... 21:41  |  youval 21/11/06
  36.   "MORALLY WRONG" ?!?!?!?!? is that it ?!?!? 21:42  |  amir 21/11/06
  37.   Six hours later & they still haven`t commented 21:52  |  Ari ben Yisrael 21/11/06
  38.   Funniest quote ever made 22:01  |  dfg 21/11/06
  39.   BUT look at the reason he gave 22:13  |  Joe 21/11/06
  40.   Kofi, Give Us A Break 22:30  |  DAVID KAPLAN 21/11/06
  41.   The UN 23:01  |  Philippe 21/11/06
  42.   Maybe the UN should end its policy.... 23:22  |  Cynic 21/11/06
  43.   Annan`s devious "mea culpa" won`t clear his name 23:51  |  Wendy 21/11/06
  44.   Duh! 23:52  |  Paulo 21/11/06
  45.   re: Cynic #42 23:56  |  Paulo 21/11/06
  46.   re: Phillipe #41 00:04  |  Paulo 22/11/06
  47.   Israeli response in Gaza 00:32  |  Tony 22/11/06
  48.   Israelis just don`t get it 00:42  |  David King 22/11/06
  49.   Sign Above the UN 02:14  |  Withheld by Request 22/11/06
  50.   To all zionists and their supporters 02:21  |  Canadian 22/11/06
  51.   To so called "Canadian" 04:32  |  Bruce 22/11/06
  52.   UN 07:01  |  Gordon 22/11/06
  53.   UN official: Israel should review its `entire` military policy in 16:48  |  NA 22/11/06
  54.   UN official: Israel should review its `entire` military policy in 16:54  |  NA 22/11/06
  55.   To all zionists and their supporters 17:03  |  NA 22/11/06
  56.   Other news sources 23/11/06 state.... 04:37  |  Maureen Ann 23/11/06
  57.   Gambari-lives in LaLa Arabist land Killers of their own 20:50  |  ryan 18/02/08
  58.   #50 #51 #52 #53#54#55-Points of Clariy 21:13  |  ryan 18/02/08
  59.   #44 #45 Paulo Palestinian are losers! 21:27  |  ryan 18/02/08
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