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The scene of the 2002 attack on Shehadeh in Gaza City. (AP)
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Last update - 22:04 17/09/2007
Panel to look into civilian deaths in 2002 IAF attack on Shehadeh
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent

The State Prosecution has agreed to establish an independent commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the targeted assassination of Hamas' former military leader in the Gaza Strip, Salah Shehadeh, in June 2002.

Shehadeh died when the Israel Air Force dropped a one-ton bomb on a Gaza City neighborhood, killing 14 innocent people - mostly women and children - in the process.

The panel will establish whether a criminal investigation should be opened against those involved in the decision to bomb the neighborhood. The State Prosecution told the High Court of Justice of its decision during a hearing on a petition filed the peace organization "Yesh Gvul."

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The organization filed the petition in September 2003 against then-military prosecutor Menachem Finkelstein, who refused to order a criminal investigation into the deaths of the 14 civilians.

Three months ago, the High Court ordered the state to declare whether or not it would agree to the establishment of an independent panel. When the court ruled in December 2006 that targeted assassinations are not illegal under international law, it also determined that the state is obligated to "objectively" investigate decisions taken by the Israel Defense Forces in cases where innocent civilians have been killed.

"Despite the fact that the regulations determined by the High Court's verdict on the policy of targeted assassinations are not applicable to the incident in question," wrote deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, "the state agrees that the circumstances under which innocent civilians were hurt in the course of the action against Shehadeh will be examined by an objective investigative committee that will be appointed for this purpose by state authorities."

The attack in July 2002 leveled an entire residential building in Gaza City. High Court justices repeatedly delayed the hearing on the petition, deciding it would be heard only after ruling on the targeted assassinations policy.
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  1.   FIRST KILL. THEN FORM A PANEL. HOW HUMANE ZIONISTS ARE 20:57  |  JACKAL 17/09/07
  2.   Israel is not competent to carry out "targetted assasinations" 21:16  |  Karma Chameleon 17/09/07
  3.   No Case 21:18  |  Ron 17/09/07
  4.   The IDF has never killed "innocent" children 21:24  |  Yonatan 17/09/07
  5.   Sorry, but not sorry 21:46  |  Yonatan 17/09/07
  6.   yonatan 4 21:56  |  realism 17/09/07
  7.   I did not write #4, but... 21:56  |  Yonatan 17/09/07
  8.   #2, learn about the conflict. 22:13  |  Mark 17/09/07
  9.   Israeli soldiers = murderers, child-killers 22:51  |  Jonathan 17/09/07
  10.   Indict FDR & Churchill 22:54  |  Incredulous 17/09/07
  11.   # 4 yonatan 23:15  |  Axel 17/09/07
  12.   More "collateral damage"... 23:15  |  Silvienne 17/09/07
  13.   #7, Yonatan... 23:17  |  Silvienne 17/09/07
  14.   Poor Jonathan 23:19  |  Yonatan 17/09/07
  15.   JACKAL, what`s first is first 23:24  |  Fish 17/09/07
  16.   Yonatan.. 23:32  |  Ramzi Sfeir 17/09/07
  17.   Jonathan, #9, you`re an idiot. 23:33  |  Mark 17/09/07
  18.   Looking into "civilian"deaths 23:37  |  Connie 17/09/07
  19.   Idiocy 23:49  |  Sidney 17/09/07
  20.   Haaretz forum welcomes all anti-semites 23:53  |  David 17/09/07
  21.   #5 Yonatan justifies war-crimes 23:54  |  Boycott 17/09/07
  22.   Israel`s Worst Enemy 00:03  |  David Metz 18/09/07
  23.   Too little ,too late,israel,your day of reckoning is sure to come 00:09  |  lakshmi 18/09/07
  24.   Silvienne "collateral damage"... 00:38  |  akiva P 18/09/07
  25.   jackal the jerk 00:38  |  larry from maine 18/09/07
  26.   Yonatan 00:48  |  Neil 18/09/07
  27.   Mark Post 14 00:58  |  Neil 18/09/07
  28.   Lets look at the facts, If Shahadeh lives 00:59  |  TOMY 18/09/07
  29.   Krokodile tears for bloody terrorists 01:05  |  TOMY 18/09/07
  30.   DON`T APOLOGIZE FOR CIVILIAN CASUALTIES 01:25  |  Paul Taylor 18/09/07
  31.   #9 Johnathan 01:58  |  John Allen 18/09/07
  32.   Hopefully panel will focus on the right thing 02:17  |  William 18/09/07
  33.   yonatan...I agree with you.... 03:04  |  maria 18/09/07
  34.   palestinians like asians 03:11  |  maria 18/09/07
  35.   First form a panel and then kill?????? 03:14  |  Yoav Naor 18/09/07
  36.   bravo!..... mark in ny 03:14  |  maria 18/09/07
  37.   panel to look???? 03:18  |  ljf-canada 18/09/07
  38.   mark - ny 03:32  |  ralph 18/09/07
  39.   akiva p 17 03:55  |  realism 18/09/07
  40.   "REALISM" An Arab sniper shot Shalhevet Pass in her cradle 03:56  |  PETER SM 18/09/07
  41.   Innocent civilians in unity with their elected representatives 04:02  |  bernard ross 18/09/07
  42.   Liberalism is a mental disorder 04:13  |  Mike Savage 18/09/07
  43.   Israel will answer... 04:15  |  Maureen Ann 18/09/07
  44.   You Guys Are a Joke 04:17  |  Abe 18/09/07
  45.   To Maureen Ann 04:25  |  Ruth 18/09/07
  46.   "civilian deaths" 04:40  |  Shmuelshachor 18/09/07
  47.   Israel has always answered to a higher authority 04:50  |  Yoav Naor 18/09/07
  48.   dump the charade 05:15  |  ravi 18/09/07
  49.   peter s.m....40 05:17  |  ravi 18/09/07
  50.   30Paul taylor,you sound worse than anything shehade might have 05:31  |  lakshmi 18/09/07
  51.   BOYCOTT do you think kindy bombing was justified?Did you protest? 05:34  |  PETER SM 18/09/07
  52.   45Ruth,could you give us an idea of how many israeli women& 05:36  |  lakshmi 18/09/07
  53.   #45, Ruth... 06:01  |  Silvienne 18/09/07
  54.   #47, Yoav Naor 06:06  |  Silvienne 18/09/07
  55.   RAVI.Arab terrorists have not succeeded because of the IDF/IAF 06:56  |  PETER SM 18/09/07
  56.   peter sm 40 09:25  |  realism 18/09/07
  57.   #56 - Why do you doubt it, realism? 13:07  |  JES 18/09/07
  58.   Ralph 38, get a grip on reality 17:32  |  Mark 18/09/07
  59.   #58, Mark... 19:02  |  Silvienne 18/09/07
  60.   jes 23:02  |  realism 18/09/07
  61.   Silvienne 05:36  |  Markq 19/09/07
  62.   Neil knows how to use google! Hooray! 05:48  |  Mark 19/09/07
  63.   #60 - What would you term it then? 11:21  |  JES 19/09/07
  64.   jes 60 13:33  |  realism 19/09/07
  65.   #64 - Realism 15:05  |  JES 19/09/07
  66.   rather make it a war crimes tribunal 18:10  |  John 19/09/07
  67.   To Mark 18:15  |  John 19/09/07
  68.   To Mark: Who? The zionists of course 18:18  |  John 19/09/07
  69.   jes 65 18:54  |  realism 19/09/07
  70.   #61, Markq 22:47  |  Silvienne 19/09/07
  71.   #69, realism... 22:50  |  Silvienne 19/09/07
  72.   silvienne 71 03:45  |  realism 20/09/07
  73.   #72, realism... 05:36  |  Silvienne 20/09/07
  74.   #71 - Silvienne 05:59  |  JES 20/09/07
  75.   #73 - What is half a heritage? 06:00  |  JES 20/09/07
  76.   silvienne 73 06:08  |  realism 20/09/07
  77.   jes 75 06:11  |  realism 20/09/07
  78.   JES 21:33  |  Silvienne 20/09/07
  79.   #76, realism 23:22  |  Silvienne 20/09/07
  80.   Dealing in myths and fantasies 05:03  |  Yoav Naor 21/09/07
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