UN rights official to Israel: Avoid excessive force in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. high commissioner for human rights has urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against Palestinians who have been staging weekly mass protests on the Gaza border with Israel. The marches, aimed in part at trying to break a decade-old border blockade, have been organized by Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers but have also been driven by widespread despair in the coastal territory of 2 million people. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Israeli troops have not heeded warnings by the United Nations and others, repeatedly using lethal force against unarmed protesters over the past month. The U.N. human rights commissioner said Friday that "it is difficult to see" how throwing stones, burning tires or even hurling firebombs from a distance at heavily protected security forces in defensive positions could be seen as life-threatening. Israel has rejected the international criticism, saying it is defending its sovereign border and accusing Gaza’s Hamas leaders, who are organizing the protests, of using the crowds as cover to carry out attacks.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein asks Israel to refrain from using lethal force as protests enter their fifth week. The Israeli Defence Forces open fire again, including use of live ammunition.