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UN: Israeli forces used live fire in May: 11 civilians killed

Israel Materials 8 July 2011 01:23 (UTC +04:00)
The Israeli Defence Forces used live ammunition against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators, killing seven of them and injuring 111 others during an incident on May 15 when they crossed an artificial Lebanese-Israeli border, a UN report said Thursday.
UN: Israeli forces used live fire in May: 11 civilians killed

The Israeli Defence Forces used live ammunition against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators, killing seven of them and injuring 111 others during an incident on May 15 when they crossed an artificial Lebanese-Israeli border, a UN report said Thursday.

A UN spokesman said UN Secretary General stands by the report on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is monitoring a 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, dpa reported.

The UN force has about 12,000 military and police personnel, manning a so-called "blue line" serving as a border between the two countries.

UN spokesman Fahran Haq said Ban stood by the findings of an investigation carried out by UNIFIL on the incident on May 15 when about 1,000 protesters crossed the blue line near Maroun-ar-Ras, prompting the Israeli military reaction.

An estimated 10,000 people demonstrated against Israel on that day.

The UNIFIL report to the UN Security Council said Israeli troops "used direct live fire against unarmed demonstrators who attempted to breach the technical fence."

"At the same time, the organizers were responsible for ensuring that demonstrators did not approach the technical fence and did not become violent," Ban said in the report. "I regret the loss of life."

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