U.N. official criticizes Israel

A U.N. human rights investigator criticized Israel and the Palestinians on violating international law. John Dugard, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, slammed both the Palestinian rocket fire on southern Israel and Israel’s response. “The indiscriminate firing of rockets into Sderot violates international humanitarian law,” Dugard said in a statement Tuesday. Dugard also said that Israel’s response to the rockets “fails to distinguish between civilians and combatants and is a disproportionate use of force.”He said Israel’s targeted killings of Hamas leaders were “illegal under international humanitarian law” and said the recent arrest of more than 30 Hamas members violated the Geneva Conventions.