Group: Israel used 'excessive' force against Palestinians

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Rights group accuses IsraeisAn Israeli rights group on Wednesday accused Israeli security forces of using "excessive and unwarranted" force in the killing of some Palestinians who attacked or were suspected of attacking Israelis during the current wave of violence.

Israeli officials rejected the charges by the B'Tselem group. The watchdog's statement said Israeli officers had used excessive lethal force against Palestinians in at least 12 cases in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the past two months.

According to the group, Israeli soldiers and police officers fired at some Palestinian assailants even after they were wounded and posed no further threat.

In some cases, it claimed officers carried out what the group called "summary executions," killing Palestinians instead of arresting and trying them in court.

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