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Israel sets up commission to deal with lawsuits over Gaza

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TEL-AVIV, January 23 (RIA Novosti) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has set up a special commission to deal with possible international lawsuits over Israel's three-week military operation in the Gaza Strip, local media said on Friday.

The decision followed a statement by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz that Israel is "preparing for a wave of international lawsuits over the operation in Gaza," the Ynet news portal said.

The commission, comprising representatives of the prime minister and the foreign, defense and justice ministries, as well as experts on international law, will be led by Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, the Jerusalem Post said.

"Friedmann was expected to convene the panel in the coming days," the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, the country's Military Censor has imposed a ban on the media publishing the names and pictures of officers who participated in the operation, amid fears the information could be used in legal proceedings against them abroad, Haaretz said. Israeli officers have also been advised to consult lawyers before a trip abroad.

"It is known that a number of organizations have begun preparing a 'target list' of officers - the names of officers involved in the fighting and where they fought - in an effort to uncover evidence that will allow legal proceedings to begin," the newspaper said.

The United Nations' special rapporteur on the West Bank and Gaza called on Thursday for an independent inquiry into the operation, adding that the enclave's whole population could be considered casualties of the Israeli assault as they may have been mentally scarred for life.

The 22-day Israeli offensive, launched on December 27, claimed over 1,300 lives, including 412 children, and wounded more than 5,450, according to the UN report.

Human Rights Watch accused Israeli military of putting civilians at risk while using artillery shells with a dangerous incendiary agent, white phosphorus, in populated areas of Gaza, including a crowded refugee camp.

Once white phosphorus touches skin, it can burn through flesh to the bone. It could be used in shells, bombs and rockets to create smoke and hide troop movement. Israel is not a party to a convention regulating its use.

"The use of WP [white phosphorus] in densely populated areas of Gaza violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life." Human Rights Watch said on its website.

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