BBC NEWS | Middle East | Amnesty seeks Mid-East watchdog

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Amnesty seeks Mid-East watchdog: "A human rights group has called for the creation of an international monitoring body to address human rights violations by Israel and the Palestinians.

Amnesty International says the body must have a mandate to investigate and prosecute offenders.

It also denounced the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank and called on Palestinians to end militant attacks.

The report marks 40 years since the Mid-East war which led to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Amnesty's UK director Kate Allen said Israel could not justify its behaviour in the West Bank under security grounds.

'Legitimate security concerns are no excuse for... the mistreatment of thousands of Palestinians in a massive programme of collective punishment,' she said.

In response to the report, Israel's government defended its observance of international law, and Palestinian rights activists said what was needed was a peacekeeping force - not more monitors with no mandate to intervene." Read complete post here.