Also today, the Israeli Supreme Court banned the Israeli military from using Palestinian civilians to approach the homes of wanted militants to ask them to surrender. The use of «human shields,» which the army argued was a way to protect the lives of soldiers and other Palestinians in the house, was forbidden. «You cannot exploit the civilian population for the army’s military needs, and you cannot force them to collaborate with the army,» Chief Justice Aharon Barak said.

In August 2002, the court issued a temporary injunction against the practice, and the army changed its procedures. But complainants said the army, known as the Israel Defense Forces, or I.D.F., ignored the injunction, and that it was impossible for any Palestinian to exercise free choice in such a situation. The court agreed.

A legislator from the left-wing Yahad Party, Ran Cohen, praised the court but said: «It’s time that the I.D.F. itself differentiated between good and bad, between permitted and forbidden in all the insanity of the occupation that forces the army into impossible situations.»

A member of parliament from Mr. Sharon’s Likud Party, Gilad Erdan, said he would introduce legislation to get around the ruling. «The high court has unfortunately preferred the comfort and non-endangerment of the neighbors over the lives of I.D.F. soldiers,» he said. (nytimes)