RAMALLAH, Sept. 14 (JMCC) - Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has released a new report accusing Israel of failing to prosecute its soldiers over the killing of Palestinians.

Documenting 148 cases in which 288 Palestinians were killed, the report shows that Israel's military judicial system has not followed through on investigations in most cases.

The Israel Defense Forces policy of refraining from thoroughly investigating the wrongful deaths of Palestinian civilians absolved IDF soldiers from such action even when criminal charges should be brought against them, B'Tselem said.

The conclusion is at the core of a new report by the human rights group, released Tuesday, which said that soldiers who kill Palestinian civilians are rarely prosecuted, even when circumstances clearly indicate foul play.

B'Tselem based its report on the Judge Advocate General's actions over the past four years, saying there was a clear pattern of avoiding launching full scale Military Police investigations in such cases.

The reports lists 148 cases detailing 288 Palestinian civilian deaths, between 2006 and 2009 – excluding Operation Cast Lead – which it asked the military to investigate.

B'Tselem claims that during the period in question, the IDF killed 1,510 Palestinians, 617 of them non-combatants; but according to the group, out of its 148 requests only 22 – less then 15% – were investigated, 29 cases were closed, 16 cases are pending decision on prosecution, and the rest are still pending decision on further review...

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