Israelis reject US criticism over rights

Israel has rejected accusations by the United States that it's used excessive force in response to violent demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

A foreign ministry statement said Israel had reacted in a proportionate and responsible way to what it called systematic and continuing Palestinian attacks.

The accusations came in the annual human rights review by the US State Department, which also criticised the Palestinians for attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers.

A Palestinian spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman said in response that settlers were regarded by Palestinians as an accessory to the Israeli army. Since violent confrontations broke out in late September, more than four-hundred people have been killed -- the majority of them Palestinians.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service