Neither Israel nor Lebanon has investigated allegations of war crimes from last year’s conflict, the human rights group Amnesty International charged in a statement released Thursday, calling for a United Nations inquiry. In its reports since the war, Amnesty criticized Hezbollah for firing nearly 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities and towns, and Israel for bombing civilian areas and using cluster bombs in south Lebanon…Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev’s response to the Amnesty charges was quoted in The International Herald Tribune — "The Israeli system of justice is independent, professional and transparent. Allegations of inappropriate behavior by Israeli military personal have been thoroughly investigated. Israel is a country in which respect of human rights and the rule of law are at the very center of the political process."

As Ynet reports: "following AI’s statement, Jerusalem based watchdog Non-Governmental Organization Monitor has expressed continued concern over their approach to the conflict. ‘Amnesty’s comments again fail to hold Hezbollah responsible for initiating the conflict in an unprovoked cross border raid that saw eight Israeli servicemen killed and two kidnapped,’ the NGO Monitor stated. Their questions over Amnesty’s publications on the conflict remain. NGO Monitor’s detailed research has shown that through the use of highly politicized, unverifiable sources, Amnesty paint a one-sided, inaccurate picture. The statement also said that while it is commendable that Amnesty call on Hezbollah to provide information on the two kidnapped Israelis, they do not call for their release. This is an absurd deviation from Amnesty International’s founding principles."

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