JERUSALEM — Israeli troops have used excessive force in dispersing Palestinian demonstrators, an Israeli human rights group said in a new report Wednesday, calling for a commission of inquiry into the violence.
Israel's tentatively scheduled spring elections, meanwhile, were called into question as the government and religious parties wrangled over the mandatory drafting of Jewish seminary students.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has renewed his invitation to the hard-line opposition to join the government, a move that would block early elections. Late Tuesday, Barak met with opposition leader Ariel Sharon, but both sides said the two talked about Israeli-Palestinian fighting, not about politics.
In nine weeks of unrest, 297 people have been killed, including 252 Palestinians. More than 9,000 Palestinians have injured, according to the United Nations.
The Israeli human rights group Betselem has been tracking human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for more than a decade. It said Wednesday that Israeli soldiers have used excessive force in dispersing demonstrations.
According to the army's regulations, soldiers can open fire on armed Palestinians or those holding firebombs, and in any situation they perceive as life-threatening.
Betselem said that "most of those killed and wounded in recent weeks did not carry weapons." The group noted that dozens of children were among those killed.
The 50-page report included detailed descriptions of clashes, including witness accounts and army statements.
Betselem also said the Palestinian Authority has not done enough to prevent Palestinian children from participating in demonstrations, and has often failed to stop Palestinian gunmen from attacking Israeli civilians.
The group demanded that an independent international commission of inquiry look into the events.
The army said it received the report, but had no immediate comment.
In the past, Israeli commanders have said the soldiers have shown restraint in life-threatening situations. The army has said that Palestinian gunmen often opened fire at soldiers from among unarmed Palestinian demonstrators.
At the United Nations, Malaysia said it would seek action in the Security Council in the next few days on a Palestinian demand to send 2,000 unarmed U.N. military observers to the region to protect Palestinian civilians.
"We're going to push for action by the end of this week — a vote," Malaysia's U.N. Ambassador Agam Hasmy said. "Why wait? Every pause results in further deaths and destruction on the ground."
Betselem, along with the United Nations, also criticized Israel's travel restrictions on Palestinians. When the unrest first erupted, Palestinians were barred from entering Israel. Two weeks ago, the ban was tightened, with troops preventing Palestinians from leaving their communities.
The United Nations said in a report Tuesday that Palestinian unemployment has tripled to 40 percent as a result of the blockade, and that almost half the Palestinians are living on less than $2 a day.
Israel has said it needs to maintain the ban to keep out Islamic militants who have threatened to carry out more suicide bombings.
In Israel, meanwhile, there was growing confusion over whether elections would be held in the spring, two years ahead of schedule. Last week, a large majority in Israel's parliament gave preliminary approval to early elections. However, the bill needs to pass two more readings, allowing for weeks of political wrangling.
A new element emerged this week — a dispute over the draft of tens of thousands of Jewish seminary students who have enjoyed automatic exemptions.
Israel's Supreme Court ruled two years ago that the exemptions were illegal, and has asked parliament or the government to find a fairer arrangement. The high court's deadline, already extended several times, expires Jan. 1.
Israeli radio reports said that under an emerging deal, some of the religious parties would not vote for early elections if a government found a way to hold off on drafting seminary students.
Eli Ishai, who leads the religious Shas party, said he has rejected such a proposal by Barak's One Israel faction and that Shas would back early elections.
But Avraham Ravitz, head of another religious party, the United Torah Front, suggested that a compromise could be worked out.