Egypt riled by film's POW massacre claim

CAIRO, March 6 (UPI) -- An Israeli documentary film that claims Israeli forces killed 250 Egyptian prisoners in Sinai in 1967's Six Day War is straining Egyptian-Israeli relations.

Israel's Channel 1 network aired "Shaken Spirit" by journalist Ran Adelist last week and Egyptian officials have since threatened to take the issue to the International Court at The Hague for prosecution, YNetNews reported Tuesday.

The broadcaster said the film made an indirect reference to a chase by Israeli soldiers "at the end of which 250 dead commando soldiers were counted," but none of the people interviewed in the film said the dead men were captives.

In Brussels on unrelated matters, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told his Israeli counterpart, Tzipi Livni that Egypt expected Israel to launch an investigation into the allegations made in the movie.

Livni in turn called for caution before accepting the film as fact, YNetNews said.

"Israel regrets the fact that Egyptian elements are making wrongful and biased use of the movie, without appropriate examination, in a bid to sabotage the relations between the states," Livni told Gheit.