Israel seeks more military legal advice

JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Israel's armed forces must now consult with military attorneys while operations are under way, the country's chief of staff says.

Israeli army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has issued an order expanding the required consultations with legal affairs advisers from the current rules in which they only need to be contacted before military operations are launched, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said Ashkenazi laid down the stricter regulations despite opposition from several commanders, including members of the General Staff. The ruling, Haaretz said, was a victory for Military Advocate General Avichai Mendelblit, but in a compromise, legal advisers will work only with divisional headquarters rather than at the brigade or battalion level while operations are under way.

The newspaper said in the military incursion into the Gaza Strip known as Operation Cast Lead, legal advisers were consulted before but not during the operations, in which Israel has been accused by Palestinians and United Nations observers of committing war crimes.

Israel denies the assertions and says its actions were a justifiable self-defense reaction to rockets launched by the Hamas militant group that controls the enclave.