PALIS SUE ISRAEL IN NY FOR DEFENDING ITSELF

Israel Denounces Palestinian Lawsuit against Ex-Shin Bet Chief
Israel on Friday denounced a lawsuit filed by Palestinians against a former Israeli security chief. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York federal court, said former Shin Bet director Avi Dichter is responsible for a July 2002 airstrike that killed 15 people in the Gaza Strip including Salah Shehadeh, a top Hamas operative wanted for masterminding suicide bombings. "We see this as a cynical manipulation of the courts by groups with extremist agendas," said Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. (AP/Newsday)