Muslim states push UN rights body over Israel

GENEVA, Aug 11 (Reuters) Muslim states today called on the new United Nations Human Rights Council to launch an international investigation into what they called Israeli ''atrocities'' in Lebanon.

But Western and non-Muslim countries on the 47-member body said any inquiry must be balanced by also looking into rights violations and attacks on civilians by Lebanese group Hizbollah.

''Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity ... and massacres in various places (in Lebanon),'' a Tunisian delegate, speaking for the Arab League, told a special Council session on the month-old conflict.

Bangladesh said the world was ''appalled at the Israeli atrocities in Lebanon'', while Indonesia said Israel was guilty of showing ''ruthless contempt'' for civilian lives.

The charges were made during a debate on a resolution presented to the session by some Muslim states -- but dubbed partisan by its critics -- calling for condemnation of ''grave Israeli violations of human rights'' in the conflict.

The draft, to be voted on later today, commits the two-month-old Council to sending a delegation to investigate ''systematic targeting and killing of civilians by Israel in Lebanon''.

The text makes no reference to Hizbollah guerrillas or the group's daily rocket attacks on northern Israel. Diplomats said Muslim countries backed by Cuba and some African states rejected proposals to include criticism of Hizbollah in the resolution.

Israel, its main ally the United States and several other countries accuse the group of sparking the war with a cross-border raid on July 12 in which it captured two Israeli soldiers.

Canada told the session the fighting was between Israel ''and a terrorist militia called Hizbollah'', which was violating the rights of Israeli civilians and Lebanese non-combatants by launching rockets from the cover of civilian buildings.

Israel's ambassador Itzhak Levanon accused ''cowardly states'' -- a reference to Hizbollah's backers Iran and Syria -- of encouraging the group with the aim of destroying Israel.

Switzerland, Russia and India called for a resolution that mentioned both Hizbollah and Israeli actions, but said Israel's response to the kidnappings had been disproportionate.

In a speech opening the session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said there had been widespread shock at an Israeli attack on the Lebanese town of Qana on July 30 in which many civilians, most of them children, died.

But she also said Hizbollah was guilty of ''indiscriminate shelling of densely populated centres'' in northern Israel.

REUTERS DKA VC2212