MADRID, June 30 (Reuters) - Spain's High Court has dropped an investigation into seven Israelis, including a former defence minister, over an attack in Gaza in 2002 that killed a Hamas commander and 14 civilians, the court said. In a ruling, the court said it accepted the argument by the attorney general's office against the investigation, which prompted complaints from Israel and led the Spanish government to stop its judges probing cases that do not involve Spaniards. Over the past decade, Spain's judges have launched a series of criminal investigations into prominent international figures, including, most famously, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. While human rights groups have applauded, Spanish authorities have become increasingly embarrassed by the growing number of targets selected by their judges, including senior Chinese officials and members of the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush. Spain's attorney general's office, arguing against the investigation into the Gaza attack, had said there was already an probe taking place in Israel into the decision to bomb a housing block on July 22, 2002. The blast killed Hamas commander Salah Shehada, as well as the civilians, nine of whom were children. Judge Fernando Andreu had started the criminal investigation into the seven Israelis, including former minister Benjamin ben Eliezer, in January, following an accusation by a human rights group. A law sent by the Spanish government to parliament is set to stop judges from investigating cases that do not involve Spaniards. (Reporting by Jason Webb; Editing by Sophie Hares)
Palestinian girls play on a street in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip June 29, 2009. Six months after Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip, 1.5 million Palestinians remain trapped ...
