The Israeli Supreme Court has banned the army from using Palestinian civilians as human shields in arrest raids.
A three-judge panel issued Thursday's ruling, which says the army's practice of forcing Palestinian civilians to approach the homes of suspected militants violates international law.
The ruling grew out of a 2002 case brought by Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, after a Palestinian teenager, Nidal Daraghmeh was forced to knock on the door of a suspected West Bank militant. The teenager was shot dead when gunfire erupted moments later.
In August of 2002, the court issued a temporary injunction against the practice.
But a 2004 photograph of a Palestinian boy strapped to the front of an Israeli jeep under attack by Palestinian rock-throwers prompted human rights activists to complain the army was ignoring the court order.
Israel's army declined to comment on Wednesday's ruling.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
