U.N. Report: (Jenin) Masscre Claim Unfounded

AP | 7/31/02

[kattracks]

UNITED NATIONS July 31 — A U.N. report on Israel's military attack on a Palestinian refugee camp does not back up claims of a massacre, but it does criticize both sides for putting civilians in harm's way, Western diplomats said Wednesday.

The report accuses Israel of delaying aid and medical help to Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp. And it charges Palestinian militants with deliberately putting its fighters and equipment in civilian areas in violation of international law, according to the diplomats.

The violence in Jenin came during an Israeli offensive launched on March 29 in response to a suicide bombing that killed 29 Israelis. The heaviest fighting during the period was in the Jenin camp, where the Palestinians said Israeli attacks killed 500 people.

On April 19, Israel approved a U.N. fact-finding mission to probe its military assault on Jenin but later objected to the team's makeup and mandate. The team was disbanded and the U.N. General Assembly then asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to compile a report on what happened in the camp.

The report was also to look into attacks on other Palestinian cities assaulted by the Israeli army in what Israel called a campaign to destroy terrorist networks.

The long-awaited report, scheduled to be released on Thursday, said that between March 1 and the beginning of May, 497 Palestinians were killed during Israel's Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank, according to diplomats who got advance copies and spoke on condition of anonymity.

That figure was almost double the death toll of 262 reported by the Red Crescent Society in the Palestinian territories for the same period.

But it said that in Jenin, 52 Palestinian deaths had been confirmed by April 18, and that up to half may have been civilians. It called the Palestinian allegation that some 500 were killed "a figure that has not been substantiated in the light of evidence that has emerged," the diplomats said.

Israel maintained that it fought fierce battles against Palestinian terrorists in which 52 Palestinians were killed the vast majority gunmen along with 23 Israeli soldiers. Human rights groups have said 22 civilians were killed in Jenin.

The U.N. findings mirrored those of Human Rights Watch, which said its experts had found nothing to back allegations of an Israeli army massacre.

The report was based on information from U.N. officials, the Palestinians, five U.N. member states, private relief organizations and documents in the public domain, the diplomats said. Annan wrote to the Israeli government asking for help in preparing the report but U.N. officials said Israel did not make a submission or respond to the letter.

Israel and the Palestinians received copies of the report late Wednesday but refused to comment until its release.

Israel has maintained that its army took all measures possible not to hurt civilians.

The report stresses the difficulty of authenticating information, noting that first hand accounts are partial and often anonymous, the diplomats said.

In criticizing the Palestinians, the report noted that much of the fighting took place in heavily populated civilian areas partly because the Palestinians put their fighters in those areas in breach of international law, the diplomats said.

It also criticized Israeli tactics that put civilians at risk, saying Palestinian civilians suffered because Israel delayed access to medical care and humanitarian aid. Curfews and closures imposed by Israel also contributed to civilian suffering, diplomats quoted the report as saying.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[ImphClinton]

Proof that it is the Palastinians hiding behind skirts and diapers that is causing civilian deaths. Israel should use this report and take out all terrorist and to hades with any poor "civilians" that get in the way. According to international law if you hide behind civilians and they get killed you are a war crime criminal. Take out these criminals and stop them from hiding behind women and diapers.

[goldstategop]

Oh the UN wasted gallons of ink criticizing Israel's actions in Jenin. Which came AFTER a particularly nasty terrorist attack on the eve of Pessach which is nowhere mentioned in the report it released. Israel's acts of self defense such as those in Jenin and the Palestinians murderous acts of violence towards Israelis and foreigners are not part of any "cycle of violence," let alone being "morally equivalent." If the Palestinians stopped murdering Jews, Israel would stop fighting back. Its that kind of connection between the two events the UN and Foggy Bottom bureaucrats seem unable to comprehend.

[tonycavanagh]

re : If the Palestinians stopped murdering Jews, Israel would stop fighting back.

The strike, counter strike is the way the war is being faught not the reason for the war.

The reason is like all wars over territory, both sides are fighting for the same piece of turf. Both sides see there claim as the legitamate one

The reason both sides are fighting strike counter strike tactics is because neither side can move towards peace or a total war, they are both stuck in the middle.

The UN the EU the USA or in the end bystanders, there only role is to shuttle back and forth.

This war will last for a long time.

Tony

[MeekOneGOP]

Source of Disagreement as to the Number of Massacred in Jenin Revealed
by AP

The UN investigation just revealed the source of confusion as to the reported number of the massacred in Jenin - the Palestinian spokesman said, in Arabic: "500 living individuals jumped over stretchers in Jenin", but the translator, who does not know much English, blurted: "500 were massacred in Jenin"

fake_funeral.jpgjv9g1m.jpg, JPG image, 893x1075

The pictures show a phony funeral that the Palestinians organized in order to multiply the number of casualties in Jenin. The pictures were taken on 28/04/02. The funeral procession was held between the area destroyed in Jenin and the cemetery.
Main Points of Briefing
given by Colonel Miri Eizen
Jenin
Today, 2.5.02, the IDF is exposing for the first time footage filmed from above, and in it, an on-film testimony of the Palestinian's preparations for UN committee's visit to Jenin. In this segment, you see a staged funeral that the Palestinians organized in order to increase the number of the Palestinians killed in Jenin. This footage was filmed three days ago, on April 28, 2002 at around 19:00 and it is very clear and easy to see that the body has apparently "resurrected" and that the whole funeral is actually one big charade.
Bethlehem
During the past 24 hours there were few fire exchanges around the area of the Church of Nativity. In is important to point out that fire exchanges were not aimed towards the church itself, but only to the area close to it. Until toady, 80 people have left the church alive, among them people of the clergy, children, civilians, a small number of wanted suspects and five bodies of wanted suspects. We do not have an accurate number of how many people are still inside the church, but our estimate is that there are several dozens. In addition, last night at midnight, a fire broke out in the northern tower in the area of the church. We believe that the ones responsible for setting the fire were the Palestinians. In recent weeks the Palestinians have twice set fire to the same tower, because the tower serves as very high viewpoint that is easy to photograph from a far away distance, but we are still checking the possibility of the fire was started by one of our own light-bombs.
In any event, we do not wish to harm the church in any way.
Questions & Answers:
Q: In your opinion, what is the meaning of this footage?
A: The footage speaks for itself. It is clear that the Palestinians are faking a funeral to increase the numbers of their killed. They tried to falsify evidence in preparation for the committee by executing a fake ceremony, carrying the "body" and filming the entire process. The funeral took place between the area that was destroyed in Jenin and the cemetery and people indeed joined the funeral, but when the person fell from the stretcher the participants were frightened, thinking the body had returned to life.
Q: The president said that there are 10 wanted Palestinians in the church, could you respond to this?
A: We do not know the exact number, however we do have an estimate. In any case, it is important to separate terrorists who are highly active from terrorists who are only moderately active and terrorists who are hardly active. We know for a fact that there are 10 terrorists in the churchwho are highly active and have blood on their hands.
Q: Were there any other funerals?
A: Even before the filming we knew that the Palestinians were holding exhibition funerals but no one believed our statements regarding them. Now we have filmed proof of one of the funerals. Several other testimonies were filmed and are being investigated, we will publicize them when we can.
Q: What is your response to the claims that the IDF did not provide humanitarian aid?
A: The IDF tried to provide as much humanitarian aid as was possible. I know that on 05.04.02, 07.04.02 and on 08.04.02 we received requests from humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross to allow the evacuation of the wounded and the bodies, but due to the firing in the region and our not wanting to place the innocent in danger, the humanitarian aid was delayed and at times canceled.
It is important to make note that we allowed humanitarian aid on many occasions, such as on 04.04.02 and 06.04.02. Throughout the past days we have treated some 25 cases: We evacuated a pregnant woman to the hospital in Nazareth, we evacuated people to hospitals throughout Israel and provided electricity for the hospital in Jenin. Besides the incident on 05.04.02 in which we did not allow any humanitarian aid to enter, we allowed humanitarian aid passage on all other days.
Q: What is the degree of damage caused in Jenin?
A: 130 buildings were completely destroyed by the IDF in Jenin, which is 10 percent of all buildings in the refugee camp. The destroyed region in Jenin is slightly larger than a soccer stadium. It is important to make note that many of the destroyed buildings were rigged with explosives by the Palestinians and their destruction prevented a serious disaster and the death of many of our soldiers.
Q: Was the footage shown meant for intelligence or for IDF explanation and information?
A: We do not send a documentary crew to the territories for IDF explanation and information. The tape was filmed for Intelligence use and it proves what we already knew, but could not provide filmed proof of. We use it also as an informative tool as it is proof undeniable of an exhibition funeral held by the Palestinians, and it is important that it be seen.

[MeekOneGOP]

Bad link, sorry. Here it is!

Source of Disagreement as to the Number of Massacred in Jenin Revealed