Israel has now withdrawn their cooperation to the UN investigation committee to investigate the PA accusations of a "massacre" in Jenin................
I WONDER WHY???
____________________________________________________________
Israel Delays U.N. Jenin Mission
By YOAV APPEL
.c The Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has delayed the arrival of a U.N. fact-finding mission to check Israel's military offensive in the Jenin refugee camp earlier this month, an Israeli official said Tuesday.
The mission's guidelines and procedures violate the agreement between Israel and the world body about the inquiry, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official also said that those chosen to lead the mission were political appointments, and not from a military background as Israel had requested. Also, the appointments were made without consultation with Israel, as had been agreed, he said.
The mission's arrival would be delayed until the problem is solved, he said.
The U.N. Security Council approved the mission on Friday after Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Israel had no objections in principle. However, they did not discuss guidelines and procedures at that point.
The Jenin camp was the scene of eight days of intense fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen, part of an Israeli West Bank offensive in response to a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings that killed scores of Israelis. The battle ended April 11, and the two sides are now locked in a sharp dispute over how many Palestinians died.
Palestinians charge that Israeli forces massacred civilians, and hundreds of people were killed. Israel counters that in the house-to-house battle in which 23 Israeli soldiers died, most of the Palestinian casualties were gunmen or bombers. So far about 50 bodies have been recovered from the ruins in the center of the camp, but more are still buried.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar said Israel may not cooperate with the mission if it operates beyond its mandate.
``We will insist that whatever happens ... will take place according to the agreed upon parameters,'' Saar told Israel TV.
Israel could block the team from entering the Jenin refugee camp if it believes the fact-finding team is not abiding by its mandate, Saar said.
Saar said there were ``worrying signs'' that the fact-finding team was overstepping its parameters, noting the composition of the team without agreed-upon consultation with Israel.
Saar also objected to comments by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the team would investigate beyond events that occurred in Jenin. ``From his words, you could assume that it would not finish its work with the issue of Jenin, and that has no mention in the Security Council agreement,'' he said.
Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir said there was no reason the team should not cooperate with the mission. ``We have nothing to hide, we have a just, strong, case,'' he said. However, Israel's ``experiences with U.N. committees have not been positive,'' he added.
Last year, the U.N. admitted it misled Israel about potential evidence in the kidnapping of Israeli troops in south Lebanon. Recent accusations by U.N. Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen that Israel failed to provide post-battle humanitarian assistance to Jenin camp residents have infuriated the Israeli government.
04/23/02 18:16 EDT
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. Israel Delays U.N. Jenin Mission
By YOAV APPEL
.c The Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has delayed the arrival of a U.N. fact-finding mission to check Israel's military offensive in the Jenin refugee camp earlier this month, an Israeli official said Tuesday.
The mission's guidelines and procedures violate the agreement between Israel and the world body about the inquiry, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official also said that those chosen to lead the mission were political appointments, and not from a military background as Israel had requested. Also, the appointments were made without consultation with Israel, as had been agreed, he said.
The mission's arrival would be delayed until the problem is solved, he said.
The U.N. Security Council approved the mission on Friday after Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Israel had no objections in principle. However, they did not discuss guidelines and procedures at that point.
The Jenin camp was the scene of eight days of intense fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen, part of an Israeli West Bank offensive in response to a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings that killed scores of Israelis. The battle ended April 11, and the two sides are now locked in a sharp dispute over how many Palestinians died.
Palestinians charge that Israeli forces massacred civilians, and hundreds of people were killed. Israel counters that in the house-to-house battle in which 23 Israeli soldiers died, most of the Palestinian casualties were gunmen or bombers. So far about 50 bodies have been recovered from the ruins in the center of the camp, but more are still buried.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar said Israel may not cooperate with the mission if it operates beyond its mandate.
``We will insist that whatever happens ... will take place according to the agreed upon parameters,'' Saar told Israel TV.
Israel could block the team from entering the Jenin refugee camp if it believes the fact-finding team is not abiding by its mandate, Saar said.
Saar said there were ``worrying signs'' that the fact-finding team was overstepping its parameters, noting the composition of the team without agreed-upon consultation with Israel.
Saar also objected to comments by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the team would investigate beyond events that occurred in Jenin. ``From his words, you could assume that it would not finish its work with the issue of Jenin, and that has no mention in the Security Council agreement,'' he said.
Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir said there was no reason the team should not cooperate with the mission. ``We have nothing to hide, we have a just, strong, case,'' he said. However, Israel's ``experiences with U.N. committees have not been positive,'' he added.
Last year, the U.N. admitted it misled Israel about potential evidence in the kidnapping of Israeli troops in south Lebanon. Recent accusations by U.N. Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen that Israel failed to provide post-battle humanitarian assistance to Jenin camp residents have infuriated the Israeli government.
04/23/02 18:16 EDT
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. |
