Lidy received this from a neighbor, I forward some of the posts from here to him.
Hi all
> > > 25/4/2002
> > >
> > > I'm writing this email after having returned last night from the
emergency
> > >
> > > army call up that sweetly interrupted my life 3 weeks ago. I'm
writing
> > > this
> > > email for simple reasons, to tell you the truth about what happened in
> > > Jenin
> > > over the last 2-3 weeks and to share some of the stories and incidents
> > > that
> > > we had. Its pretty sad seeing and hearing the lies that CNN, BBC and
all
> > > the
> > > others have been feeding the world when you have seen a completely
> > > different
> > > picture yourself. Feel free to pass this email around and send me any
> > > feedback or questions.
> > >
> > > Let me just get one thing cleared, there was no massacre in Jenin, I
> > > repeat
> > > no massacre in Jenin!!! (I'll get back to this later)
> > >
> > > My reserve battalion was stationed on the northern and eastern border
of
> > > Jenin with the purpose of ensuring the enclosure of the area during
the
> > > Defensive Shield Operation took place. We were divided amongst a
number of
> > >
> > > roadblocks and defensive positions with the main purpose of preventing
> > > terrorists leaving Jenin to carry out attacks inside Israel and also
from
> > >
> > > escaping during the operation. We were also responsible for
monitoring
> > > the
> > > entrance of the Press and humanitarian aid going into Jenin, and also
> > > Palestinians needing to leave Jenin for humanitarian reasons. I myself
> > > together with eleven other soldiers manned a small roadblock at the
> > > northern
> > > tip of Jenin, which was one of the main thoroughfares for traffic
entering
> > >
> > > and exiting the area.
> > >
> > > Jenin is not a big town. The refugee camp is a small part of Jenin and
the
> > >
> > > pictures repeatedly shown on TV are of a small section (10% -15%) of
the
> > > refugee camp that was destroyed. The refugee camp is where the
terrorists
> > >
> > > have mainly operated and harboured factories and storage facilities
for
> > > weapons, explosive belts etc. Many of the recent suicide bombers have
> > > strapped themselves up in this refugee camp. What is also very
fascinating
> > > is
> > > that UNWRA (United Nations Work and Relief Agency - part of the UN)
has
> > > been
> > > responsible for the refugee camps over the last 50 years and has
allowed
> > > terrorist infrastructure to flourish under its nose.
> > >
> > > In the fighting that took place in the refugee camp, children were
used as
> > >
> > > human shields by the terrorists. One of the brigade commanders told us
> > > this
> > > last Saturday night that they were shot at in the small alleys of the
> > > camp.
> > > They returned fire only to hear the cries of young children to which
they
> > >
> > > immediately stopped shooting and prayed that they had not killed any
> > > children. They hadn't.
> > >
> > > The armies respect and consideration for the life's of innocent
civilians
> > > is
> > > of a high standard. For this reason, 23 of our own boys were killed in
the
> > >
> > > Jenin fighting. If we had no regard for the life's of innocent
civilians,
> > > 23
> > > sons, husbands and fathers would be at home with their families now.
They
> > >
> > > were the price we paid for the high moral and ethical standards upheld
> > > during
> > > the fighting.
> > >
> > > During the week of the incursion into Jenin the area was a closed
military
> > >
> > > zone. However contrary to what was reported, humanitarian aid was
allowed
> > > in
> > > and I myself personally checked many of the hundreds of trucks that
were
> > > allowed in to deliver supplies to the Palestinians. This was carefully
> > > coordinated with the army to ensure that innocent civilians would
receive
> > > the
> > > supplies and to minimise the risks of those entering the areas.
> > >
> > > For a few days after the fighting had stopped, the area was closed off
to
> > > the
> > > press. This is when the rumours of the massacre began despite the army
> > > press
> > > giving detailed briefing sessions to the media on the situation. So
why
> > > was
> > > the area closed to the press and what did we seemingly have something
to
> > > hide? Simply, the refugee camp had been booby trapped by the
terrorists
> > > and
> > > minefields awaited those that entered. Soldiers inside the refugee
camp
> > > told
> > > me of not being able to move 5 meters at a time without having to
diffuse
> > >
> > > another pipe bomb or mine. Many of the houses destroyed were done so
by
> > > bombs
> > > planted by the very residents of the camp. Some
> > > of the dead bodies were also booby trapped with grenades and mines
> > > awaiting
> > > the Israeli soldiers. (The Palestinian death toll stands at below 40
with
> > >
> > > maybe another 20 or so buried in the rubble of which most has been
cleared
> > >
> > > up. This was also told to us by embarrassed reporters who entered the
area
> > >
> > > eagerly awaiting to report an Israeli massacre of Palestinians only to
be
> > >
> > > disappointed to find minimal destruction.)
> > >
> > > The media. Last Sunday while myself and my good friend Ben were on
duty at
> > >
> > > the roadblock at the time when no press were allowed to enter Jenin,
we
> > > spotted a jeep trying to evade the roadblock through an adjacent
field. We
> > >
> > > managed to stop the jeep and discovered a group of French Journalists
who
> > > had
> > > managed to enter Jenin and were now trying to leave. We followed the
> > > normal
> > > procedure of questioning them, checking their vehicle and
identification.
> > >
> > > This process sometimes takes a while because we have to phone another
army
> > >
> > > base who then checks the identities with the Israeli authorities which
> > > includes the intelligence operations. Anyway, it turned out that one
of
> > > the
> > > supposed French journalists is actually a Palestinian terrorist on
> > > Israel's
> > > wanted list. He was taken away by the police together with the other
real
> > >
> > > French journalists. Bet you never heard about that one on TV.
> > >
> > > Last Thursday, friends of mine on duty at another outpost a few
kilometres
> > >
> > > away from me spotted two young kids walking in the middle of the day
with
> > >
> > > black backpacks on their backs. The two kids entered an abandoned
> > > structure
> > > about 800 meters away from the outpost and left without the bags. The
kids
> > >
> > > thought they had gone unnoticed. It was later discovered that the bags
> > > contained weapons, explosives, an Israeli army uniform with a red
> > > paratrooper
> > > beret. The plan was for a terrorist to pick up the loot at night,
dress up
> > > as
> > > an Israeli soldier and attack the outpost. We had already received
> > > intelligence reports 5 days earlier warning of a terrorist dressing up
as
> > > a
> > > soldier and entering one of the outposts.
> > >
> > > Avi, a good friend of mine studying together with me at Bar Ilan was
> > > stationed in Nablus (Shchem) during this operation and told me the
> > > following: They took over a house in Nablus as a stronghold in order
for
> > > the
> > > operation to clear out the terrorist infrastructure there. While in
the
> > > house, they did not use the electricity to charge their cell phones.
They
> > > did
> > > not touch or eat any food left in the house. They made a concerted
effort
> > > not
> > > to use any furniture in the house. When they left the house
> > > a few days ago during the pullout of Nablus, they cleaned the house
and
> > > left
> > > money on the table. I have heard this reported from soldiers that
were
> > > also
> > > in Beit Lechem, Tulkarm, Kalkilya and Jenin.
> > >
> > > On Monday morning this week, a UN bus entered Jenin carrying a UN
rescue
> > > team
> > > from Britain. The team included doctors and other rescue personnel who
get
> > >
> > > dispatched around the world to help with rescue operations. Four hours
> > > later
> > > the bus returned through our roadblock and they stopped and we had a
> > > chance
> > > to chat a little. The first thing they said is that this was the
biggest
> > > waste of time for them and they would be catching the next flight out
of
> > > Israel. One of the doctors told us that one of the "massacred" bodies
he
> > > examined was that of a man that had been dead for two years. What a
shame
> > >
> > > that the Palestinians dug him up to add to the death toll.
> > >
> > > As my friends and I packed up yesterday ready to head for home we
joked at
> > >
> > > how the whole world considers us to be monsters and how one day we
might
> > > all
> > > be charged for war crimes. We felt good for having served our country
once
> > >
> > > again and we hope that something was achieved in this operation. What
lies
> > >
> > > ahead is still uncertain. What became so clear to me is the importance
of
> > >
> > > seeing things in the right context and perspective. If all that
happened
> > >
> > > these last 3 weeks was an Israeli incursion into the Palestinian
areas,
> > > then
> > > yes, maybe we don't look so good in the worlds eyes. But looking in
the
> > > context of the history of Israel and our longing to live peacefully
side
> > > by
> > > side with our Arab neighbours, we cannot let terror to exist and
destroy
> > > our
> > > dream. I pray and hope that new Palestinian leadership emerges that
will
> > > want
> > > to make this world a better place for its people.
> > >
> > > Saul Kramer |
