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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cirrus who wrote (15799)	10/5/2004 11:51:48 AM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

Hansen: Israel fabricated charge against UNRWA Margot Dudkevitch and Etgar Lefkovits, THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 4, 2004 jpost.com Peter Hansen, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has accused Israel of fabricating allegations that Hamas terrorists used a UN vehicle to transport rockets. Earlier this week, the IDF released video footage taken by an unmanned aircraft flying over the Jabalya refugee camp which Israel says shows terrorists loading a Kassam rocket into a UN vehicle. Hansen demanded an apology from Israel and accused Israel of fabricating the reports. "Such serious allegations can endanger the safety of humanitarian workers in the region," Hansen said. Hansen sent a tough letter Monday to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom accusing Israel of deliberately and maliciously inventing the entire story. "It is inconceivable that the Israel Defense Forces could have made this egregiously erroneous allegation in good faith," Hansen wrote in a tough letter he sent Monday to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. "It is appalling that ... the government of Israel would put out such deliberately inciteful, false and malicious propaganda," the letter said. Hansen also said Monday night that reports of his admission that his group employs Hamas members had misconstrued his statements. On Sunday, Hansen told Canada's CBC television, "I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime." He added, "I don't know whom they are, but I can imagine there would be people with all sorts of sympathies, just as there are anywhere." "Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion as against another," Hansen said. In the interview, Hansen added that "whatever their political persuasion is, members of his staff are required to "behave in accordance with UN standards and norms for neutrality." If there were proof of someone's involvement in violence, that would disqualify them from having position in UNRWA, Hansen said. Israel has long accused UNRWA and its Gaza chief of bias in favor of the Palestinians. UNRWA spokesman Paul McCann said the agency does not vet the political beliefs of its staff but does insist they abide by a strict code of conduct and maintain neutrality. A security official told The Jerusalem Post that there are no doubts that a Kassam rocket was placed in the vehicle and said it was unfortunate that the comments made by Hansen didn't question the authenticity of the vehicle. "If there are any doubts they relate to the vehicle and whether it was indeed an authentic UN vehicle or whether the terrorists disguised a vehicle in order to evade being spotted by the army," the official said. The recent incident is only one of a number of claims made by Israel in the past four years suggesting that terrorists take advantage of the UNWRA facilities and vehicles knowing they will not be subject to security checks and permitted unrestricted movement. In April 2003, The Jerusalem Post obtained a document drawn up by the defense establishment claiming that terrorist organizations operating in Palestinian Authority controlled areas took advantage of UNWRA workers and their vehicles to transport terrorists and arms. At that time, Peter Hansen vehemently denied the claims; however, the document noted that Palestinian terrorists arrested by Israeli security forces admitted to using UNWRA equipment, facilities and vehicles. The defense report focused on UNWRA employee Nahed Rashid Ahmed Atallah, a resident of the Jabalya refugee camp, who was arrested in August 2002 as he returned to Gaza from Egypt. The report claimed that Atallah, who worked in 1987 as the director of food supplies for refugees in the Gaza Strip, was provided with a UN vehicle and UN laissez-passer entitling him to unrestricted travel in the area. Atallah later admitted to investigators that he used his vehicle to transport terrorists and arms. He also made use of his pass to travel to Egypt, Lebanon and Syria where he contacted members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and received funds and transported arms. Atallah was charged on eight counts of aiding terror, including conspiring to trade in arms, assisting in attempted premeditated murder, and possessing illegal arms. Hansen, at the time, denied the claims. A secret Shin Bet report also documented the use of UNWRA facilities to harbor terrorists and aid in terror activities. According to the report released in December 2002, a number of Palestinians who were arrested by the security forces admitted to using UNWRA facilities and vehicles to plot and carry out attacks. One of the examples stated in the report pertained to Mohammed Ali Hassan, who was arrested in February 2002 and admitted to using a local UNWRA facility in Nablus for target practice and storing weapons. The same report claimed that an UNWRA club located in the Jabalya refugee camp and another club in the El-Aroub refugee camp near Hebron were used as meeting points for Fatah-Tanzim activists. The Shin Bet report also claimed that Nidal Nazal, an UNWRA ambulance driver arrested in July 2002, admitted to using his ambulance to transport ammunition to different terror cells. Other detainees who admitted using UNWRA vehicles to transport terrorists en route to perpetrate attacks were also detailed in the report. At the time, the findings prompted the army to issue a directive restricting movement of UN vehicles in the West Bank and Gaza and instructing soldiers to allow such vehicles to pass only on the condition that at least two or three authorized UN or UNWRA personnel were traveling inside.

To: cirrus who wrote (15799)	10/5/2004 12:30:24 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 27181

Cheney has lied SO many times. Edwards should have a real turkey shoot.

To: cirrus who wrote (15799)	10/5/2004 12:43:08 PM
From: Richnorth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

Bravo! Very good pointed questions! As for the deferment question, I am sure Cheney will say it was perfectly LEGIT!!! First, he got married with the prospects of increasing the population (a very commendable thing to do as many were dying daily in far away Vietnam!), then his daughter came along & etc & etc & etc & etc......!!!! He might even point out he was not alone in getting deferments and that his buddy Ashcroft (the attorney general) also got deferments, and so this thing about deferments was no big deal and So, why flog a dead horse! LOL!