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Jenin: U.N. report rejects PA claim

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

United Nations aug. 1. A United Nations report prepared by the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has rejected Palestinian contention that Israel had carried out a massacre at the time of the military action in the Jenin camp.

Intead the report, due to be formally released here later in the day, blames all sides for what took place in Jenin — the Isrealis for using heavy weaponry in civilian areas and the Palestinians for allowing as many as 200 fighters to use the area as a camp. "A senior Palestinian Authority official alleged in mid-April that some 500 were killed, a figure that has not been substantiated in light of the evidence that has emerged,'' says the report. Avoiding the word `massacre', it says that 52 Palestinians, half of them civilians, died; and Israel lost 23 soldiers during the 10-day offensive.

The U.N. has been highly critical of Israel for using heavy weaponry such as tanks and helicopter gunships; and has accused the Jewish state of delaying medical assistance to Palestinians in Jenin. Following allegations of war crimes, Israel maintained that its actions were defensive and and that it took all steps to ensure that civilians were not hurt.

The United Nations report makes the point that some 200 Palestinians drawn from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Tanzim, the Islamic Jihad and the Hamas were operating from the Jenin camp.

All the groups identified in the report have been designated as terrorist outfits by the United States. The report of the Secretary-General was prepared at the insistence of the United Nations General Assembly in May and is based on available information.

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