BTL:Israel Blocks Access to UN Team Set to Investigate Jenin Refugee Camp...

national | miscellaneous | news report

Thursday May 02, 2002 10:36

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Joe Stork, Washington director of Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Division.

Israel Blocks Access to UN Team Set to Investigate Jenin Refugee Camp Human Rights Violations

Between The Lines' Scott Harris

Weeks after President Bush demanded that Israel withdraw its forces from West Bank cities, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has launched several new attacks on Palestinian communities including Hebron inside the disputed territories. While negotiators made progress on ending the Israeli siege of Yassir Arafat's Ramallah headquarters - the stand-off at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity remained unresolved at production time - where more than 200 Palestinians were surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks. Israel claims that 25 of those inside Christianity's most holy site are wanted on terrorism charges.

Another stalemate continued in the United Nations effort to investigate the conduct of Israeli troops during their 8-day attack on the Jenin refugee camp. Allegations by Palestinians that Israeli forces had committed a massacre there are still unsubstantiated; but Prime Minister Sharon has blocked a UN team from entering the camp to begin its Security Council endorsed human rights investigation, and has also barred access to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mary Robinson. Israel has complained about the composition and mission of the UN team.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Joe Stork, Washington director of Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Division. He assesses the conduct of Israeli troops in their assault of the Jenin refugee camp, and the precedents which could be set in this affair for future international human rights investigations(A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found at http://www.btlonline.org).

Contact Human Rights Watch at (212) 290-4700 or visit their Web site at www.hrw.org

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