Human Rights Watch: No evidence of massacre in Jenin

Jerusalem Post ^ | 4/28/2002 | Jerusalem Post

[l33t]

As a UN fact-finding mission prepares to investigate allegations of a massacre in Jenin, most aid workers in the city say that they have come to one major conclusion - though massive destruction took place in the refugee camp, there was clearly no massacre.

Aid workers and local doctors have found 52 corpses so far. The workers believe that 21 of them were civilians, including four women, two 14 year old boys, two invalids, and two or three elderly men.

"The majority of those killed," said Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher at US-based Human Rights Watch posted to Jenin, "were killed by snipers. Only one man, that we know of, was crushed in his home by a bulldozer." Bouckaert, whose group has worked closely with medical teams at Jenin Hospital, believes that very few corpses remain buried beneath the tons of rubble. The area of the worst destruction has come to be known among foreign rescue workers, Palestinians, and IDF soldiers alike, as "Ground Zero." Bouckaert was almost certain, he told The Jerusalem Post, that the death toll will not rise beyond 80.

"There is simply no evidence of a massacre. But we are worried that Israel will use this fact to whitewash the enormous amount of damage done to the civilian sector." There is still no electricity in the camp, burst water pipes have flooded low lying areas, and the camp's two schools remain closed.

Posters of "martyrs" and Hamas and Islamic Jihad flags are again in evidence on the few structures left standing at "Ground Zero." Aid groups, including UNWRA, B'Tselem, LAW, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch are still tallying lists of dead, injured, and displaced, as well as the number of houses destroyed, rendered unlivable, or simply damaged.

Nearly every building in the refugee camp, and many in Jenin city itself, were damaged in the fierce two-week battle waged in the town. The IDF estimates that about 10 percent of the structures in the camp were destroyed, while Jenin Governor Zuneir Munasra said about 40% of the camp's buildings were destroyed and another 20% rendered unlivable.

The Jenin Governorate and other Palestinian Authority bodies have halted the removal of debris ahead of today's arrival of the UN commission headed by headed by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, despite the desire of UNWRA and other aid organizations to restore the camp to normal

Also hindering search and rescue work, says UNWRA Deputy Director Charles Capes, is the large number of unexploded ordinance lying about the camp. Last week British and Norwegian sappers remove some of the booby traps, but they returned home leaving most of the job undone. A French Civil Guard rescue team began Friday to mark and isolate buildings or areas believed to be unsafe.

Capes said Palestinian gunmen planted many of the booby traps while other ordinance had been left behind by IDF. Since April 19 one person has been killed and at least 12 were wounded by unexploded ordinance in the camp.

Capes said that as many as 3,500 people have been left without shelter. Munasra told the Post that many of them refuse to use the some 800 tents and other equipment sent by US Agency for International Development because they believe the US was "complicit in the attack on their camp.

[rabidralph]

A buddy of mine, who lives in Israel, says that the IDF deliberately bulldozes the terrorists' homes because they know that they get money from outside sources, so they want the families of the dead to spend their windfall on rebuilding their homes rather than feeling like they won the lottery. I'm all for it.

[mewzilla]

If I were Human Rights Watch, I'd be very careful before slinging around words like whitewash. To my mind it sounds like a whitewash is being conducted to obfuscate the fact that the Palestinians and their useful idiots LIED about there having been a massacre in the first place.

[cake_crumb]

" 'There is simply no evidence of a massacre. But we are worried that Israel will use this fact to whitewash the enormous amount of damage done to the civilian sector.' There is still no electricity in the camp, burst water pipes have flooded low lying areas, and the camp's two schools remain closed. "

LOL...what a bunch of sillies, trying to qualify a statement whicj might be construed as supporting Israel with such drivel about "electricity" and "water pipes" and "two schools"!

EVERYBODY knows refugee camps don't electric and running water! Next they'll be whining that the IDF knocked out the AIR CONDITIONING and SEWERS, TV and CELL PHONE TOWERS!! LOL...What a HOOT! </SARCASM>

It's good news that "aid workers" state thare is no evidence whatsoever of "massacre"...but it's unlikely that this fact will have any bearing on the EUN's findings.

[upchuck]

The area of the worst destruction has come to be known among foreign rescue workers, Palestinians, and IDF soldiers alike, as "Ground Zero."

Mr Bouckaert, I've been to Ground Zero. And believe me, you don't have a Ground Zero.

[l33t]

These people actually care more about dead terrorists than about the innocent Americans whose remains are scattered around the real ground zero.

[etcetera]

"... the large number of unexploded ordinance lying about the camp."

Someone needs to tell this "journalist" that munitions are "ordnance", not "ordinance".

[upchuck]

A general comment and question.

They call this place the Jenin Refugee Camp. Now, when I think of a refugee camp I visualize a place to temporarly house refugees. Usually in tents or leantos, sometimes without shelter at all. In my mind refugee camps usually lack running water everywhere and have very few permanent buildings.

The pictures I've seen of Jenin look like a town, not a refugee camp.

Anybody know what gives? I suspect it's psychological. Call them refugees and you automatically get a subconcious amount of sympathy.

[StACase]

...there was clearly no massacre.
Aid workers and local doctors have found 52 corpses so far....

OK, I don't get it. What about 52 and counting isn't a massacre?

[McGavin999]

The area of the worst destruction has come to be known among foreign rescue workers, Palestinians, and IDF soldiers alike, as "Ground Zero."

I can't even begin to tell you how offensive I find this. They belittle what has happened at the WTC by comparing it to this ridiculously minor event. How do they even DARE call it "ground zero"?

[l33t]

If you want to call dead terrorists and some collateral damage - victims of a "massacre" that's your right.

[cake_crumb]

"They call this place the Jenin Refugee Camp. Now, when I think of a refugee camp I visualize a place to temporarly house refugees. Usually in tents or leantos, sometimes without shelter at all. In my mind refugee camps usually lack running water everywhere and have very few permanent buildings."

EXACTLY.

"The pictures I've seen of Jenin look like a town, not a refugee camp."

I believe Jenin is considered a city by those who don't consider it a refugee camp.

"Anybody know what gives? I suspect it's psychological. Call them refugees and you automatically get a subconcious amount of sympathy."

You got it! Nail on the head BUMP

With that, I think I'll toddle off to bed and have more nightmares about Mideast piece.

[G. R. Quinn]

Has Human Rights Watch investigated the PLO kamikaze attacks against Israel?

[monkeyshine]

But we are worried that Israel will use this fact to whitewash the enormous amount of damage done to the civilian sector." There is still no electricity in the camp, burst water pipes have flooded low lying areas, and the camp's two schools remain closed.

First of all, if it wasn't a massacre of civilians, then it was obviously a war zone. It couldn't, then, be "damage to the civilian sector", since the sector was being used by militants to make bombs, and the places were booby trapped. That's not a "civilian sector" but a defended militia sector.

Second, they call this a camp, yet it had civilian brick and mortar houses and plumbing. Where I come from, we call that a town, not a camp.

So, what is there to whitewash? Was there destruction? Obviously. Was it justified? Apparantly from this and other reports... yes.

[joesnuffy]

"The majority of those killed," said Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher at US-based Human Rights Watch posted to Jenin, "were killed by snipers.
Yeah but whose snipers?

[okie01]

"Anybody know what gives? I suspect it's psychological. Call them refugees and you automatically get a subconcious amount of sympathy."

The Jenin refugee "camp" celebrated its Golden Anniversary not long ago.

The maintenance of the "refugee camp" fiction insures that the UNRWA bureaucrats will have jobs. And that the Palestinian Relief scams will continue to enjoy fundraising paydays.

These people are still "refugees" and still living in "camps" for two reasons:

1. They want to.

2. And nobody else (i.e., their Arab "brothers") will have them.

[marron]

OK, I don't get it. What about 52 and counting isn't a massacre?

52 unarmed non-combatants in 10 minutes is a massacre. 52 fighters after a week of hard fighting is not.

[Kermit]

I>""There is simply no evidence of a massacre. But we are worried that Israel will use this fact to whitewash the enormous amount of damage done to the civilian sector."

From the overhead pictures posted, it looks like 30 to 40 buildings were destroyed. Not enormous at all, the Palies decided to fight in the camps. The aggressors make the rules.

[Plummz]

Of course there's no evidence! If there was any, IDF cleaned it during the week after when it was in lockdown.

[dennisw]

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