Ben, this is supposedly from an Israeli soldier who was in Jenin.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Ami Isseroff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "MEWDIALOG" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 1:58 PM Subject: [ShomerNet] Fw: Letter from an Israeli soldier > > This letter was sent from an Israeli soldier who was > stationed in Jenin. > > > 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!!! (ill 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 harbored 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 minimize 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 rumors 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 kilometers 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 neighbors, 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 > > > > -----------------------------------------~-~> > ShomerNet changes via email: > Switch to digest: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Switch to normal: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Stop receiving mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Permanently unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ------------------------------------------_-> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
