Return
of Mezan Delegation from Jenin Refugee Camp
Documentation of War Crimes in Jenin by Israeli Military ForcesApril 23, 2002 (Mezan): A special foreign team from Mezan Center concluded a visit to the Jenin Refugee Camp to investigate facts and to document Israeli crimes there. The team proceeded to the camp on foot, traversing the mountains from Salim village from the Northwest to arrive in Jenin, bypassing Israeli roadblocks. According to the team’s accounts, the smell of death and decay was lingered throughout the camp. The medical staff at the local hospitals were unable to give accounts of the injured from the battle as ambulances were denied access to rescue them and most all perished. A final tally of the dead and the amount of damage is also yet unknown due to the scale of the devastation. However eyewitnesses were able to give several accounts that alone indicate criminal acts. Jenin refugee camp had a population of a little over 13,000. At present, the team was informed that only about 3,000 remained, with 10,000 or so unaccounted for, either in hiding, detained or perished and uncovered. The Israeli forces in a 1 square km area demolished completely over 80 homes on top of inhabitants, either living or deceased. The buildings were then compressed into fine dust and rubble, layering up to two stories above the ground. Along the perimeter of the demolished area are innumerable homes that suffered extensive damage from Apache helicopter strikes, 105mm tank shells, grenades and bulldozers. The staff at Shifa Charity Hospital estimated that between 300 and 500 persons were killed during the battle, fighters and civilians included. The exact number will take weeks to determine as the amount of rubble to uncover is immense and requires heavy lifting equipment. At least 1500 people are known to have been detained and removed to a variety of centers around Israel. Some eyewitness mentioned that soldiers, who occupied a variety of homes looted them extensively, including jewelry and cash. Furthermore, often what could not be taken, such as large electronics, were destroyed. Many of the vandalized homes showed no signs of battle, indicating that the destruction of personal property was deliberate. One witness saw Israelis executing a camp inhabitant after forcing him to stand against a wall, blindfolded and handcuffed. Another eyewitness saw soldiers crushing the bodies of camp inhabitants with tanks after they had been cuffed and thrown to the ground. The bodies were pulverized by Merkava tanks running back and forth until being rendered completely unrecognizable. A wall was then crushed over them to further hide the evidence. Ahmed Mahmoud Fayed told the story of his paralyzed brother who remained behind in his house as his parents fled. The parents pleaded to be allowed to remove Jamal Fayed, but the Israeli soldiers ignored them and demolished the home with him inside. Rescue workers have yet been unable to uncover Jamal’s body under the debris. In addition to these instances, the Jenin camp is still suffering gravely from the complete destruction of infrastructure. This includes the total loss of water services, electricity, sewerage pipes, telephone systems and garbage collection. Residents had to endure with this situation for almost two weeks before curfews were lifted, but even now, humanitarian aid is slow to arrive. The pile up of rotting garbage and a lack of a sewerage system has begun to create an ecological crisis in the camp and city. The Mezan team found that the incidents in the Jenin camp indicate a systematic massacre and subsequent cover up. This is substantiated by the Israeli attempts to bar the entry of journalists, medical workers, the United Nations and humanitarian aid for six full days after the fighting in the camp ended. Even local ambulances from the nearby Shifa Charity Hospital were prevented from entering the camp for a full five days after fighting ended, dooming any wounded still alive. Al
Mezan condemns the crimes committed by the Israeli military forces and in
accordance with the 4th Geneva convention in regards to civilians in
the time of war, and calls for the Israeli government to place those responsible
before a criminal court. The
ultimate responsibility for the actions in Jenin Refugee Camp, according to
articles 27 and 28 of the International Criminal Court, lies with the Israeli
military forces and the leaders that gave the orders or permitted such crimes to
occur. While such persons may remain above the law in Israel, they must be
brought to justice in an international setting so as to preclude others from
acting in this manner with impunity. End ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights Jabalia Office: Palestine, Gaza Strip, Jabalia Camp - Main St.- P.O.Box 2714 Tel: 972-8-2453555 Fax 972-8-2453554 Gaza Office: Gaza/ Omar Bin Abd Al-Aziz St. (Aidiya) Tel.:28204421/ Fax: 2820447 E.mail:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] or mezan @ planet.com Web Site: www.mezan.org |
