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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Commentary: What Happens in Jenin?

As one takes a look at the war-damaged Jenin, a Palestinian city on the West Bank of the Jordan River, one feels the time seems to have turned back to the days of World War II more than half a century ago, the city has been ruined with corpses lying in the rubble, the city leveled to the ground, and the scene being too horrible to look at.


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As one takes a look at the war-damaged Jenin, a Palestinian city on the West Bank of the Jordan River, one feels the time seems to have turned back to the days of World War II more than half a century ago, the city has been ruined with corpses lying in the rubble, the city leveled to the ground, and the scene being too horrible to look at.

Recently, Palestine accused to the world the acts of massacre perpetrated by Israel in Jenin and other places, the Israeli authorities claimed that they were cleaning up terrorists there. One can't help asking: what has happened, after all, in Jenin?

Between March 29 and April 21, Israel sent out massive forces to invade and occupy Jenin under the banner of establishing a "security fire wall", claiming to wipe out the "radical terrorists" there. In the process of taking military actions, the Israeli troops first forcibly drove media journalists from various countries out of Jenin, covering the world people's ears and eyes, so that they could do as they please. Israeli Defense Minister recently declared to the press circle, "the Israeli forces have dealt a heavy blow to the terrorist facilities and military operations in Palestine-controlled areas had ended on the evening of April 21".

His light touch on the matter in diplomatic language cannot cover up the bloody facts. After the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the tragic scene of the city of Jenin littered with corpses shocked the whole world. Terje Roed-Larsen, UN envoy in charge of the Middle East affairs, pointed out that the disaster of Jenin is a shocking tragedy, deformed bodies, including corpses of women and children, could be dug out bare-handed from the rubble. Such atrocities are unacceptable to people with intuitive knowledge in the civilized society. Even US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, who had seen the tragic scene in the Jenin refugee camp, admitted that Israeli forces' attacks had brought disaster to thousands upon thousands of Palestinian people. On April 19, the UN Security Council, acting upon the proposal of UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, passed the resolution No.1405, deciding to send out the UN fact-finding team to the Jenin refugee camp as soon as possible.

It should be noted that the United Nations once passed the Geneva Convention after World War II and, on the issue concerning the protection of the right to subsistence of refugees during the war period, enacted the statute that all countries must abide by. Considering the present dangerous situation facing the Palestinian people, Palestine and other Arab countries have repeatedly called for international protection of the Palestinian people, UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan recently urged a third-party mechanism must be established and an international peace-keeping force must be sent to the Palestinian area, so as to stop the crisis from further deteriorating. However, due to the obstruction of the United States and Israel, the plan for giving international protection to the Palestinian people is still being pigeon-holed.

What is incomprehensible to people is that the United States is doing everything possible to give unprincipled support for the Israel's misuse of forces to the extent that it confounds right and wrong and calls white black and black white. When Israeli forces launched massive attacks on Palestine-held areas, US President George W. Bush openly expressed his "understanding" and support. At the moment when the international community is condemning Israel for its indiscriminate slaughter of the innocent people, some US Congressmen vow to side with Israel at the "difficult moment".

The calamities recently occurred in Jenin and Palestine-controlled areas once again raise to the international community two questions that must be answered: Why is it that the dual standard invariably appears on the peace-keeping and anti-terrorism issue? Why is it so difficult to bring to reality an international protection mechanism for such a weak nation as Palestine?



By People's Daily Online


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