UN agency denied entry to Jenin refugee camp

From Michael Jansen, in Jerusalem
April 12, 2002


THE MIDDLE EAST: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) did not gain entry to the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp yesterday where 11,000 civilians have been under prolonged bombardment and curfew.

Mr Richard Cook, UNRWA'S director of operations in the West Bank, told The Irish Times: "In spite of a high level of international representation, including the World Bank and a senior member of the UN Coordinator's office, we did not get in. We entered Jenin town where the curfew was lifted but only spoke to refugees on the edge of the camp.  They were very worried about their relatives in the camp.  We ill make another try tomorrow," he stated.

On Wednesday the International Committee of the Red Cross negotiated an end to the stand-off between the Israeli army and armed Palestinians holed up in the camp on condition that they should be treated as "prisoners of war". Shaikh Ali Sfouri, a senior figure in the Islamic Jihad group blamed for attacks against Israeli civilians, agreed to the surrender after it was reported that the commander, Muhammad Tualba, had been killed. At least 1,000 Palestinian men have been detained. It is estimated that 200 people were killed and 3,000 fled the camp.

Before departing with the UNRWA convoy, Mr Cook said the agency had already moved lorry-loads of food and medical supplies to the town of Jenin. "It took eight hours to get the convoy [of vehicles] beyond the checkpoint outside Jenin although its movement was coordinated with the Israeli authorities," he stated.

"We are gradually getting round the areas" of UNRWA operations. The agency's most urgent task is to evacuate the wounded and dead and to reestablish the medical centre in the camp. We were told it was taken over by Israeli soldiers," he said.

Once UNRWA medical staff are back in the camp, he hopes to be able to send in social workers, specialists in dealing with trauma and engineers to assess the needs of the population. "We suspect the destruction is quite severe. After the last incursion it was severe so [the situation] should be considerably worse" since the camp has taken "hits from tanks, rockets and helicopters as well as suffered demolitions".

Mr Cook said that repairing the damage will put a strain on the agency's already tight overall budget of $311 million a year. UNRWA has had to shift funds from some of its programmes, such as job creation, to fund the emergency effort but hopes to recoup the monies spent from donations for the emergency which will have to include funds to treat the disabled and traumatised as well provide assistance to those who have lost breadwinners.

Ireland counts amongst UNARY's ready donors. it was the first country to give during this emergency. It gave us an initial contribution of a $100,000 to totally cover an appeal for certain medical supplies. Mrs Isolde Moylan, the Ramallah-based Irish representative to the Palestine Authority, and the Irish Government have given tremendous support, Mr Cook asserted.

In an interview Mrs Moylan said that she is "investigating reports that the Ireland Aid funded Palestinian Education Ministry's computerised exam system has had all the data removed and may have further damage inflicted on the system". She also heard reliable reports that ministry officials offered to give the Israelis access to the building. But the offer was refused and tanks broke into the compound which was ransacked.