Sir, - The United Nations special envoy to the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin has called for an official independent investigation into the conduct of the Israeli troops there.
A pathologist, Prof Derrick Pounder of Amnesty International, has described what he found in Jenin. The scene was one of total devastation with large numbers of bodies left lying under the rubble and he saw a number of dead children lying in the street. The stench of death was everywhere, he said. He described the scene as "an outrage against humanity and an outrage against international human rights law".
Peter Hansen from the UN Relief and Works Organisation explained that the Israelis allowed no medical help and no recovery teams in.
What exactly is going on? Jenin was a refugee camp on the west Bank and there were as many as 14,000 people there. It now looks as if a massacre may have taken place. An independent enquiry is essential to get at the facts. Conditions in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, where gunmen have taken refuge, are utterly deplorable. The Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy, Andrew White, speaking from Jerusalem, has said that, apart from the gunmen, there are many nuns, priests and tourists trapped in the church, which is surrounded by Israeli soldiers.
It goes without saying that the suicide bombings carried out by fanatical Palestinian extremists in Israel are a crime against humanity and they must be condemned in the strongest terms. The Arab world must accept the right of Israel to exist. However, I do not believe that there will ever be peace or justice in the Middle East while Ariel Sharon is Prime Minister of Israel. He has no interest in the plight of the Palestinian people. The continued expansion of Israeli settlements is at the heart of the problem.
The conduct of Israel in Jenin and Nablus is a violation of the Geneva Convention and a breach of international law. While the United States continues to support the present Israeli administration and its fierce and bellicose policy there is no hope of a lasting solution to this dreadful problem. The international community, including Ireland, must demand respect for human rights and an independent official inquiry into what took place in Jenin and Nablus. - Yours, etc.,
Anthony Redmond, North Great George's Street, Dublin 1.