(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff - The IDF on Tuesday decided to remove five videos it published on its website, which it claims show a Kassam rocket being thrown into an UNRWA ambulance in the Gaza Strip. The IDF announced that its initial claims are inconclusive and therefore it was decided to restudy the videotape, yet it stressed that UNRWA ambulances have been used in the past by Palestinian terrorists. On Monday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan agreed to investigate Israeli allegations that Palestinian terrorists are using its ambulances. Annan and Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman met Monday. Earlier Gillerman wrote to Annan, "Israel has drawn attention to past occasions - including in recent months - in which Palestinian terrorists have abused the immunity of UN facilities and ambulances in order to launch attacks, move weapons, or transfer operatives, thereby endangering UN personnel and operations. This worrying pattern of activity is a matter of grave concern that threatens to seriously undermine the integrity of UN operations." Gillerman called UNRWA director-general Peter Hansen's comments regarding Hamas supporters on the UNRWA payroll "totally unacceptable."
2004-10-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive