23 April 2002
The UN Fact-Finding Team
(Communicated by the Defense Minister's Media Adviser)
The Minister of Defense, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, spoke yesterday
evening (22 April) with the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, after
the Secretary-General announced the appointment of the fact-finding
team studying the events at the Jenin refugee camp.
During their conversation, Minister Ben-Eliezer protested the fact
that the team was nominated without any prior coordination with
Israel, as had originally been agreed.
The Minister of Defense asked the UN Secretary-General to include the
American General, General Nash - whom the Secretary-General had
originally nominated as an advisor to the team - as a full member and
active participant on the delegation. Minister Ben-Eliezer
emphasized that the change was desirable, in view of the broad
security context that the team had to be conscious of.
In his conversation with Mr. Annan, the Minister of Defense also
requested that the team not deviate from its mandate, as a
fact-finding team clarifying the events at the Jenin refugee camp.
The Minister of Defense also described the anger in Israel concerning
the remarks and the conduct of Terje Larsen, who deviated from his
position as an official envoy of the UN.
This notwithstanding, the Defense Minister emphasized that Israel
will present all the facts and the whole truth regarding the events
in the Jenin refugee camp. Ben-Eliezer stated, "I am convinced that
our presentation will tear apart the Palestinian masquerade of lies,
and will expose the behavior of the terrorists which runs contrary to
the most basic moral and legal standards of conduct, and the truth
will ultimately triumph".
Following the request of the Minister of Defense, the
Secretary-General agreed to include General Nash as a full and active
member on the fact-finding team.