A proposito del rapporto delle Nazioni Unite sul massacro di Jenin un paio di precisazioni sono dovute: 1) il rapporto e' steso sulla base dei 'dati disponibili' perche' agli ispettori dell'ONU e' stato negato di entrare al campo 2) Le voci critiche delle NGO e di chi e' stato lasciato entrare a Jenin dall'IDF si sono perse o comunque diluite in questo rapporto che ha preso una vergognosa, salomonica, equidistante posizione sui fatti.

Il rapporto e' disponibile sul sito dell'ONU per chiunque se lo volesse leggere. Sia in Pdf che in Html. Riporto qui il sommario in testa al documento:



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This report was prepared on the basis of General Assembly resolution ES 10/10, adopted on 7 May 2002, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to present a report, drawing upon the available resources and information, on the recent events that took place in Jenin and other Palestinian cities. The General Assembly requested the report following the disbandment of the United Nations fact-finding team that had been convened by the Secretary-General in response to Security Council resolution 1405 (2002) of 19 April 2002.
The report was written without a visit to Jenin or the other Palestinian cities in question and it therefore relies completely on available resources and information, including submissions from five United Nations Member States and Observer Missions, documents in the public domain and papers submitted by non-governmental organizations. The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs wrote to the Permanent Representative of Israel and the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations requesting them to submit information but only the latter did so. In the absence of a response from Israel, the United Nations has relied on public statements of Israeli officials and publicly available documents of the Government of Israel relevant to the request in resolution ES-10/10.

This report covers the period from approximately the beginning of March to 7 May 2002. The report sets out the context and background of the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the security, humanitarian and human rights responsibilities of both parties. It briefly charts the rising violence since September 2000, which had by 7 May 2002 caused the deaths of 441 Israelis and 1,539 Palestinians.

The report describes the pattern of attacks carried out by Palestinian armed groups against Israel operating from the West Bank and Israel’s military action during Operation Defensive Shield, which began on 29 March with an incursion into Ramallah, followed by entry into Tulkarm and Qalqilya on 1 April, Bethlehem on 2 April, and Jenin and Nablus on 3 April. By 3 April, six of the largest cities in the West Bank, and their surrounding towns, villages and refugee camps, had been occupied by the Israeli military. Operation Defensive Shield was characterized by extensive curfews on civilian populations and restrictions, indeed occasional prohibitions, on the movement of international personnel, including at times humanitarian and medical personnel as well as human rights monitors and journalists. In many instances, humanitarian workers were not able to reach people in need. Combatants on both sides conducted themselves in ways that, at times, placed civilians in harm’s way. Much of the fighting during Operation Defensive Shield occurred in areas heavily populated by civilians and in many cases heavy weaponry was used. As a result of those practices, the populations of the cities covered in this report suffered severe hardships. The Israeli Defence Forces announced the official end of the operation on 21 April but its consequences lasted until the end of the period under review and beyond


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E' evidente che il rapporto in se' ha l'autorita' del 2 di Picche. Non e' basato sull'acquisizione diretta di dati, ma su informazioni fornite da terze parti che hanno potuto accedere al campo 4 giorni dopo (e solo dopo 7 giorni senza il controllo diretto dell'IDF). Gli Israeliani si sono rifuitati di dare qualunque tipo di informazione.
Il calcolo della gente che ha perso la vita nell'attacco, riportato da tutte le agenzie, che parla di un'ottantina di morti in tutto, e' basato sui cadaveri recuperati. I palestinesi continuano a parlare di 4-500 vittime (dato comunque difficile da verificare) ma di questo nelle agenzie non c'e' traccia, cosi' come difficilmente si parla di quanto tronco, mozzo, sia questo rapporto.

Interessante in tal senso, il distacco ed il cerchiobottismo con cui vengono riassunti i fatti principali (ultimo paragrafo): tutti hanno un po' di colpa, nessuno e' colpevole...


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The fighting in the camp lasted from 3 to 11 April.

Between the end of the fighting and the first access permitted to the refugee camp, there was a period of four days considered by all observers as critical.

Humanitarian assistance by UNRWA, ICRC and PRCS only started on 15 April, at first under IDF control. They were not allowed at first to carry it on a systematic and organized way and prevented from performing forensic operations.

The curfew was lifted only on 18 April, partially on 16 April.

Of the population of the refugee camp, at least 4,000 remained inside and did not evacuate the camp at any moment.

IDF systematically used bulldozers, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and infantry, also armoured helicopters. The operations took a broader scope after the death of 13 Israeli soldiers in an ambush inside the refugee camp.

IDF cut electricity in both the town and the camp. Water pipes to the refugee camp were also broken.

IDF prevented access to the camp to UNRWA, ICRC and PRCS even to evacuate the wounded and the dead. Only after a decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice, on 14 April, was access granted, though on a very limited basis and conditions.

Fighting was fierce in the refugee camp. A number of Palestinian fighters, estimated at around 150, handed themselves in to the IDF on the last days.

Palestinians had claimed that between 400 and 500 people had been killed, fighters and civilians together. They had also claimed a number of summary executions and the transfer of corpses to an unknown place outside the city of Jenin.

The number of Palestinian fatalities, on the basis of bodies recovered to date, in Jenin and the refugee camp in this military operation can be estimated at around 55. Of those, a number were civilians, four were women and two children. There were 23 Israeli fatalities in the fighting operations in Jenin.

The number of Palestinian fatalities could increase when the rubble is removed. Most observers share the certainty that there must be some bodies lying under the debris.

Nevertheless, the most recent estimates by UNRWA and ICRC show that the number of missing people is constantly declining as the IDF releases Palestinians from detention. In any case, a figure is very difficult to estimate. There are a number of reports about Palestinian civilians being used as human shields.

The IDF made a very large number of detentions, though most of the Palestinians were later set free.

The estimate of physical damage is as follows:

• Destruction of security buildings and infrastructure in Jenin city.

• Destruction of security buildings of the Palestinian Authority in Jenin city.

• 160 buildings totally destroyed in the refugee camp.

• 100 buildings partially damaged. 800 families without shelter, an overall estimate of over 4,000 persons.

• 10 per cent of the camp totally destroyed.

• The centre of the refugee camp has been totally levelled. The area has a diameter of about 200 m and a surface of about 30,000 m2, with approximately 100 buildings totally destroyed.

The IDF launched a well-prepared operation converging on the centre of the refugee camp as shown by the destruction of buildings in the streets and alleys leading there.

The certainty of buried explosives under the rubble has made it very difficult for specialized teams to move on the ground. Unexploded ordnance belongs to both the IDF and the Palestinians.

From the very first minute, civilians from the camp were eager to come back and started collecting their personal belongings, making the situation even more difficult and dangerous.

The civilians were under a huge shock. Not only were they deprived of water, food and electricity for many days, but they were also seeking information about the fate of relatives with whom they had lost contact.

For many days after the fighting ended, there was neither law nor order inside the camp. The Palestinian Authority was unable to provide security and law enforcement, as the security apparatus had been destroyed.