>>> March 28, 2002

Defence damages

A senior official with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees claims Israeli forces have deliberately been attacking UN refugee camps, hospitals and schools during the latest wave of military assaults. UNRWA official Peter Hansen also criticized Israel for positioning snipers on UN-building rooftops, and using schoolyards as tank bases.
Israel denies the targeted UN attacks were intentional. A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the “main struggle is to stop Palestinian terrorist action against innocent Israelis,” and that the operations fell within their “right to self-defence.” Among those defended against were a UNRWA guard, ambulance workers and “many women and children.”

Hansen estimates that Israel has caused close to $4-million (U.S.) in damages to UN buildings this month alone, and plans to send Israel an itemized bill “down to the last window that was broken.” :

—Scott Saxon