The Palestinians in the Jenin Refugee Camp are increasing the "Mass Grave"
of those Killed in the Fighting During Operation "Defensive Shield" with
additional Bodies to Show a Greater Number of Casualties

IDF Spokesperson 26 April 2002

In order to score more points with the UN committee due to arrive to
investigate the happenings in the Jenin refugee camp, Palestinians are
performing false manipulations in order to show greater damage than was
actually inflicted. In the framework of the Palestinian struggle for public
opinion, a special public affairs committee was formed and put in charge of
preparing the camp for the UN committee's arrival. The Palestinian committee
does not hesitate to use acts of deceit and fraud.

The most appalling fraud is the matter of the dead bodies in the camp. The
Palestinians have begun moving bodies buried in the cemetery next to the
government hospital prior to operation "Defensive Shield" into a "mass
grave" of casualties of the operation - facing the old cemetery.

26 Casualties from operation "Defensive Shield" are buried in the grave. The
bodies recently added, those from the hospital cemetery, bring the number up
to 50 bodies. This in order to display a larger number of Palestinian
casualties that were allegedly killed during the fighting in the camp.

Additionally, members of the Palestinian Authority issued an instruction to
stop searching for bodies so that they will be found only in the presence of
the UN committee.

As part of their attempt to magnify the distress of living in the camp in
the eyes of the UN representatives, the Palestinian committee asked the
residents of the camp whose homes were damaged or destroyed to rent, using
the committee funds, houses in the city of Jenin for the upcoming period.
However, these homeless people were asked to arrive back in the refugee camp
during daytime (the UN committee operating hours) and sit inside tents,
after which they will return to their apartments in the city.

The residents obliged to the Palestinian Authority's request to halt it is
also known that reconstruction of the damaged houses so that the UN
committee can see it as it was.

Another request asked of the residents of Jenin was to "hide" any possible
military evidence during the committee's stay in the camp, such as uniforms,
weapons, and not to partake in any military activity whatsoever.

It is known that 70 Palestinians who were present during the fighting have
remained in the refugee camp, and are alive.

They have declared that they do not wish to demonstrate their presence or
carry out any military activity as long as the committee is present in the
camp.

In addition, it is known that following the withdrawal of IDF forces from
the Jenin refugee camp, 21 innocent people were injured from the explosive
charges that the Palestinians placed and were scattered in the area.

The cynical use that the Palestinians make of sensitive humanitarian issues
for false and twisted propaganda testifies to the deception characterizing
Palestinian public affairs as can be seen in many publications regarding
what happened in the Jenin refugee camp.