Annan: Ambulance Did Not Carry Rocket

I seem to recall an article from the Jerusalem post, posted by a person who frequents this forum and regularly makes borderline racist comments accusing the UN of aiding terrorists. Since Israel appears to be backing off from that accusation, I thought this article should be posted here, in the interest of setting the record straight

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-UN-Isr...
nnan: Ambulance Did Not Carry Rocket
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: October 13, 2004

Filed at 5:37 p.m. ET

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Israel has acknowledged that a U.N. ambulance in Gaza was carrying a stretcher -- not a rocket as it claimed earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday.

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman asked Annan to investigate Peter Hansen, head of the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees, after the Israeli army released video taken by an unmanned aircraft flying over the Jebaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel, which has long accused the U.N. Relief and Works Agency of bias, said the footage showed militants loading a rocket into an ambulance with U.N. markings on its roof. The United Nations immediately denied the accusation and said the footage showed a worker loading a stretcher into an ambulance.

Palestinian rescue worker Wahel Ghabayen, 38, said he had run with a stretcher to a school in Jebaliya after he heard that someone there may have been wounded. But the wounded boy had already been moved so he returned to the car, folded the stretcher, ``and threw it inside,'' he said.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it might have been mistaken when it accused the agency, known as UNRWA, of transporting a rocket to militants. The statement stopped short of clearly admitting an error.


..more at AP

didn't we?

Israeli security forces have released information today illustrating the use of Palestinian ambulances, medical positions and equipment for acts of terrorism. The statement concludes that "since September 2000 the security forces are witnessing the cynical use by terror organizations of the Palestinian medical resources in general and of ambulances in particular, assuming they are 'immune' to security checks at checkpoints."


"The use by terrorist organizations of medical resources, particularly ambulances, in order to bypass the searches and security checks in IDF checkpoints emphasizes the need for a security check of medical vehicles," an IDF statement announced. "Such searches are conducted in order to ensure that ambulances are not used by terrorists in an attempt to transport terrorists, weaponry and explosive devices."


One of the most prominent incidents highlighted by Israeli security agencies is the suicide bombing attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem on January 27, 2002, in which an Israeli civilian was killed and over 100 were injured. The suicide bombing was carried out by Waffa Idris, a resident of the Amari refugee camp near Ramallah. Idris acted as a medical secretary in the Palestinian Red Crescent. Following an investigation by Israeli security forces, it appears that the Palestinian suicide bombers were dispatched to carry out the attack by Muhamad Hababa, a resident of the village of Beit Iksa near Ramallah, a Tanzim operative and an ambulance driver of the Palestinian Red Crescent. An additional associate to the terror attack was Munzar Nur, a resident of Anabta, near Tulkarm, which worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent as well.



Following are incidents provided by Israeli security agencies in which ambulances were used for terrorist activities:


· On March 27, 2002 IDF forces arrested Islam Jibril, a Tanzim operative at a checkpoint near Ramallah. Jibril, born 1971, a resident of the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, and worked as an ambulance driver in the Palestinian Red Crescent. Jibril was arrested while driving a Red Crescent ambulance containing an explosive belt and explosive devices. During his investigation Jiblril confessed that the bombs were handed to him in Nablus by Mahmud Titi, a senior Tanzim operative in the Samaria area who was killed by security forces. The explosive belt was hidden underneath a stretch carrying a sick Palestinian boy aside his family members.


· Following an investigation it appears that during March 2002 several Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah were using ambulances in order to move from once spot to another. The terrorists were wearing medical uniforms and some of them used city hospitals as a hiding place.


· On October 2001 Israeli security forces arrested Nidal Nazal, resident of Qalkilya, a Hamas terrorist and the brother of Nasser Nazal – a senior Hamas terrorist in the city. Nidal worked as an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent. In his investigation Nidal confessed to the transfer of weaponry for terrorists and using his freedom of passage granted to him due to the fact that he was an ambulance driver. Furthermore, Nidal used this privilege in order to act as a messenger of Hamas HQ in different Palestinian cities.

http://www.israelnewsagency.com/palestinianambulancesterrorism1009.html
.....................................................................

Yeah...cant possibly be true.

backed off....

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it might have been mistaken when it accused the agency, known as UNRWA, of transporting a rocket to militants. The statement stopped short of clearly admitting an error.


Sounds like something the Bush admin would say

and you know it fine well - condemn both or condemn neither - consistency is fun

Israel withdraws charge that UN involved in rocket transportation

There's nothing difficult to understand about it, donny. Israel made accusations that weren't true, and now needs to apologise for getting it wrong...

Violet...

That's what I love about you, like a little child that will never admit it was wrong about something.

Israel has acknowledged that a U.N. ambulance in Gaza was carrying a stretcher -- not a rocket as it claimed earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday.


Hope that helps clear it up for you. Perhaps relying on the Jerusalem Post (one of whose directors is PNACer Richard "Prince of Darkness" Perle) is not the wisest move if you expect others to take you seriously.

I love how this works...i posted an article that stated that the terrorists were transporting rockets and weapons and later was recanted....in this case. Got it. I didnt write the article....just posted it.

But, as i posted above, the TERRORist palesTINIANS have a real
fascinating obscession with using ambulances to transporting weapons
that kill innocents jews. It was not out of the realm of possibilities...just not in this case. Their history of crimes against humanity seem to know no bounds.

What history, you say ??

"One of the most prominent incidents highlighted by Israeli security agencies is the suicide bombing attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem on January 27, 2002, in which an Israeli civilian was killed and over 100 were injured. The suicide bombing was carried out by Waffa Idris, a resident of the Amari refugee camp near Ramallah. Idris acted as a medical secretary in the Palestinian Red Crescent. Following an investigation by Israeli security forces, it appears that the Palestinian suicide bombers were dispatched to carry out the attack by Muhamad Hababa, a resident of the village of Beit Iksa near Ramallah, a Tanzim operative and an ambulance driver of the Palestinian Red Crescent. An additional associate to the terror attack was Munzar Nur, a resident of Anabta, near Tulkarm, which worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent as well.


· On March 27, 2002 IDF forces arrested Islam Jibril, a Tanzim operative at a checkpoint near Ramallah. Jibril, born 1971, a resident of the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, and worked as an ambulance driver in the Palestinian Red Crescent. Jibril was arrested while driving a Red Crescent ambulance containing an explosive belt and explosive devices. During his investigation Jiblril confessed that the bombs were handed to him in Nablus by Mahmud Titi, a senior Tanzim operative in the Samaria area who was killed by security forces. The explosive belt was hidden underneath a stretch carrying a sick Palestinian boy aside his family members.


· Following an investigation it appears that during March 2002 several Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah were using ambulances in order to move from once spot to another. The terrorists were wearing medical uniforms and some of them used city hospitals as a hiding place.


· On October 2001 Israeli security forces arrested Nidal Nazal, resident of Qalkilya, a Hamas terrorist and the brother of Nasser Nazal – a senior Hamas terrorist in the city. Nidal worked as an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent. In his investigation Nidal confessed to the transfer of weaponry for terrorists and using his freedom of passage granted to him due to the fact that he was an ambulance driver. Furthermore, Nidal used this privilege in order to act as a messenger of Hamas HQ in different Palestinian cities."
........................................................


nothing to see here....move along. Maybe they just enjoy playing with the flashing red lights, huh?

at the ADMITTED use of ambulances by the IDF to transport troops...anything anything at all don

admitting that the TERRORist palesTINIANS have engaged in unbelieveable brutality in their unspeakable crimes against humanity by using ambulances to commit their atrocities. I agree with you and I congratulate you for understanding that.

As for the rest of your post, I have never heard of the IDF using ambulances to transport troops,especially when they have transport vehicles. I'm sure you have some proof of that and that is why you posted it and I will take you at your word.


Unfortunately, I DON"T equate palestinian TERRORISTS using ambulances
to cover their vicious acts of wanton brutality to the IDF trying to stop them. Israel has every right....no....every obligation to destroy those "persons" who would commit these crimes against its citizens.

I simply wished to hear some condemnation from you over this which unlike the IDF crappy "rockets" story has NOT been thoroughly debunked, now I know it's not from deadarabsgetmeoff.com but it's a fairly mainstream source ...

"The IDF used ambulances to smuggle in fighters during operation 'Defensive Shield' in 2002", claims Zohar Shapira, one of the initiators of the elite 'Sayeret Matkal' unit refuseniks' letter.

(snip)

Shapira said that following the operation he turned to his commanders and expressed his amazement over what he saw, but they explained it was the most secure vehicle to transport troops in."

http://maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&arti...

"Palestinian rockets kill two Israeli children, Israel vows "necessary" response"


Two Israeli children were killed at the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot when a Palestinian rocket hit this southern Israeli town, prompting an Israeli government spokesman to vow "necessary measures" to protect the country's citizens.

The strike Wednesday evening, claimed by the radical group Hamas, capped a day of violence in which seven Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops in the occupied territories.

Immediately after the strike, the Israeli air force carried out a series of air raids on northern Gaza, killing another Palestinian and wounding more than 20.

"Two children were killed by a Qassam rocket that hit Sderot," an army spokeswoman told AFP.

Emergency services spokesman Yerucham Mandola told Israel's private Channel 2 television medics had "evacuated two in critical condition who later died in hospital".

Channel 2 named the children as four-year-old Yuval Abebe and five-year-old Dorit Inasso, and said the two were related.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040929/afp/040929195805top.html
................................................................

you know fine well the "crappy rocvkets story" was the lie about the video "showing rockets being loaded into an ambulance"

WTF is the point of what you posted, you know we could both just post articles one after the other of Israeli casualties and Palestinian casualities (although you'd run out of stories faster than me) but what would it prove, that the Israelis and Palestinians are killing each other...fucking hell what a revelation

even though what you did post is - 7 Palestinians shot dead - Palestinians launch rockets kill 2 Israelis - Israelis shoot and kill another Palestinian and wound 20 more....and so on and so on and so on, why keep deflecting - just admit that you have no sympathy for Palestinian victims of violence (or that you atleast blame them in part for what happens to them) and that you will not condemn any action or statement from the IDF.

SADLY, there are innocent palestinians that BECAUSE OF THE RELENTLESS ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY THE TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE HAMAS AND AL-AQSA
are killed during this war. I have complete sympathy for innocent families that are victims of this war. But understand, the blame goes
to the terrorists that commit these atrocities that require israels
defensive action. I have never blamed innocent victims of war.

never blamed them? odd I remeber you getting all excited when the IDF shot into crowds of protestors

That would make one an anti-Semitic Israel-Hater!! No matter what's done, no matter how horrific it is, it can all be swiftly excused by labelling it as a defensive action against terrorism. The IDF murders a schoolgirl? No problems! Blame goes to the terrahrists, even though it was IDF troops who murdered her. Same goes for dropping bombs on apartment buildings and opening fire on unarmed demonstrators. It's NOT, I repeat, NOT Israel's fault!! Rabin's murderer tried to justify the murder using the same 'logic' seeing he was a fan of shovelling the blame elsewhere for what was done by Palestinians. From 'The Iron Wall' - 'He described the Palestinians as unreformed terrorists and held Rabin personally responsible for the killing of Jews by them. Rabin, he claimed, had Jewish blood on his hands. To the commission of inquiry Amir said, "When I shot Rabin, I felt as if I was shooting a terrorist."

Violet...

If you check the Hebrew, you'll find that there is a link to the full story (on shovrimshtika), which has additional details.

For example:

1. A quote from the IDF commanders on the ground that, "This is war" (hence the complaint is irrelevant).

2. A response by Zahava Galon of Yachad (liberal Israeli party), stating that if true (and it is), that the IDF is guilty of "appaling hypocrisy" in "accusing the Palestinians of the use of ambulances but adopting the same improper practices themselves".*

3. The response by the IDF spokesman's office that does not deny the charge (in fact admits it, in a fashion). Part quote: there were "...occasions where use was made of ambulances for non-medical purposes"

Note that this is the second time (at least) that the IDF has used ambulances for military purposes. The first time (at least the admitted first time) was when 3 were used in the arrest and kidnap of Marwan Bargouti.


So, on the one side we have admitted use of ambulances, and on the other, a series of falsehoods and shameful lies and inventions. The usual story.



-----

* Galon is one of the few MK's with an outstanding record on human rights, privacy, torture etc and opposition to terrorism (from both sides).

I guess you missed it in yr obscene haste to get all excited about gloating over what is now known by everyone to have been a false claim made against the UN. Mind you, the proof isn't to be found on trashy and racist right-wing sites, so you may not place any credence in it....

If you think Israel has every right (which under international law it doesn't) to destroy those who commit crimes against its citizens, then the same goes for Palestinians having every right to destroy those who commit crimes against its citizens. Strangely, those "persons" seem to get a free pass from you....

Violet...

Because you don't want to know. Fairly obvious - just be a man and admit it.

Yawn, indeed.

It was in Yedioth Aharonoth (also on the front page).