American Investigators Ready to Go to Jenin; Jack Kemp, Steve Forbes, Rep. Brad Sherman Propose Independent Fact-Finding Mission

5/1/2002

From: Travis Clark, 202-207-0186, or Louise Filkins 202-585-2205, both of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is prepared to send a team of impartial, professional investigators to assist with fact-finding in regard to the fighting that occurred last month in Jenin.

"This team has the military background and qualifications to determine what really happened on the ground in Jenin," said Jack Kemp, chairman of the board of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "Serious allegations have been made. Those allegations should be looked into by investigators who have both technical expertise and relevant experience. And no investigation can be complete without an international inquiry into the massacre at Netanya and similar terrorist atrocities."

A five-man team assembled by Electronic Warfare Associates Information and Infrastructure Technologies Inc. (http://www.ewa.com) is prepared to conduct all aspects of the fact-finding mission. EWA IIT specializes in military intelligence, operational security and vulnerability assessments. Paul G. Wolfe, program director for EWA IIT, will serve as Team Leader. Wolfe is a retired U.S. Army Intelligence and Special Operations Officer. (Biographies of all team members available.)

"The sooner this team can be put to work, the better," said Steve Forbes, a Board Member of FDD. "One hopes that all parties who have a genuine interest in advancing a just peace will support putting this team to work as quickly as possible."

"The UN has an obvious conflict of interest in Jenin," said Clifford D. May, FDD president. "The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) funded and largely administered the Jenin refugee camp. Is it plausible that UNRWA officials were unaware that terrorists had set up operations in their camp? The UN should recuse itself from any probe of Israeli actions in Jenin -- and investigate instead UNRWA's apparent complicity with terrorists and militants who were violating the Geneva Accord by establishing terrorist and military infrastructure in a refugee camp."

In addition, among those chosen by the UN to participate in the investigations is Cornelio Sommaruga. "For 12 years as head of the International Red Cross, Sommaruga refused Israel's admission to the International Red Cross -- the only nation to be so refused," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif), a member of the House International Relations Committee and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. "Sommaruga has compared the Star of David to the swastika -- his inclusion on a 'fact-finding' mission is clearly inappropriate."

Requests for permission for the team to conduct a fact-finding mission regarding Jenin have been forwarded to the offices of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Chairman Yasser Arafat, as well as to their representatives. The EWA IIT team is prepared to leave for the Middle East within 24 hours of receiving notification that its independent mission will be facilitated by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The FDD is a research and educational institute focusing on terrorism, the ideologies that drive terrorism and the policies that can most effectively eradicate terrorism.

For more information contact Travis Clark (202-207-0190) or Louis Filkins (202-585-2205).