The Israeli government accused Mr. Larsen of anti-Semitic tendencies, but he wasn't alone in his reaction. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns said what happened in Jenin has caused enormous suffering for thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians.
The Economist magazine called it a "scene of devastation that has had no equal throughout Israel's 34-year conquest and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza."
Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch spent four days in Jenin after the Israeli withdrawal. "The destruction is on a massive scale. Certainly a significant number of civilians were killed during this operation, including several children, quite a few women and a few elderly people," he said. "We documented the cases of several people who were killed trying to help wounded civilians, including one nurse. We also documented the cases of several people who were crushed in their homes when Israelis went in with bulldozers and just flattened a significant part of the refugee camp."
Mr. Bouckaert says the killing of so many civilians could have been avoided. Some died because the Israelis did not allow medical help to reach them for several days.
"Even after the combat ended, for almost a week, Israel continued to deny any humanitarian access to the camp," he said. "Many people had been displaced from their homes. There was no water or electricity in the camp. Those actions by the Israeli forces in the aftermath of the combat situation certainly contributed to the severe suffering that was faced by the civilians in the camp."
The Economist magazine called it a "scene of devastation that has had no equal throughout Israel's 34-year conquest and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza."
Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch spent four days in Jenin after the Israeli withdrawal. "The destruction is on a massive scale. Certainly a significant number of civilians were killed during this operation, including several children, quite a few women and a few elderly people," he said. "We documented the cases of several people who were killed trying to help wounded civilians, including one nurse. We also documented the cases of several people who were crushed in their homes when Israelis went in with bulldozers and just flattened a significant part of the refugee camp."
Mr. Bouckaert says the killing of so many civilians could have been avoided. Some died because the Israelis did not allow medical help to reach them for several days.
"Even after the combat ended, for almost a week, Israel continued to deny any humanitarian access to the camp," he said. "Many people had been displaced from their homes. There was no water or electricity in the camp. Those actions by the Israeli forces in the aftermath of the combat situation certainly contributed to the severe suffering that was faced by the civilians in the camp."