Reidblog [The Reid Report blog]

Britain accused after day of chaos and kidnaps in Gaza
Pullout of UK monitors prompts Israeli attack on Palestinian prison

Chris McGreal Jericho
Wednesday March 15, 2006
The Guardian

Britain was accused of colluding with an Israeli military assault on a Palestinian jail yesterday that prompted the widespread kidnapping of foreigners in the occupied territories and the sacking of UK and EU offices.
The army's day-long siege of Jericho prison ended with the surrender of five men accused by Israel of the 2001 assassination of a cabinet minister, Rehavam Zeevi, in Jerusalem. Last night it was believed three foreigners were still being held by Palestinian armed groups.

Ahmed Saadat, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and four other members have been held for the past four years in Jericho under British and American supervision.

The UK pulled its monitors out early yesterday, saying it feared for their security. The US had no officials in Jericho at the time. The Israeli military then attacked the jail, saying it wanted to prevent a Hamas government from carrying out a pledge to release the wanted men.

Israeli forces hit Jericho prison with tank shells and missiles fired from helicopters before smashing through its walls with armoured bulldozers. A policeman and a prisoner were killed in the assault.

Most of the 200 prisoners and guards swiftly surrendered, but Mr Saadat and a hard core of about 30 others remained.

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, told the Commons the monitors were withdrawn as the Palestinian Authority had not done enough to ensure their security. He denied Britain had collaborated with Israel. "We deliberately decided not to tell anybody of the exact timing of the withdrawal, both because of the risk to the safety of our monitors, but also precisely to ensure that there could be no collusion with the Israeli defence forces," he said.