Truth is buried in Jenin

By any measure, those events were horrific. Ramallah, Nablus and other cities all underwent severe punishment after Israel began reoccupying the West Bank on March 29, in response to a spate of suicide bombings that murdered dozens of Israeli civilians. But, in Jenin, the conflict was intense. By Israel's count, 48 Palestinians, mostly gunmen, were killed in the eight fierce days of house-to-house fighting, along with 23 of its own soldiers.

The Palestinian side, however, alleges the Israeli invaders committed war crimes, massacring hundreds of non-combatants who were either shot to death or crushed when their stone houses were levelled by tanks and bulldozers. One reason the facts are unclear is that Jenin was declared a "closed military area" while the battle raged, with neither journalists nor rescue workers allowed in. When they finally gained access, they were struck by the shortage of seriously wounded victims, indicating that many bled to death.

Ample reason, in short, for an independent assessment. Before appointing what seems to be an eminently qualified team of experts, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan secured nominal, if reluctant, Israeli support.

But not for long. In a switch on Tuesday, Israel said it would not allow the 20-member team to visit the Jenin camp unless it included additional military and counterterrorism experts. Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said his government would co-operate only if the team also probed Palestinian actions in the camp. The UN has already decided "to entrap Israel so it could be put on trial," Mr. Ben-Eliezer declared. Israel has also voiced concern that the UN team may look at events outside Jenin.

Agreed, the investigation in Jenin needs to encompass Palestinian bomb factories, the booby-trapping of residents' houses, the use of civilians as "human shields" by Palestinian militants and anything else that might be relevant.

Equally clear, however, is that the team needs to get to work as soon as possible, not least because of the bodies that may be decaying under the rubble. Until this week, the Sharon government insisted it had nothing to hide in Jenin. Now, it is arguing about the panel's terms of reference. Given the gravity of what's alleged and the long-term damage it could do to Israel, Mr. Sharon would do well to change tack once more and welcome the UN probe, not stall it.