Senior Israeli army officials have accused international observers in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron of providing information about Jewish settlers and movements of the Israeli army to the Fateh resistance movement, Israeli Radio reported Thursday.
The military officials said some of the hundred or so observers who make up the International Temporary Presence in Hebron (ITPH) supplied the Palestinians with intelligence and photos concerning the movement of Israeli troops in the town, the report said, cited by Haaretz newspaper.
TIPH headquarters had not yet responded to the charges when contacted by the paper.
Former Hebron Commander Yigal Sharon said that in the past there had been a suspicion that TIPH members had passed on information to the Palestinians, however, there had been no proof.
Sharon said that the observers had the potential to cause Israel great harm.
“We need to limit their moves, however with the current situation as it is now, the timing is not appropriate, politically or militarily,” he told the radio.
Observers have been in Hebron since 1994, when a Jewish extremist with a machinegun massacred 29 Muslims as they worshipped.
The group of international observers now in place includes Swedish and Norwegian nationals, among others.
Some 450 Jewish "settlers" live under heavy guard in Hebron amidst 120,000 Palestinians.
When the observers arrived in Hebron, the head of the settlers, Noam Arnon, told CNN that "they have nothing to do here." – Albawaba.com
