Israel announced that it will not renew the mandate for a group of international peace monitors stationed in Hebron.
The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) has been stationed in Hebron for more than 20 years. Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and Turkey have contributed civilians to act as monitors on the ground in Hebron since the organization’s establishment in established in 1994 following the Tomb of the Patriarchs massacre, during which Baruch Goldstein killed 29 Palestinians at the holy site. Because the Hebron monitors’ mission was originally meant to be “temporary,” its mandate had to be renewed twice a year by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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The announcement to send the Hebron monitors packing was picked up the three main international wire services: Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) — none of whom shed any light on the questions of why.
So why are the Hebron monitors no longer welcome? Why is this happening now?
Reuters and AFP cited vague Israeli accusations of TIPH bias but reported that the Prime Minister’s announcement didn’t offer any reason for the move. AP’s four-paragraph piece didn’t even say that.
You’d think the nasty Israelis booted out the observers for no good reason.
In fact, TIPH was near the end of the line. The wires’ missing context actually begins with rumblings going back to last summer.
- In July, 2018, Israel expelled a Swiss monitor who was caught on video slapping a Jewish child.
- Days later, a video surfaced of another TIPH monitor slashing tires on a Jewish-owned car in Hebron.
- In November, 2018, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs review concluded that TIPH had outlived its usefulness.
- Days later, TIPH’s former chief financial officer accused the organization of corruption and anti-Israel bias.
- In December, 2018, a confidential TIPH report seen by Haaretz accused Israel of regularly breaking international law, raising government ire.
All these revelations about the Hebron monitors were reported in the Israeli media. The info was out there.
But the wire services cited none of this.
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