THE TARGETED ASSASSINATION OF IAIN HOOK

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Wednesday August 06, 2003 23:38 by Jack Shepard

WHY WAS THE TARGETED ASSASSINATION OF A TOP BRITISH UN OFFICIAL BY THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCE COVERED UP BY PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR?

Over six months ago Prime Minister Tony Blair; knew all the facts that an Israeli Army Sniper was ordered to trap and later in the day assassinate Iain Hook, a former paratrooper from Felixstowe who was employed by Crown Agents and paid for by the British Department for International Development to head the UN project to reconstruct the Jenin Refugee Camp as a warning to the Secretary General Kofi Annan. þ

Well aware of the facts that many other UN staff members both International and Palestinian alike زhave been verbally abused, stripped, beaten, shot at and killed by Israeli soldiers; including attacks on UN ambulances, Medical Personnnel, UNWRA schools, Health Clinics and Offices have been hit by bombs, rockets, tank shells and gunfire by Israeli soldiers endangering the lives of UN staff (www. relifweb, int) Prime Minister Tony Blair continues to cover-up these facts and even remains silent to his knowledge of Intelligence reports convening the planning and later the Assassination of a Fellow British UN Staffer who was trapped for hours in his UN Office Compound before the was shot in the back on Nov. 22,2002. Because Mr. Hookصs assassination was of profound importance, Mr Blair covered-up Mr. Hookصs assassination because it might compromise his propaganda blitz for the urgency of war with Iraq and weaken his position in dealing with the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict. At the time even the Head Rabbi of England said the policies of The Ariel Sharon Government in Israel toward UN staff and the Palestinian people made him feel uncomfortable being a Jew. þ

According to an article published in The Guardian; Wednesday May7, 2003 written by Chris McGreal from Jerusalem; ز No one believed the Israeli story that the sniper thought Iain was holding a gun, said one UN official close to the investigation. This soldier was a trained commando. He had a sights that magnified at least three times and he was only 20 meters (65ft) away. What really concerns us is the lack of an apology and remorse.The message that goes out to every Israeli soldier is that itصs OK to kill the UNس. þ

During my 7 month investigation into the murder of Iain Hook I was very fortunate to interview UN staff members that were actually living and working with Iain Hook up until his assassination and conducted several telephone interviews with Paul McCann; the UNWRA spokesperson concerned with the Palestinian occupied territories. þ

I was told while some members of the UN staff were in Rome, Italy; Iain Hook one night after dinner at their hotel expressed to his UN staff members that he was very concerned for his and their safety after زA very hostile man on a motorcycle drove up to him (Iain Hook), زseveral weeks before his murderس saying to him that; زWe want you to send a message to that Fucking Nigger; Kofi Annan and you will know when we send it.س This confirms that Iain Hookصs murder was no accident but a well planned assassination organized by the Israeli Defense Force to send a direct message to the UN. One must assume that this planned assassination included very high level officials in the present Israeli Government of Ariel Sharon because of the extent of the cover-up. Until Iain Hookصs murderer; the Israeli commando sniper is brought to justice we will not know the extent of the collaboration of Mr. Hookصs assassination. Mr. Hookصs assassination operation included a major Israeli incursion into the Jenin Refugee Camp; surrounding the Jenin UN Office Compound for almost 4 hours; the blocking of the entrance so Mr. Hook and his staff were literally trapped in their compound, when Paul Wolstenholme and Mr. Hook tried to leave their UN Compound through the front entrance a very powerful compression grenade was used to block their exit literally throwing Paul Wolstenholme back several meters and most important after the shooting of Mr. Hook the British UN manager of the UN office compound, an emergency ambulance was prevented from reaching Iain Hook by the Israeli Defense Force at the front entrance to the UN compound. þ

These same UN staff members living and working with Iain Hook in the Jenin described the event of Mr Hooks murder very clearly to me. From about 9.30 AM in the morning until his assassination approximately 13.30; 2 sharp shooters had taken control of 2 apartments on the top of 2 apartment buildings situated to the right and left of the entrance to the UNWRA compound and for hours laser beams could be seen in the dust; often on Iain Hooks shoulders. It was very obvious to Mr. Hookصs colleagues that the Israeli Army Commando after over 3 hours of watching Iain Hook 54, who was tall with ginger hair, that the sniper using a powerful aiming sight which gave him a very close look at his victim knew that he was assassinating Iain Hook, a UN British subject who headed the Jenin reconstruction project. þ

Spokesperson concerning the Palestinian Occupied Territories; when I asked him about the very powerful compression grenade used around 12.00 to block Iain Hook and Paul Wolstensolmeصs exit from the front entrance of the Jenin UN compound; he was surprised that this very important event was not included in Chris McGrealصs May 7,2003-article in The Guardian- زWhy was an unarmed Briton shot in the back?س. The Israeli Denfense Force used this very powerful compression grenade to literally trap Iain Hook in his compound until the Israeli Sniper a well trained Army Commando using his magnified sight shot Iain Hook in the back as he was walking away from the sniper in the direction of the entrance to the UN office compound only a few meters from where Paul Wolstensholme was sitting. þ

Iain Hook was shot in the back. His assassin used one fast-high velocity hard point bullet that entered Iain Hookصs upper right shoulder and exited in two fragments either side of Iain Hookصs belly button to shoot him at approximately (3.30 Nov.22,2002. The Guardian newspaper article written by Chris McGreal published on May 7,2003; entitled زwhy was an unarmed Briton shot in the back?س stated that, the day after the Israeli Commando Sniper shot Mr. Hook as he stood in the UN compound in the Jenin Refugee Camp last Nov. 22. زIsrael promised Mr. Straw a full accounting of the killing. Now Israel says its inquiry has been زput asideس. Today Mr. Hookصs colleagues accuse Israel of covering up زcold-blooded murderس and Britain and the UN of complicity by quietly trying to bury the truth to avoid a political confrontation. Much of the pressure for a full account of Mr. Hookصs death came from other UN foreign staff members working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These 64 UN foreign staff members working in the Occupied Territories signed an open Letter which blamed the Israeli Army for Mr. Hookصs death and called for an end to what it described as the Israeli militaryصs زrefusal to respect the most elementary standards of humanity.س The Guardians article continued that زThe UN inquiry was carried out by a former member of the US naval intelligence branch. John Logan. John Logan stated he cut short his investigation because he had been زthreatened.س Targeted Assassinations of British UN staffers and threatening American Diplomats investigating Israeli War crimes can not be allowed, by the Sharon government. þ

The 64 UN foreign staffصs open letter can be read at þ

http:// www. reliefweb, int. Their letter includes their statement زWe strongly request that the Israeli government will bring those responsible for Iainصs killing promptly to justice. þ

Only the most lawless societies allow gunman in uniform the impunity to kill aid workers without fear of punishment.س þ

A bellicose former General Sharon has always been a controversial figure, headstrong, volatile, and very violent. You; Mr. Tony Blair as prime Minister by continuing to cover-up the assassination of Iain Hook only help the Government of Ariel Sharon to continue itصs volatile and violent policies. þ

The War on Terrorism can only be won when we have the States of Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace, President Bushصs vision. The simple truth is it is the policies of Ariel Sharonصs Government that condones that an Israeli Commando Sniper can even target and Assassinate Iain Hook a UN British Aid worker and condones the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian men, women and children which impedes peace The world will never have peace unless these policies of Ariel Sharonصs targeted Assassinations and the indiscriminate murder hundreds of Palestinian civilians are exposed and immediately stopped. þ

Blair continues to cover-up the Targeted Assassination of Iain Hook and his lack of criticism of the policies of the Ariel Sharon Government; shows his complicity. This complicity makes peace in the Middle East impossible. When the UN staff call for justice and protection they are not being anti-Semitic; they just wish to have a Jewish Israeli Government that respects human life where peace is possible. Until the leaders of the world learn from these brave UN staffers who work in the Occupied Territories of Palestine that to criticize the policies of the Government of Ariel Sharon is not to be called anti-Semitic. It is only to criticize Ariel Sharon because they know that unless Sharon changes his policies; we will never have world peace. There are many other Jewish Leaders in Israel; who continue to cover-up the Policies of Ariel Sharonصs Government which allows gunmen in uniform the impunity to kill aid workers and hundreds of Palestinian civilians which is criminal. World leaders must learn to criticize Ariel Sharon not as anti-Semitic; but as anti-Sharon. þ



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