In face of the world\'s demand to investigate Israel\'s behavior during the Jenin battles, President Moshe Katzav had this to say today:
\"With all due respect to self-righteousness, the international community must stop applying a double-standard. I do not understand why the world community has been silent for over one and a half years in the face of the cruel and brutal massacres that have been perpetrated against the Jewish population throughout the country.
\"The world has been silent even as terrorists have taken over the Church of the Nativity, looted it and desecrated it.
\"The world has been silent even as terrorists have used ambulances to smuggle weapons and murderers.
\"The world has been silent even as mosques have been turned into armories.
\"The world has been silent even as primitive, brutal and shocking lynchings have been perpetrated in Nablus [Shechem], Ramallah and Hebron.
\"Since our hands are clean, Israel has agreed to a fact-finding mission into what took place in Jenin, where soldiers were killed and wounded merely because we didn\'t want to harm Palestinian civilians. Israel will not agree to being branded with a mark of shame since our hands are clean. If the UN wants to inquire into what took place, it is welcome - but the inquiry must be held without pre-formed opinions and with clean hands.\"
\"With all due respect to self-righteousness, the international community must stop applying a double-standard. I do not understand why the world community has been silent for over one and a half years in the face of the cruel and brutal massacres that have been perpetrated against the Jewish population throughout the country.
\"The world has been silent even as terrorists have taken over the Church of the Nativity, looted it and desecrated it.
\"The world has been silent even as terrorists have used ambulances to smuggle weapons and murderers.
\"The world has been silent even as mosques have been turned into armories.
\"The world has been silent even as primitive, brutal and shocking lynchings have been perpetrated in Nablus [Shechem], Ramallah and Hebron.
\"Since our hands are clean, Israel has agreed to a fact-finding mission into what took place in Jenin, where soldiers were killed and wounded merely because we didn\'t want to harm Palestinian civilians. Israel will not agree to being branded with a mark of shame since our hands are clean. If the UN wants to inquire into what took place, it is welcome - but the inquiry must be held without pre-formed opinions and with clean hands.\"