Hal,

Sorry but I couldn't get your link to open. Please check it again.

Since you like actual facts so much try these:

1. Population of Jenin City 26,650 (source: Palestinian Authority official census 1997, published in Population, Housing and Establishment Census 1997 by the Palestinian Women's Institute).

2. Population of Jenin Refugee Camp (near Jenin City but not the same) was 9,104 (same source)

3. The Jenin Refugee Camp was established jointly by the United Nations and Government of Jordan in 1953 (remember Israel only invaded the West Bank in 1967) on an area of 1 square kilometer and has never been allowed to expand in size hence the high building density. The same source lists 1,114 households in the refugee camp with an average family size of 5.6 souls as against the national Palestinian average of 6.1 souls per family.

4. BBC and Sky TV coverage last week from Jenin City showed no damage to buildings there.

5. Most of the civilian population fled the refugee camp by and large only the gunmen remained. Despite massive damage to buildings in the camp the total number of bodies actually seen by any side (TV, press, Palestinian Red Crescent) are only dozens (no mass graves, no piles of unburied bodies, no actual sightings of bodies in rubble) and almost all these of dead wearing military clothes or ammunition webbing.

It is true that a fair number of the 1,604 families may not have homes to return to but that may be a blessing in disguise for them since these homes were small and cramped and the authorities will now have the chance to build them decent housing unlike the conditions forced on them by the UN and Jordan since 1953 and more recently the Palestinian Authority which is repsonsible for management of the area.