UN employees send Israel protest petition, Ha'retz (Israel), (from Reuters), December 4, 2002 "A group of 64 UN workers based in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip issued a petition on Tuesday calling on Israel to stop what they said has been the harassment, beating and killing of United Nations staff. 'For two years, United Nations staff have been subject to escalating harassment and violence by Israel's military, so that the protection supposed to be afforded by the blue letters of the UN is being steadily eroded,' said the petition, released in Gaza. Asked about the statement, an Israeli military official said: 'We reject the suggestion Israeli soldiers intentionally try to harass UN personnel. We respect the work of the United Nations, and that includes our commitment to their safety ... In the current Palestinian uprising for statehood, UN officials have accused the army of firing on health clinics, schools, ambulances and other installations run by UN agencies. Israel has in turn accused UN officials of letting refugee camps run by UNWRA be used as safe havens for militants behind suicide bombings and doing nothing to stop gunmen from firing at Israeli troops from UN installations. The signatories of the petition said they were writing in their personal capacities. They included citizens of the United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Finland, Spain, Jordan, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Tanzania, Luxembourg and Colombia."