A 42 year-old male went upstairs in his house to get milk for his child, when he was reportedly shot in the left leg by an army sniper. He then collapsed and was dragged back downstairs by his wife. That was April 4.

He made attempts to get help from the emergency personnel and the hospital, but the army had surrounded the area, not allowing movement. He showed his United Nations identification papers to one of the soldiers, who told him that if he needed help he should call Kofi Annan. He returned to his house, and was finally taken to the hospital by volunteers after his house was demolished by armored bulldozers. That was April 11.

The hospital in the town had been surrounded by tanks and soldiers in armored personnel carriers. The electricity supply, oxygen supply, water and sewage systems to the building were severely damaged.

The hospital’s only ambulance and a patient transport vehicle parked in front of the hospital were both crushed by tanks. Soldiers stationed in a building across from the hospital reportedly fired repeated rounds of ammunition at the hospital, causing some damage to administrative offices and nurse quarters.

During the power outage, the hospital lost its stored blood supply.

This could be the story of any number of grave human rights violations around the world, at any given point in recent history. It is a story of a grievous breach of Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law, law to which the world’s politicians signed their names in 1949.

The people in this story are human beings, just like others located in Europe and North America. They are noncombatants, guaranteed their human rights regardless of the situation.

In this particular case the story is reported by three professional forensic investigators who are part of a team from Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights. The humanitarian group has sent scientific teams more than a dozen countries, including Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia on behalf of the International Criminal Tribunals. In 1997, Physicians for Human Rights won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Regardless of the identity of the perpetrator and victim in this story, should not an independent investigation be launched immediately? Isn’t that what happens when there is reason to believe a crime has been committed?

In the case of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank from which this story is taken, that has been called off. Due to intentionally unreachable Israeli demands, Kofi Annan announced that the team of impartial investigators hired to investigate accusations has been disbanded.

This transpired on the same day the five-month siege of Yasser Arafat was conveniently lifted, just in time to splash across Thursday morning American papers.

The solid evidence for human rights violations is plentiful. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights and a host of others have strongly condemned disbanding the team. These are independent organizations whose job is to document and report human rights violations around the world in the hope of preventing further abuses; nothing more nothing less.

When there is solid evidence, they are as critical of Palestinian groups as they are of the Israeli government.

It is safe to surmise that if even the mere question of such an atrocity had surfaced in say, rural Greece, Egypt or Israel, with the blessing of lobbyist money, the investigation would have been initiated without delay or hesitation.

Is there a new international policy in which the selection of the investigator is left to the whim of the suspect? A U.N. Security Council resolution, approved by the U.S. thirteen days ago, even “welcomed” such an investigation.

This was but one story from the Jenin refugee camp. The dollar-driven public relations talking heads can play word and number games as much as they please. It remains that solid and independent evidence indicates significant reason to launch an international and impartial investigation into the Israeli army’s offensive in the camp.

It is in the interest of both sides to get as accurate information as possible so that future atrocities are prevented and the slinging of accusations is put to rest.

These are people. Indeed, they are living, breathing beings who, like other people, have rich histories and steadfast hope. They have families and want to live happily. Are they not people? To our brothers and sisters who say that an investigation is not needed: Where has the compassion gone?

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.