Death of Iain Hook
Encyclopedia
Iain John Hook was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) as project manager in the rebuilding of Jenin Refugee Camp in West Bank
, which was home to 13,000 Palestinian refugee
s. He was shot and killed by an Israel Defense Forces
sniper
, during a battle in Jenin
on 22 November 2002. A United Nations Security Council
resolution condemning Israel
was vetoed by the United States
. In 2005 an English
inquest
jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing
.
) of Felixstowe
, Suffolk
, was married and father of two sons who are British military officers. Prior to his work for the United Nations
, Iain Hook was a British paratrooper. Hook supervised the reconstruction of a hospital complex in Pristina
, Kosovo
, in 1999, and also worked on projects in East Timor
, Afghanistan
, and Serbia
.
(UNRWA), which is "created to administer Palestinian refugee camps set up after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war", and which was home to 13,000 Palestinian refugees, as project manager in rebuilding of Jenin refugee camp in West Bank. In October 2002, Hook arrived at the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin
to oversee the rebuilding of the camp.
militants whom Israel says were firing at troops from inside the UN compound, an Israel
i military sniper
killed Hook. Israeli Army radio claimed that the sniper who killed him mistook his cell phone for a handgun
or grenade
. The United Nations stated that there were no gunmen at the compound, and claims that the shooting was a mere mistake; Hook was shot in the back by a sniper
with a scoped rifle
, from a distance of 20 meters. Co-workers evacuated Hook through the hole in the wall, but he died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen
before reaching a hospital.
for patient evacuation but Israeli soldiers on the field delayed the ambulance sent to evacuate Hook and changed its route.
The UNRWA statement was later echoed by then UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan
in New York
, while Israel military officials have denied the charge. Socialist Worker
stated that the army forced the ambulance to wait 25 minutes while Hook "bled to death".
telephoned the British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw
to express regrets over Hook's death. The United States
vetoed "with regret" a United Nation Security Council resolution proposed by Syria
condemning Israel for the killing; there were 12 votes in favor of the resolution, and 2 abstentions, in the 15 nation vote. United States ambassador John M. Negroponte said Syria and the Palestinians seemed "more intent on condemning Israeli occupation than on ensuring the safety of United Nations personnel." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
released a statement demanding that Israel punish those responsible for the killing. Israel, however, found that "no criminal act had been committed" and no criminal charges were filed.
More than sixty United Nations workers wrote a letter criticizing Israeli troops for "senseless" and "wanton" behavior, complaining of abuse and humiliation. Israel responded by releasing to newspapers what the New York Times called a "damning intelligence report" alleging UNRWA operations being used as cover for "Palestinian terrorists", including smuggling arms in UN ambulances and hosting meetings of Tanzim
in UN buildings. The United Nations internal report on the matter was the subject of controversy: the initial version stated that peace activists in the compound were bringing young Palestinian men into the compound through a hole in the wall. Following protests by UNWRA staff the claim was dropped from the report.
Dr Peter Dean opened the inquest
at Ipswich
Crown Court. In 2005, Irish
human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly
gave written eyewitness testimony
in the inquest
into the killing of Iain Hook by an Israeli military
sniper
. After the court proceedings jurors unanimously handed the verdict that Israeli military was fully accountable for unlawful killing
of Iain Hook. Dr Peter Hansen, former Commissioner General of the UNRWA, said that "over the past four years 13 UNRWA workers, including Mr. Hook, had been shot in similar circumstances by the Israeli army". In a statement after the verdict, Paul Wolstenholme, a colleague of Hook who was in the compound at time of the shooting, said the Israeli sniper would have known he was not a Palestinian. "It was not a case of mistaken identity, it was a deliberate act," he said.
payment to the Hook family in an agreement with the British government. The Foreign Office (UK) did not reveal the details under the Freedom of Information Act for "releasing information on the death that could damage Britain's relations with another state", while John Gillan, of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
claimed other information on the death could not be released which is related to the "formulation or development of government policy."
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
(UNRWA) as project manager in the rebuilding of Jenin Refugee Camp in West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, which was home to 13,000 Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s. He was shot and killed by an Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
, during a battle in Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
on 22 November 2002. A United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
resolution condemning Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
was vetoed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2005 an English
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
.
Early life
Iain John Hook (born in 1948, EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
) of Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, was married and father of two sons who are British military officers. Prior to his work for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Iain Hook was a British paratrooper. Hook supervised the reconstruction of a hospital complex in Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, in 1999, and also worked on projects in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
UNRWA Work
Iain Hook was working for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near EastUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
(UNRWA), which is "created to administer Palestinian refugee camps set up after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war", and which was home to 13,000 Palestinian refugees, as project manager in rebuilding of Jenin refugee camp in West Bank. In October 2002, Hook arrived at the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
to oversee the rebuilding of the camp.
Killing of Iain Hook
On November 22, 2002, Hook left a voice message with Israeli authorities that gunmen had "knocked a hole in the wall" and "pinned down" his men. During a gun-battle with Islamic JihadIslamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
militants whom Israel says were firing at troops from inside the UN compound, an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
killed Hook. Israeli Army radio claimed that the sniper who killed him mistook his cell phone for a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
or grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
. The United Nations stated that there were no gunmen at the compound, and claims that the shooting was a mere mistake; Hook was shot in the back by a sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
with a scoped rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, from a distance of 20 meters. Co-workers evacuated Hook through the hole in the wall, but he died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
before reaching a hospital.
Ambulance controversy
United Nations immediately arranged an ambulanceAmbulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
for patient evacuation but Israeli soldiers on the field delayed the ambulance sent to evacuate Hook and changed its route.
The UNRWA statement was later echoed by then UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, while Israel military officials have denied the charge. Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
stated that the army forced the ambulance to wait 25 minutes while Hook "bled to death".
Diplomatic response
Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
telephoned the British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
to express regrets over Hook's death. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vetoed "with regret" a United Nation Security Council resolution proposed by Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
condemning Israel for the killing; there were 12 votes in favor of the resolution, and 2 abstentions, in the 15 nation vote. United States ambassador John M. Negroponte said Syria and the Palestinians seemed "more intent on condemning Israeli occupation than on ensuring the safety of United Nations personnel." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
released a statement demanding that Israel punish those responsible for the killing. Israel, however, found that "no criminal act had been committed" and no criminal charges were filed.
More than sixty United Nations workers wrote a letter criticizing Israeli troops for "senseless" and "wanton" behavior, complaining of abuse and humiliation. Israel responded by releasing to newspapers what the New York Times called a "damning intelligence report" alleging UNRWA operations being used as cover for "Palestinian terrorists", including smuggling arms in UN ambulances and hosting meetings of Tanzim
Tanzim
Tanzim is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement.-Overview:The Tanzim militia, founded in 1995 to counter Palestinian Islamism, is widely considered to be an armed offshoot of Fatah with its own leadership structure...
in UN buildings. The United Nations internal report on the matter was the subject of controversy: the initial version stated that peace activists in the compound were bringing young Palestinian men into the compound through a hole in the wall. Following protests by UNWRA staff the claim was dropped from the report.
Judicial investigation
CoronerCoroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
Dr Peter Dean opened the inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
at Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
Crown Court. In 2005, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly
Caoimhe Butterly
Caoimhe Butterly is an Irish peace activist who has worked with AIDS victims in Zimbabwe, the homeless in New York, and with Zapatistas in Mexico as well as more recently in the Middle East and Haiti. In 2002, during an Israeli attack in Jenin, she was shot by an Israeli soldier. She spent 16 days...
gave written eyewitness testimony
Eyewitness testimony
Research in eyewitness testimony is mostly considered a subfield within legal psychology, however it is a field with very broad implications. Human reports are normally based on visual perception, which is generally held to be very reliable...
in the inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the killing of Iain Hook by an Israeli military
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. After the court proceedings jurors unanimously handed the verdict that Israeli military was fully accountable for unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
of Iain Hook. Dr Peter Hansen, former Commissioner General of the UNRWA, said that "over the past four years 13 UNRWA workers, including Mr. Hook, had been shot in similar circumstances by the Israeli army". In a statement after the verdict, Paul Wolstenholme, a colleague of Hook who was in the compound at time of the shooting, said the Israeli sniper would have known he was not a Palestinian. "It was not a case of mistaken identity, it was a deliberate act," he said.
Payment
The Israeli government made an ex gratiaEx gratia
Ex gratia is Latin for "by favour", and is most often used in a legal context. When something has been done ex gratia, it has been done voluntarily, out of kindness or grace...
payment to the Hook family in an agreement with the British government. The Foreign Office (UK) did not reveal the details under the Freedom of Information Act for "releasing information on the death that could damage Britain's relations with another state", while John Gillan, of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
claimed other information on the death could not be released which is related to the "formulation or development of government policy."