The United Nations Security Council has been called into emergency session tonight to discuss the continuing Middle East crisis.
This comes as Israel withdrew its agreement for a UN fact-finding mission to investigate the Israeli army's offensive in the Jenin refugee camp.
Palestinians have alleged Israeli troops committed a massacre at the camp, which was the scene of the worst fighting in the Israel's West Bank offensive at the end of last month. The allegations were denied by Israel.
An Israeli political source said the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and his Defence Minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, had taken the decision because they considered some of the members named to the United Nations team would be prejudiced against Israel.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had named Martti Ahtisaari, a former president of Finland, to lead the team, which also included Cornelio Sommaruga, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Sadako Ogata, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Peter Fitzgerald, a Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, had also been chosen as a police adviser.
