Jenin mission called off, chaos in Council

The session, after seven hours of on and off negotiations, was adjourned to be resumed in the morning. Annan announced on Wednesday he would disband the team because of Israeli objections to the mission which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Cabinet believed was prejudiced against the Jewish state. The team was to investigate the killings and destruction from Israel’s attack on the Palestinian camp.

In a three-page letter to the Security Council, Annan said he regretted aborting the mission because ‘‘the long shadow cast by recent events in the Jenin camp will remain.’’ UN officials said Annan gave a 24-hour delay to disband the team, now gathered in Geneva, as a courtesy to the Council. But they said the mission would be ended.

‘‘With the situation in Jenin refugee camp changing daily, it will become more and more difficult to establish with any confidence or accuracy the ‘recent events’ that took place there,’’ he said in the letter.