UN SECRETARY GENERAL Kofi Annan’s plan to send a high-level commission of inquiry to the West Bank Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin–where local UN officials and spokesman for a variety of terrorist organizations allege Israel has recently conducted a “massacre” of unarmed civilians–appears on the verge of collapse. During business hours yesterday, UN political affairs director Kieran Prendergast briefed the Security Council on the status of discussions with the Israeli government about the circumstances under which such a fact-finding body might be admitted to the site. Prendergast then told reporters that Annan was “minded to disband the team” rather than further modify its mission in order to satisfy Israeli concerns about fairness. A serious report on the fighting in Jenin “would not be possible without the cooperation of the government of Israel,” Prendergast announced–inadvertently confirming Israeli fears about where the UN’s instincts lie. As of late last night, no sign of increased Israeli “cooperation” was forthcoming.

That’s a relief. For reasons The Weekly Standard outlines in its current editorial, Annan’s fact-finding proposal for Jenin has always been horrible in its very essence. If it does wind up falling apart, no honest observer should mourn the damn thing.