West Bank that has served to exacerbate tensii.m in the region still further and, by exiension, threaten world peace. The event that I refer to concerns the widely re­ ported illness among Arab schoolgirls in the occupied West Bank. Local residents believe the illness to have been induced by some kind of poison, perhaps even gas poisoning, in the girls' classrooms. In this matter I refer you to an item in The Nell' York Times of 28 March 1983 where it is reported that at least 250 Arab schoolgirls in five schools in Jenin and Arraba suffered recentiy from dizziness, headaches, fainting spells and stomach pains. The mayor of Jenin has put ihe number affected at 400; the spokesman for the Israeli Civil Administration put it at about 250; the Israeli radio quoting Israeli officials reported the number as 317. Palestine Liberation Organization sources have quoted a figure of some 1,000 young people. As you are aware, this deplorable event comes amid ever-rising tension in the West Bank, a territory of some 800,000 Arabs that was occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. While it was reported in The New York Times of 29 March that the Israeli Health Ministry found no traces of poison in the schools concerned in the occupied West Bank, the Washington Post, in its issue of 30 March, reported that a medical doctor at the Jenin hospital said that he treated some 70 patients. all showing symptoms of gas poisoning. I am informed that investigators from the Interna­ tional Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations have been called upon regarding the recent event. Pending results of any investigation that might be carried out, may I take this opportunity to urge. on behalf of the Committee over which I preside. that you 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a specific event related to health, specifically the reported illness among Arab schoolgirls in the occupied West Bank, which is attributed to suspected gas poisoning. The text also mentions the involvement of international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, indicating a humanitarian crisis. The event is also linked to the broader political context of the occupied West Bank and the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

**Category**
Health, Humanitarian aid and relief