U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says he is disturbed by Israeli criticism of his Middle East envoy who blasted Israeli conduct in the devastated Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin. 

Mr. Annan says he has full confidence in Terje Larson, saying he has always worked with professionalism, objectivity, and compassion. 

The Israeli government considered cutting ties with Mr. Larson after he described conditions in Jenin as "horrific beyond belief." He also called Israel's decision to block unrestricted search and rescue access to the camp as "morally repugnant." 

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar says the comments are "distorted, harmful, and one-sided." 

Israel says it does not want Mr. Larson to be involved in a U.N. mission investigating the Israeli assault on Jenin. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to send the investigative mission headed by Mr. Annan to the camp. 

Palestinians say Israeli forces killed hundreds of people, most of the civilians, during the incursion. Israel says several dozen people were killed, most of them militants, not civilians. 

A top U.S. envoy, Undersecretary of State William Burns, toured Jenin Saturday and says what happened there caused enormous human suffering for thousands of Palestinian civilians. But he declined to comment on whether he saw any evidence of the massacre Palestinians say happened. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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