UNITED NATIONS, May 1 (News Agencies) - Faced with Israel's refusal to allow a fact-finding team into the Jenin refugee camp, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was expected to disband the team Wednesday, May 1.

He said late Tuesday, April 30, he thought "other capitals, including Washington, are active, trying to see what they can do to de-block the impasse," but said he intended to make a final decision within 24 hours.

The team, led by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, was set up April 22 but has been biding its time in Geneva for a week as Israel imposed one 24-hour delay after another.

Annan's patience ran out Tuesday, when Israel's security cabinet voted 13-1 to refuse to allow it to start work until certain "crucial conditions" were met.

"A thorough, credible and balanced report" into events at Jenin was impossible without Israel's full cooperation, UN undersecretary general for political affairs Kieran Prendergast said after briefing the Security Council.

"Since it appears from today's cabinet statement by Israel that the difficulties in the way of deployment of the fact-finding team will not be resolved any time soon, the secretary general is minded to disband the team and I have so informed the council," Prendergast said.

"Events on the ground are moving rapidly and with every passing day it becomes more difficult to determine what took place in Jenin."

Palestinians say hundreds of civilians were massacred in nine days of ferocious fighting after Israeli troops, tanks and helicopters swooped on the camp April 3 in the northernmost part of the West Bank.

The Israelis insist they killed 52 people, mostly Palestinian fighters, in pitched battles that also left 23 of their soldiers dead.

Any decision to disband the team will be taken by Annan, but he recalled that the Security Council had welcomed the fact-finding team and said he wanted "to take their counsel" before deciding what to do.

The 15 council members scheduled consultations for 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) Wednesday, but did not appear to have a unified view.

Syria, the only Arab member, formally submitted a toughly worded draft resolution which "decides that Israel shall immediately receive the fact-finding team appointed by the secretary general," and expresses the council's "intention to take adequate measures" to enforce its decision.

But U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte hinted he would not accept harsh criticism of Israel's rejection of the fact-finding mission.

"I would urge you to look at this in the context of some of the important progress that has been achieved in the diplomatic arena in the Middle East during the past two weeks," Negroponte said.
He went on to mention "the alleviation of the siege of Ramallah, and the ongoing discussions in Bethlehem," where Israeli forces allowed 26 Palestinians to leave the besieged Church of the Nativity Tuesday.

Negroponte also emphasized that dismantling the team was one of two options outlined by Prendergast.

The other would be for the team to start work in Geneva "and continue until such time as terms of reference could be worked out with Israel," he said.

But Annan said "very prominent people" had put aside important work to join the team. "I cannot keep these gentlemen and women sitting in Geneva," he said. "We will have to draw the consequences and take action."

Talks to end Israel's blockade of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah broke down early Wednesday when Palestinian officials were blocked by Israeli troops from traveling to Arafat's besieged compound to get a final go-ahead for a deal.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks seized the western half of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilya, amid sporadic gunfire.

Elsewhere, Israel withdrew its forces from Al Khalil (Hebron), shying away from a confrontation with 20 Palestinian fighters trapped in a local hospital that had shades of the month-long siege in Bethlehem.

The army "this evening completed its mission in the city of Hebron and withdrew from the city," it said in a statement late Tuesday.