Measures to eliminate international terrorism – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 5 October 2001 from the Permanent Representative

of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I wish to draw your attention to the latest incident of Palestinian terrorism directed against Israeli civilians.

Yesterday afternoon, a Palestinian terrorist, disguised as an Israeli soldier, disembarked from a public bus in the northern Israeli city of Afula and opened fire on a crowd of civilians. Haim Ben-Ezra, age 78, Tali Ben-Armon, age 20, and Sergei Frieden, age 20, were killed in the attack, and 13 others were wounded, 1 of them critically.

This attack is the latest incident in the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign against Israel that has been detailed in my letters dated 24 September 2001 (A/56/406-S/2001/907), 20 September 2001 (A/56/386-S/2001/892), 17 September 2001 (A/56/367-S/2001/875), 7 September 2001 (A/56/346-S/2001/858), 4 September 2001 (A/56/331-S/2001/840), 30 August 2001 (A/56/325-S/2001/834), 27 August 2001 (A/56/324-S/2001/825), 13 August 2001 (A/56/294-S/2001/787), 9 August 2001 (A/56/272-S/2001/768), 27 July 2001 (A/56/225-S/2001/743), 26 July 2001 (A/56/223-S/2001/737), 17 July 2001 (A/56/201-S/2001/706), 13 July 2001 (A/56/184-S/2001/696), 3 July 2001 (A/56/138-S/2001/662), 21 June 2001 (A/56/119-S/2001/619), 19 June 2001 (A/56/98-S/2001/611), 18 June 2001 (A/56/97-S/2001/604), 13 June 2001 (A/56/92-S/2001/585), 11 June 2001 (A/56/91-S/2001/580), 4 June 2001 (A/56/85-S/2001/555), 30 May 2001 (A/56/81-S/2001/540), 25 May 2001 (A/56/80-S/2001/524), 18 May 2001 (A/56/78-S/2001/506), 11 May 2001 (A/56/72-S/2001/473), 9 May 2001 (A/56/69-S/2001/459), 1 May 2001 (A/55/924-S/2001/435), 23 April 2001 (A/55/910-S/2001/396), 16 April 2001 (A/55/901-S/2001/364), 28 March 2001 (A/55/863-S/2001/291), 27 March 2001 (A/55/860-S/2001/280), 26 March 2001 (A/55/858-S/2001/278), 19 March 2001 (A/55/842-S/2001/244), 5 March 2001 (A/55/821-S/2001/193), 2 March 2001 (A/55/819-S/2001/187), 14 February 2001 (A/55/787-S/2001/137), 13 February 2001 (A/55/781-S/2001/132), 2 February 2001 (A/55/762-S/2001/103), 25 January 2001 (A/55/748-S/2001/81), 23 January 2001 (A/55/742-S/2001/71), 28 December 2000 (A/55/719-S/2000/1252), 22 November 2000 (A/55/641-S/2000/1114), 20 November 2000 (A/55/634-S/2000/1108) and 2 November 2000 (A/55/540-S/2000/1065).

The State of Israel holds Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian leadership responsible for this attack in light of its relentless incitement of the population to violence, its open collusion with declared terrorist groups, and its adamant refusal to take concrete measures against known terrorists. Since the outbreak of violence over a year ago, the Palestinian Authority has released convicted terrorists from prison, openly aided and abetted them in carrying out their murderous aggression, and granted them safe harbour in the territory under its control.

Although Chairman Arafat called for a ceasefire last week following a meeting with Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shimon Peres, not a single day has passed without an attack on Israeli civilians. Despite its claims, the Palestinian leadership has failed to take concrete actions to halt such attacks, to prevent terrorists from operating freely in the territory under its control, and to put an end to anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish incitement in the official Palestinian media.

Israel again calls on the Palestinian leadership to adhere to its commitment to renounce the use of violence and terrorism and to control and punish those who continue to engage in such practices. Israel further calls on the international community to remind the Palestinian Authority of the commitment, enshrined in Chairman Arafat’s letter dated 9 September 1993, to renounce the use of violence and terror and to settle all outstanding issues through negotiations. This commitment cannot be fulfilled by mere lip service, but requires the fulfilment of obligations to prevent Palestinian territory from being used as a base for terror operations and return to the path of peaceful negotiations.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter circulated as a document of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 166, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yehuda Lancry

Permanent Representative