Illegal Israeli actions in the OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 21 January 2002 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

  At dawn today (Palestine time), Israeli occupying forces reoccupied the entire Palestinian city of Tulkarem. The occupying Power used dozens of tanks and armoured personnel carriers backed by helicopter gunships to reoccupy the city and to encircle the two adjacent refugee camps. At least two Palestinians were killed, several were injured and a number of persons were abducted by Israeli occupying forces while a curfew was imposed on the city.

  In the city of Ramallah, Israeli occupying forces maintained their deep incursion in the city, keeping their tanks and personnel carriers no less than 40 yards from the headquarters of President Yasser Arafat. Today, one Palestinian was killed and several were injured in the past forty-eight hours.

  Also, at dawn on Saturday, 19 January 2002 (Palestine time), Israeli occupying forces destroyed the headquarters of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in southern Ramallah. Several Israeli tanks encircled the building while Israeli soldiers stormed it, planted explosives and then detonated them, destroying the five-story building and setting it ablaze.

  The above reflect the decision of Mr. Ariel Sharon and his government to continue with their bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people and to continue to commit Israeli war crimes and State terrorism. These actions have reached an unprecedented criminal level aimed at not only destroying the Palestinian Authority and any potential for peace but also destroying whatever is left of the Palestinian infrastructure in order to inflict maximum suffering and agony on the Palestinian people.

  The international community must stand up to these Israeli war crimes and State terrorism. We call on the Security Council to take the necessary measures to bring all Israeli actions against the Palestinian people to an end.

  In follow-up to my previous 91 letters to you regarding the continuing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 18 January 2002  (A/55/432-S/2000/921; A/55/437-S/2000/930; A/55/450-S/2000/957; A/55/466-S/2000/971; A/55/474-S/2000/984; A/55/490-S/2000/993; A/ES-10/39-S/2000/1015; A/ES-10/40-S/2000/1025; A/ES-10/42-S/2000/1068; A/ES-10/43-S/2000/1078; A/ES-10/44-S/2000/1093; A/ES-10/45-S/2000/1104; A/ES-10/46-S/2000/1107; A/ES-10/47-S/2000/1116; A/ES-10/48-S/2000/1129; A/ES-10/49-S/2000/1154; A/ES-10/50-S/2000/1173; A/ES-10/51-S/2000/1185; A/ES-10/52-S/2000/1215; A/ES-10/53-S/2000/1247; A/ES-10/54-S/2001/7; A/ES-10/55-S/2001/33; A/ES/10/56-S/2001/50, A/ES-10/57-S/2001/101; A/ES-10/58-S/2001/131 A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156;  A/ES-10/60-S/2001/175; A/ES-10/61-S/2001/189; A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209;  A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226; A/ES-10/66-S/2001/239; A/ES-10/67-S/2001/255; A/ES-10/68-S/2001/284; A/ES-10/69-S/2001/295; A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304; A/ES-10/71-S/2001/314; A/ES-10/72-S/2001/332; A/ES-10/75-S/2001/352; A/ES-10/76-S/2001/372; A/ES-10/79-S/2001/418; A/ES-10/80-S/2001/432; A/ES-10/81-S/2001/447; A/ES-10/82-S/2001/463; A/ES-10/83-S/2001/471; A/ES-10/84-S/2001/479; A/ES-10/85-S/2001/486; A/ES-10/86-S/2001/496; A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504; A/ES-10/88-S/2001/508; A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544; A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586; A/ES-10/91-S/2001/605; A/ES-10/92-S/2001/629; A/ES-10/93-S/2001/657; A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669; A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686; A/ES-10/96-S/2001/697; A/ES-10/97-S/2001/708; A/ES-10/98-S/2001/717; A/ES-10/99-S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754; A/ES-10/101-S/2001/783; A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785; A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798; A/ES-10/104-S/2001/812; A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814; A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821; A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826; A/ES-10/110-S/2001/855; A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880; A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918; A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928; A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932; A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941; A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971; A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989; A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991; A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007; A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024; A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036; A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084; A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092; A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118; A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149; A/ES-10/129-S/2001/1166; A/ES-10/133-S/2001/1239, A/ES-10/134-S/2001/1261, A/ES-10/136-S/2002/18, A/ES-10/137-S/2002/39, A/ES-10/138-S/2002/48, A/ES-10/139-S/2002/58 and A/ES-10/140-S/2002/89), it is my regret to inform you that since my last letter to you the Israeli occupying forces have killed four more Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) With these killings, the number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 now totals 851 martyrs. Regrettably, the number of Palestinians injured, many seriously, by the Israeli occupying forces also continues to rise.

  I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter and its annex distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

( Signed) Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa
Ambassador
Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 21 January 2002 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

Names of martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem*
(Friday, 18 January 2002, to Monday, 21 January 2002)

Friday, 18 January 2002
(in addition to name of martyr included in last letter dated Friday, 18 January 2002)

1.  Faraj Nazal Shouman 

2.   Mohammed Ali Joudah (16 years old)

Monday, 21 January 2002

1.  Khaldoun Fares Ma’arek

2.  Hussein Mohammed Al-Zubeidi

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*   Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 851.