Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 27 February 2004 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

  The Israeli occupying forces continue to kill and wound Palestinian civilians as Israel, the occupying Power, continues to carry out its illegal policies and practices throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The occupying forces continue to use excessive, indiscriminate and lethal force against the Palestinian civilian population. In recent days, the Israeli occupying forces have used live ammunition, in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas, against unarmed civilians, demonstrating, including by stone-throwing, against the occupying Power’s illegal actions, including the ongoing construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

  Yesterday, 26 February 2004, the Israeli occupying forces shot and killed two Palestinian men, Mohammed Fadil Hashim Rayan, 25 years old, and Zakariya Mahmoud Eid Salem, 28 years old, who were among dozens of Palestinian civilians demonstrating against the commencement by Israel of construction of the Wall in the areas of the villages of Biddu, Beit Ijza and Beit Duqu near the illegal Israeli settlement of “Givon Hahadasha”. When the demonstrations began early yesterday morning, the occupying forces attempted to disperse the demonstrators by unleashing tear gas against them. Many of the demonstrators had tried to block the paths of bulldozers that were raising land in the area for construction of the Wall. The occupying forces then opened fire with live ammunition against the demonstrators, killing the two men and injuring 70 other Palestinian civilians, many of whom were seriously wounded, including Mohammed Badwan, a 21-year-old man who was critically injured after being shot in the head, and Mohammed Hmedian, 70 years old, who was struck by a rubber bullet and sustained a serious eye injury. In addition to the two men killed, an elderly man, Abdelrahman Abu Abed, 70 years old, died of a heart attack induced by the inhalation of tear gas.

  Israel’s vicious use of force against Palestinian civilians protesting the ongoing and incessant illegal Israeli measures being carried out for the construction of the Wall, including the confiscation of their land, the destruction of their property, the uprooting of their trees and the isolation of their villages and agricultural lands, illustrates the intransigence of the occupying Power in its pursuit of this illegitimate campaign in flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and the will of the international community. The occupying Power continues to construct this Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, with total contempt for the resolutions of the United Nations and in complete disregard of the current advisory proceedings of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, on the legal consequences arising from the continued construction of the Wall.

  At the same time, the occupying Power persists in carrying out other illegal policies and measures throughout the Occupied Territory. On Wednesday, 25 February 2004, the Israeli occupying forces raided the city of Ramallah and imposed a curfew on its inhabitants. Dozens of Israeli jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and trucks invaded the city and raided several banks. The occupying forces then entered banks, searched computer and account records and seized currency amounting to at least US$ 9 million. During the raid, the occupying forces threw stun grenades and fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters, injuring about 45 Palestinian civilians.

  The above-mentioned actions, in addition to the continuing restrictions being imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population and the detention and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, constitute serious violations and even grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. The international community must continue to act to bring an end to such violations and breaches and to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law and with its obligations as an occupying Power.

  The present letter is in follow-up to our previous 180 letters addressed to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000. These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 11 February 2004 (A/ES-10/256-S/2004/107), constitute a basic record of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people since September 2000. For all of these war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

  Accordingly, in follow-up to the above-mentioned letters, it is with profound regret that I inform you that, since our last letter, at least 18 Palestinians, including a woman and children, have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs killed since September 2003 to 2,777 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  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

Names of martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem ^a (Thursday, 12 February, to Thursday, 26 February 2004)

    Thursday, 12 February 2004

1.  Samer Jasser Fawzi Arrar 

2.   Mohammed Abdelghani Al-Hamaida (18 years old)

3.   Basheer Khalil Abu Urmana (12 years old)

    Friday, 13 February 2004

1.  Ahmed Abdelqader Nazzal 

2.   Mohammed Issa Ahmed Jalaitah

3.  Suad Mohammed Qreinawi 

    Monday, 16 February 2004

1.  Jamal Mohammed Yussef Al-Afifi

2.  Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sheikh

3.  Mohammed Saleh Zurub 

    Tuesday, 17 February 2004

  Muin Fayez Abu-Sharikh (18 years old)

    Wednesday, 18 February 2004

 Rifaat Shehadeh Shaiir 

    Thursday, 19 February 2004

1.   Muhannad Faiq Mohammed Abu Hattab

2.  Mowafak Mohammed Shaban Al-Araj

    Saturday, 21 February 2004

 Osama Yussef Imghari

    Thursday, 26 February 2004

1.  Zakariya Mahmoud Eid Salem

2.  Mohammed Fadil Hashim Rayan

3.  Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abu Abed

    Friday, 27 February 2004

 Abdelhamid Khattab

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 ^a   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 2,777.

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