Illegal Israeli actions in the OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 9 July 2002 from the Permanent Observer of

Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

Israel, the occupying Power, continues to wage its bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. In defiance of international law and international humanitarian law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Israeli occupying forces continue to commit human rights violations, war crimes and State terrorism against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. All the while, the Israeli occupying forces have continued with the reoccupation of most of the major Palestinian cities and adjacent areas. The Israeli occupying forces have also continued to besiege the headquarters of President Yasser Arafat in the city of Ramallah, endangering his safety and seriously impeding his ability to carry out his duties and responsibilities.

The ongoing Israeli military siege of Palestinian population centres has also entailed, inter alia, severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of all Palestinian persons and goods, including round-the-clock curfews. The curfews have been intermittently lifted, typically for only a few hours at a time, to allow Palestinians to get necessities such as food and medicine. However, due to the strict imposition of these restrictions, basic daily necessities continue to be in serious shortage. Moreover, the restrictions have obstructed access to proper medical care, including the vital work of emergency medical personnel. As a result of all of the above, the socio-economic despair of the Palestinian people continues to deepen with each passing day. Further in this regard, even during the sporadic lifting of curfews, the lives of Palestinians continue to be endangered by the heightened presence of Israeli occupying forces throughout the streets of Palestinian cities. In some such instances, innocent, unarmed civilians, including women and children, have been shot at and killed by the occupying forces.

Indeed, during the recent period of reoccupation, the Israeli occupying forces have continued the use of excessive and indiscriminate force against the Palestinian people, which has resulted in the killing and wounding of numerous Palestinians. Moreover, the occupying forces have continued to carry out the illegal practice of extrajudicial execution, assassinating targeted Palestinians. The occupying forces have also continued to raid homes in Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps, abducting Palestinians and detaining them indefinitely. Hundreds of Palestinians are currently being illegally detained by the occupying Power. At the same time, the occupying forces continue to incur damage and destruction to both public and private Palestinian property, including homes, and vital infrastructure throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. A glaring example of such destruction was the recent bombardment and demolition of the Palestinian security headquarters in the city of Al-Khalil on 28 June 2002.

All indications at the current time are that it is the intention of the Israeli Government of Mr. Ariel Sharon to have a prolonged reoccupation of Palestinian areas. On 3 July 2002, the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, was quoted by Israeli political sources to have said that Israeli troops would remain in the reoccupied cities for a “long time”. Moreover, the departing Israeli army Chief of Staff, Mr. Shaul Mofaz, a war criminal, has also made such statements. These statements, in conjunction with similar remarks by other Israeli officials, present additional evidence of the policies of Mr. Ariel Sharon and his government to continue with the occupation of Palestinian territory and to prevent, and indeed destroy, any potential for the achievement of peace in the region.

The international community must confront such Israeli policies and positions and must put an end to the Israeli war crimes, States terrorism and other atrocities that are being committed against the Palestinian people. The Security Council bears particular responsibility in this regard as the body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security and, as such, we once more call on the Security Council to take the necessary action in this regard.

In follow-up to my previous 130 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 28 June 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, A/ES-10/140-S/2002/89, A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95, A/ES-10/142-S/2002/102, A/ES-10/143-S/2002/121, A/ES-10/144-S/2002/142, A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146, A/ES-10/146-S/2002/165; A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175; A/ES-10/148-S/2002/182

, A/ES-10/149-S/2002/190, A/ES-10/150-S/2002/214 A/ES-10/151-S/2002/223; A/ES-10/152-S/2002/232; A/ES-10/154-S/2002/242, A/ES-10/155-S/2002/248, A/ES-10/156-S/2002/249, A/ES-10/157-S/2002/253; A/ES-10/158-S/2002/258; A/ES-10/159-S/2002/281; A/ES-10/160-S/2002/307; A/ES-10/161-S/2002/319; A/ES-10/162-S/2002/330; A/ES-10/163-S/2002/340; A/ES-10/164-S/2002/353; A/ES-10/165-S/2002/356; A/ES-10/166-S/2002/370; A/ES/10/167-S/2002/433; A/ES-10/168-S/2002/474; A/ES-10/169-S/2002/495; A/ES-10/173-S/2002/536;  A/ES-10/174-S/2002/555; A/ES-10/175-S/2002/610; A/ES-10/176-S/2002/617, A/ES-10/177-S/2002/641; A/ES-10/178-S/2002/650; A/ES-10/179-S/2002/654; A/ES-10/180-S/2002/686; A/ES-10/181-S/2002/697; A/ES-10/182-S/2002/699 and A/ES-10/183-S/2002/717), it is my deep regret to inform you that, since my last letter to you, at least 14 more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of Palestinian martyrs killed since 28 September 2000 to 1,670. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  I would be grateful if you would arrange to have 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 9 July 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 ^a

(Saturday, 29 June, through Tuesday, 9 July 2002)

   Saturday, 29 June 2002

1.  Mohammed Ahmed Mubarak (12 years old)

2.   Amneh Musleh Al-Loah

   Monday, 1 July 2002

1.  Muhanad Hafez Al-Taher 

2.   Imad El-Din Nour Eldin Durwazeh

3.  Mohammed Ahmed Attalah 

    Tuesday, 2 July 2002

1.  Ataf Salem Abu Omreh 

    Friday, 5 July 2002

1.  Jihad Ismail Al-Amarain 

2.   Wael Jawad Al-Nimreh

   Saturday, 6 July 2002

1.  Randa Khalid El-Hendi 

2.   Nour Mohammed El-Hendi (2 years old, daughter of Randa El-Hendi)

3.   Khamis Fahmi Shurrab

4.  Jrees Samman Al-Dalo 

    Sunday, 7 July 2002

1.   Shokri Fayeq Dahoud (10 years old)

   Tuesday, 9 July 2002

1.  Moamar Fares Daraghmeh

_____________

 ^a The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 1,670.