Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 13 February 2002 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

  After midnight on Tuesday, 12 February 2002 (Palestine time), Israeli occupying forces, using tanks and armoured personnel carriers, invaded the Palestinian towns of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahyia, Deir Al-Balah and the Jabiliyah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupying forces shelled several Palestinian buildings and facilities and used tank-mounted machine guns, causing many casualties and vast destruction. In Deir Al-Balah, three Palestinian policemen were killed when tanks shelled their positions. Also today, two more Palestinians were killed in Beit Hanoun, where the occupying forces appear to be entrenching for a prolonged stay.

  All of the attacks carried out by the Israeli occupying forces have been in residential Palestinian neighbourhoods, putting the lives of the civilian population in grave danger. Moreover, not only have these attacks caused severe damage and destruction to Palestinian infrastructure, but the Israeli attacks and bombings on 11 February 2002 in Gaza city also caused damage to United Nations offices and injury to two United Nations staff members.

  The above-mentioned violent actions committed by the occupying forces seem to further prove that Ariel Sharon and his Government have no intention of calming the volatile situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and instead seem only to be interested in escalating the violence and compounding the destruction. The international community cannot stand idly by while the list of war crimes, State terrorism and other atrocities committed against the Palestinian people by Israel, the occupying Power, continues to grow exponentially. The Security Council must uphold its responsibilities with regard to the maintenance of peace and security as the situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, continues to worsen and seriously threatens to destabilize the region as a whole.

  In follow-up to my previous 96 letters to you regarding the bloody Israeli military campaign in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 5 February 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 and A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146), I regret to inform you that, since my last letter the Israeli occupying forces have killed a total of 10 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) These killings raise the number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 885 martyrs.

  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

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Annex to the identical letters dated 13 February 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 *

(Wednesday, 6 February, through Wednesday, 13 February 2002)

    Wednesday, 6 February 2002

  Fadi Tayseer Al-Azazmah (16 years old)

   Friday, 8 February 2002

  Samer Abu Mayalah (15 years old)

    Monday, 11 February 2002

  Mahmoud Mohammed Kabajah (from wounds sustained on 3 February 2002)

    Tuesday, 12 February 2002

1.  Tarek Hassan Hindawy 

2.   Taha Ribhi Taha Abu Suneninah (from sustained wounds)

    Wednesday, 13 February 2002

1.  Khaled Abu Sittah

2.   Abdel Hakim Al-Hasanat

3.  Shady Al-Hasanat

4.   Sari Abu Shunar

5.  Unidentified

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 *   Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 885.

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