Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 22 April 2002 from the Permanent Observer of

Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, declared yesterday that “this stage of the operation” was over. This deceiving declaration comes more than 23 days after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1402 (2002) and more than 17 days after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1403 (2002). The Israeli Government publicly flouted the two resolutions in direct challenge to the authority of the Council, and it continued its intense military assault against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority as it deemed fit. Even now, it should be made clear that the occupying forces maintain a complete siege on the Palestinian cities from where they withdrew. More importantly, they maintain their siege on the headquarters of President Yasser Arafat in the city of Ramallah and on the Church of the Nativity in the city of Bethlehem. Simply put, the state of suffocation of the Palestinian people continues, in addition to the seriously explosive and dangerous situation in the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. The Security Council must take the measures necessary to ensure the immediate and complete implementation of its resolutions.

On the other hand, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has proceeded with his initiative regarding the fact-finding team to look into the recent events in the Jenin refugee camp, and indeed announced today the composition of the team. We welcome the step taken by the Secretary-General in implementing Security Council resolution 1405 (2002), and caution against expected Israel obstruction, in addition to what the Israeli occupying forces have already done in an attempt to conceal evidence of the massacre and the war crimes committed in the Jenin refugee camp and in other Palestinian areas.

In follow-up to my previous 117 letters to you regarding the crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 16 April 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 and A/ES/10/167-S/2002/433), it is my profound regret to inform you that, since my last letter to you, it has been revealed that at least 45 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces. This raises the total number of Palestinians killed by the occupying forces to 1,427 martyrs.

  Once again, due to the extremely difficult circumstances in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we have been unable to compile a complete and accurate list of all of the Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces. The annex to the present letter contains the names of the martyrs who have thus far been identified, and the names of the other Palestinians who have been killed will be conveyed once they have been identified.

  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 22 April 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

    (Tuesday, 16 April to Monday, 22 April 2002)

   Tuesday, 16 April 2002

1.  Ahmed Basheer Hamdoneh

2.  Ahmed Yussef Rihan Kabha 

3.   Omar Na’el Qasees

4.   Younes Mohammed Odeh Abu Gharareh

5.   Qasa Farah Abu Eished (12 years old)

6.  Zuhair Mohammed Asaad Eisteete

7.  Kamel Freh Odeh

8.  Fras Kasem Abu Mayaleh 

    Wednesday, 17 April 2002

1.   Ahmed Omar Abu Selmeya (16 years old)

2.  Hassan Khamees Rasras 

3.   Anwar Yehya Nassar

4.  Allam Mohammed Qonbory 

5.   Abdelrahim Sara

6.  Fadi Jamal Qasem

7.   Nezar Matahen

   Thursday, 18 April 2002

1.  Mohammed Anbary

2.   Naji Salem Abed

3.  Ibrahim Mohammed Weshah 

4.   Fadel Mohammed Abu Zoherah (9 years old)

5.   Haitam Assad Abu Shoqa (15 years old)

   Friday, 19 April 2002

1.  Farouq Faheem Ziad Mushaqi

2.   Salem Mohammed Selim Hassouna Irheem

3.  Mohammed Yasser Mohammed 

4.   Tabarak Jabr Odeh (4 years old)

5.  Abdallah Hassan Abu Odeh 

6.   Yussef Khalil Jabr Zanoun

7.   Ali Mohammed Khalil Qusheer (15 years old)

8.  Murad Omar Quishdeh 

9.   Manar Abdelqader Al-Sha’er

10.  Mohammed Naief Mohammed Wady

11.  Rizq Abdel Rahman Baker

   Saturday, 20 April 2002

1.  Dina Nasser Ashtiyeh (5 days old)

2.   Faraj Hikmat Edwan (4 years old)

3.   Khairy Bassam Shededeh Awaad (11 years old)

4.   Raafat Bassam Shehedeh Awaad (13 years old)

5.  Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Abu Habash

6.  Jaber Hosni Jaber Jabr

   Sunday, 21 April 2002

1.  Nasser Abdelraziq Mohammed Badran

2.  Akram Ahmed Salman Al-Awadeh

3.  Khaled Ahmed Al-Nabheen

4.  Abdelmalek Mohammed Eideh

5.  Nidal Mohammed Tawfiq Ghabaiyeh

6.   Jabril Ma’arouf Rateb Al-Awneh

7.  Riad Badran

8.   Taher Jarar’eh

______________

 ^a   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 1,427.