Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 2 April 2001 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 persist with their bloody campaign against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. Today, Israeli occupying forces resumed the criminal practice of extrajudicial killings. An Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a pick-up truck near the town of Rafah, instantly killing the person inside the car.

Yesterday, Israeli occupying forces covered by helicopters and tanks entered an area under full Palestinian control near the city of Ramallah and attacked a small camp of Palestinian security forces, abducting 5 persons. The above actions, grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, represent additional war crimes committed by Israel, the occupying Power. They are also actions akin to state terrorism perpetuated against the Palestinian people. We hold the Israeli government of Mr. Ariel Sharon responsible for all those actions and their consequences.

In follow-up to my previous letters to you, dated from 29 September 2000 to 30 March 2001  (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 and A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304), I regret to inform you that 4 more Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces, including 1 martyr who was killed on Friday, 30 March 2001, after our last letter was sent (the names of the martyrs are annexed to the present letter as well as the correction of the last name of a martyr on Friday, 30 March 2001). In addition, the number of Palestinians wounded and injured, many severely and permanently, by the Israeli occupying forces continues to rise.

We reiterate our call for the international community and the Security Council to take immediate action to bring all illegal Israeli actions to an immediate end and to provide protection for the Palestinian civilians.

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 and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 2 April 2001 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 security forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem

(Friday, 30 March, through Monday, 2 April 2001)

Friday, 30 March 2001

1. Khaled Al-Nahla

Correction: the name of. the martyr Sha'ban Selwan included in (A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304) of Friday, 30 March 2001, should read Sha'ban Saloum.

Saturday, 31 March 2001

1.  Waheed Nassri Al-Deek

Sunday, 1 April 2001

1. Lo'ay Mohammed Hussein Al-Tamimi (11 years old) (died from wounds sustained on 15 March 2001)

Monday, 2 April 2001

1. Mohammed Atwah Abdel Al

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