Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 10 October 2005 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 commit systematic human rights violations, State terrorism and even war crimes against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Since my last letter to you, dated 29 September 2005, the Israeli occupying forces have killed at least six more Palestinian civilians — three of them children under the age of 18 — and wounded dozens of others.

  Yesterday, 9 October 2005, Israeli occupying forces shot and killed three Palestinian youths near the borderline between Gaza and Israel. The three unarmed Palestinian civilians, Mohammed Odwan, age 20, Bassam Abu Gharaba, age 15, and Essa Al-Amour, age 17, were killed instantly from gunshot injuries to the head and neck, illustrating the continuation of Israel’s deliberate and conscious shoot-to-kill policy. This latest Israeli crime comes on the heels of another killing of a Palestinian child, Uday Tantawi, age 13, which took place on Monday, 3 October 2005, near the West Bank town of Nablus.

  The continuation of aggression committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people, in particular the killing of the four Palestinian youths mentioned above, should be condemned by the international community. Israel, the occupying Power, will only continue to deliberately commit its heinous crimes as long as it continues to believe it can act against the Palestinian people under its occupation with impunity. In this regard, we urge the international community to take the necessary measures to compel Israel to cease forthwith its flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949.

  This letter is in follow-up to our previous 222 letters 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 29 September 2005 (A/ES-10/308-S/2005/617), constitute a basic record of the crimes committed by Israel, the occupying Power, 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 my profound regret to inform you that, since our last letter to you, dated 29 September 2005, at least six more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs killed since September 2000 to 3,745. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified are listed 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. Riyad Mansour 

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 10 October 2005 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 the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem *

(Monday, 3 October 2005 to Sunday, 9 October 2005)

    Monday, 3 October 2005

1.   Uday Tantawi (13 years old)

   Tuesday, 4 October 2005

1.   Haifa Hendia

   Sunday, 9 October 2005

1.   Mohammed Odwan

2.   Bassam Abu Gharaba (15 years old)

3.  Essa Al-Amour (17 years old)

4.  Muataz Abu Zaarur

*   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 3,745.

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