Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 11 July 2001 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, has once again committed the crime of demolishing Palestinian homes in two separate attacks. Yesterday, during the early morning hours (Palestine time), Israeli army bulldozers accompanied by scores of armed soldiers destroyed 26 houses and 12 shops in the Rafah refugee camp, leaving more than 150 people homeless. The Israeli demolitions, which caused intense panic and fear among the residents of the camp, took place while they were sleeping. On Monday, 9 July 2001, Israeli bulldozers demolished 14 Palestinian homes in the Shufat refugee camp in Occupied East Jerusalem.

These criminal actions by the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, are part of the ongoing Israeli bloody military campaign being waged against the Palestinian people since 28 September 2000. The government of Mr. Ariel Sharon is fully responsible for that campaign, including war crimes and State terrorism being committed against the Palestinian civilian population under occupation as well as all the ensuing results and consequences.

Furthermore, on Saturday, 7 July 2001, Israeli soldiers wilfully killed an 11-year-old Palestinian boy without any serious justification. In the same incident, Israeli soldiers seriously injured a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old boy. Israeli officials had to state that they were investigating the killing, a claim they have used on several occasions in the last few months but which has never materialized. Also, today, a Palestinian woman was killed when Israeli soldiers shot at a Palestinian taxi at a West Bank checkpoint. Again, this brutal killing occurred without any serious justification.

Since my last letter to you dated 5 July 2001 (A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669), I regret to inform you that Israeli occupying forces have killed three more Palestinians, including the above-mentioned martyrs, bringing the total number of Palestinian martyrs to 517. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) In addition, dozens more Palestinian civilians have suffered injuries, many severely, as a result of the violent actions and attacks carried out by Israeli occupying forces.

Moreover, I am writing this letter in follow-up to my previous 54 letters addressed to you regarding this grave and ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 6 July 2001 (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 and A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669).

The Israeli bloody military campaign, including Israeli war crimes and State terrorism against the Palestinian people, must be brought to an end before more lives are lost and greater destruction is caused. The international community, and the United Nations Security Council in particular, is duty-bound to take action regarding the ongoing tragic and dangerous situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. We once again reiterate our call to the Council to do that and to take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with international law, international humanitarian law and existing Palestinian-Israeli agreements.

I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter and its annex distributed as an official document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 11 July 2001 from the Permanent Observer

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

and to the President of the Security Council

Names of martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem*

(Saturday, 7 July, through Wednesday, 11 July 2001)

Saturday, 7 July 2001

Khalil Ibrahim Al-Maghrabi (11 years old)

Wednesday, 10 July 2001

Nafez Aiesh Al-Nazr

Thursday, 11 July 2001

Rasmiah Al-Jabareen

______

* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 517.