Mideast situation – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 8 March 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Israel

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I wish to draw you attention to the latest attacks in the ongoing campaign of Palestinian terrorism directed against the citizens of Israel.

Just before midnight (local time) last night, a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Israeli community of Atzmona and began hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately in all directions. Five residents of Atzmona, all of them 18 years of age, were killed in the attack, and 23 others were wounded, many of them seriously. The terrorist organization Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Also yesterday, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the lobby of the Eshel Hashomron Hotel, near Ariel, yesterday afternoon. The blast wounded 11 people, one of them seriously. One of the wounded was an American women visiting with a group of Christian pilgrims. Both Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction and the terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine later claimed responsibility for the attack.

These attacks come in addition to numerous others that were thwarted by Israeli forces or alert citizens. Near the community of Karkur, an alert worker spotted a suspicious man carrying a pigeon coop and confronted him, at which time the man revealed the explosives strapped to his body before running away. Police were still searching for the would-be bomber yesterday.

These incidents are the latest manifestations of the continuing campaign of Palestinian violence that has been detailed in my letters dated 5 March 2002 (A/56/857-S/2002/233), 4 March 2002 (A/56/854-S/2002/222), 27 February 2002 (A/56/843-S/2002/208), 20 February 2002 (A/56/828-S/2002/185), 19 February 2002 (A/56/824-S/2002/174), 11 February 2002 (A/56/819-S/2002/164), 8 February 2002 (A/56/814-S/2002/155), 28 January 2002 (A/56/798-S/2002/126), 22 January 2002 (A/56/788-S/2002/104), 18 January 2002 (A/56/781-S/2002/86), 16 January 2002 (A/56/774-S/2002/73), 11 January 2002 (A/56/771-S/2002/47), 4 January 2002 (A/56/766-S/2002/25), 13 December 2001 (A/56/706-S/2001/1198), dated 4 December 2001 (A/56/678-S/2001/1150), 30 November 2001 (A/56/670-S/2001/1141), 28 November 2001 (A/56/668-S/2001/1133), 27 November 2001 (A/56/663-S/2001/1121), 12 November 2001 (A/56/617-S/2001/1071), 5 November 2001 (A/56/604-S/2001/1048), 24 October 2001 (A/54/406-S/2001/1011), 19 October 2001 (A/56/492-S/2001/990), 17 October 2001 (A/56/483-S/2001/975), 8 October 2001 (A/56/450-S/2001/948), 5 October 2001 (A/56/444-S/2001/943), 3 October 2001 (A/56/438-S/2001/938), 24 September 2001 (A/56/406-S/2001/907), 20 September 2001 (A/56/386-S/2001/892), 17 September 2001 (A/56/367-S/2001/875), 7 September 2001 (A/56/346-S/2001/858), 4 September 2001 (A/56/331-S/2001/840), 30 August 2001 (A/56/325-S/2001/834), 27 August 2001 (A/56/324-S/2001/825), 13 August 2001 (A/56/294-S/2001/787), 9 August 2001 (A/56/272-S/2001/768), 27 July 2001 (A/56/225-S/2001/743), 26 July 2001 (A/56/223-S/2001/737), 17 July 2001 (A/56/201-S/2001/706), 13 July 2001 (A/56/184-S/2001/696), 3 July 2001 (A/56/138-S/2001/662), 21 June 2001 (A/56/119-S/2001/619), 19 June 2001 (A/56/98-S/2001/611), 18 June 2001 (A/56/97-S/2001/604), 13 June 2001 (A/56/92-S/2001/585), 11 June 2001 (A/56/91-S/2001/580), 4 June 2001 (A/56/85-S/2001/555), 30 May 2001 (A/56/81-S/2001/540), 25 May 2001 (A/56/80-S/2001/524), 18 May 2001 (A/56/78-S/2001/506), 11 May 2001 (A/56/72-S/2001/473), 9 May 2001 (A/56/69-S/2001/459), 1 May 2001 (A/55/924-S/2001/435), 23 April 2001 (A/55/910-S/2001/396), 16 April 2001 (A/55/901-S/2001/364), 28 March 2001 (A/55/863-S/2001/291), 27 March 2001 (A/55/860-S/2001/280), 26 March 2001 (A/55/858-S/2001/278), 19 March 2001 (A/55/842-S/2001/244), 5 March 2001 (A/55/821-S/2001/193), 2 March 2001 (A/55/819-S/2001/187), 14 February 2001 (A/55/787-S/2001/137), 13 February 2001 (A/55/781-S/2001/132), 2 February 2001 (A/55/762-S/2001/103), 25 January 2001 (A/55/748-S/2001/81), 23 January 2001 (A/55/742-S/2001/71), 28 December 2000 (A/55/719-S/2000/1252), 22 November 2000 (A/55/641-S/2000/1114), 20 November 2000 (A/55/634-S/2000/1108) and 2 November 2000 (A/55/540-S/2000/1065).

Israel holds the Palestinian Authority and its Chairman, Yasser Arafat, directly responsible for these attacks in the light of the continuing role of its forces in perpetrating terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Rather than taking concerted action to disarm and disable terrorist groups operating in Palestinian territory, as he has repeatedly promised to do and as the international community has consistently demanded of him, Chairman Arafat continues to incite his people to violence and to support acts of violence and terror.

Israel remains committed to negotiating a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the region on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) but maintains that such a settlement will remain elusive so long as terrorism persists with the support and the blessings of the Palestinian leadership. Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with the very same individuals that are encouraging the continuation of violence against Israelis, including innocent children and teenagers. The first step back to the negotiating table can only be the complete and unconditional cessation of hostilities, as mandated by both the Mitchell report and the Tenet understanding.

  The international community must affirm the principle that any deliberate targeting of civilians is totally unacceptable and, within the context of its campaign against terrorism, demand that the Palestinian leadership take genuine action against the terrorist organizations that it harbours in its territory. So long as the deliberate targeting of civilians is perceived as a legitimate tactic for the advancement of a political agenda, our efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement will be severely compromised. Only when the Palestinian leadership rejects terrorism in both word and deed, as is its obligation, will the parties be able to move forward towards a future of peaceful coexistence.

  I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of this letter circulated as a document of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 166, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yehuda Lancry
Permanent Representative