Illegal Israeli actions in the OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 3 December 2002 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 both serious violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Yesterday, Israeli officials disclosed plans to demolish at least another 15 Palestinian homes in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron). According to the officials, the houses, which are located in the historic old city of Al-Khalil, are to be destroyed in order to create a “secure passage” for Israeli settlers going to pray at the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in the city.

  Furthermore, in line with the perpetual historic lies regarding the existence of Palestinian inhabitants of Palestinian cities, towns and villages, the Israeli officials have claimed that the houses are empty, when, in fact, they are home to 30 Palestinian families. These families are now confronted with the horrifying plan for the destruction of their homes as well as the upheaval of their lives, including forced displacement. This planned illegal measure by the occupying Power represents not only an act of collective punishment, in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention, but is a part of larger Israeli aims for the judaization of the city. Moreover, the implementation of such a plan would entail the confiscation of even more Palestinian land and effectively means the expansion of Israel’s illegal settlement network, itself a grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and in total rejection of the firm position of the international community in this regard.

  At the same time, Israel has continued to commit war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations against the Palestinian people under its occupation while it relentlessly pursues its military campaign throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In all areas, this incessant campaign of killing and destruction and collective punishment has had a devastating impact on the socio-economic conditions of the Palestinian people, resulting in a dire humanitarian situation. The Palestinian people, including children, women and the elderly, continue to suffer daily as a result of the illegal policies and practices being carried out by the Israeli occupying forces. Indeed, Palestinians continue to be killed almost daily, extrajudicial killings continue to be carried out, Palestinians continue to be abducted and detained, severe restrictions on movement and curfews continue to be imposed and the destruction of public and private property, including homes, continues unabated.

  Today, an Israeli soldier, indiscriminately shooting, killed a 95-year-old Palestinian woman, Fatima Hassan, who was taking a taxi home from a visit to a medical clinic in Ramallah. Yesterday, in the city of Jenin, Israeli occupying forces shot and killed a Palestinian boy, Mo’taz Kamal Odeh Astieh, aged 17, when they opened fire on a marketplace crowded with Palestinians shopping for food in anticipation of the upcoming holiday, Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. More than 20 other Palestinians, including several schoolchildren, were also wounded by the occupying forces when they began shooting at the crowds, purportedly to enforce the curfew. In a similar incident in Tulkarem yesterday, Maher Mohammed Ramez Saqallah, aged 19, was killed by the occupying forces and at least 14 other Palestinians were wounded. These tragedies are but two of innumerable incidents in which the occupying forces have used lethal force to impose the collective punishment of curfews on the Palestinian people. Just last week, in the pre-dawn hours of 27 November, in the Askar refugee camp near Nablus, Israeli occupying forces, also claiming to be imposing a curfew, shot and killed Bahaa’ Mohammed Selim Al-Natour, a 24-year-old Palestinian, as he walked about the camp, banging a drum to announce the beginning of the Ramadan fast. In yet another incident, a Palestinian man, Attiyah Alyan Yussef Rubaieh, was killed by the occupying forces at a roadblock near the city of Bethlehem. Such excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the occupying army has claimed the lives of countless Palestinian civilians merely attempting to carry out basic life activities under this brutal and oppressive Israeli occupation.

  Moreover, the Israeli occupying forces continue to commit extrajudicial executions of Palestinians, targeting persons for assassination by sniper fire, missiles and bombs. Last week, two Palestinian men in the Jenin refugee camp were executed by the occupying forces on 26 November. These war crimes, including the above-mentioned crimes and all the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people, must be unequivocally condemned by the international community. Further, serious measures must be taken to bring a halt to such Israeli crimes and violations of international law and international humanitarian law and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

  In follow-up to my previous 146 letters to you regarding this ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 25 November 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/2000/1206; 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-10/111-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/2002/186; 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/2002/245; 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/2002/361; A/ES-10/166-S/2002/370; A/ES-10/167-S/2002/433; A/ES-10/168-S/2002/474; A/ES-10/169-S/2002/495; A/ES-10/173-S/2002/536; A/ES-10/174-S/2002/555; A/ES-10/175-S/2002/610; A/ES-10/176-S/2002/617; A/ES-10/177-S/2002/641; A/ES-10/178-S/2002/650; A/ES-10/179-S/2002/654; A/ES-10/180-S/2002/686; A/ES-10/181-S/2002/697; A/ES-10/182-S/2002/699; A/ES-10/183-S/2002/717; A/ES-10/184-S/2002/738; A/ES-10/185-S/2002/827; A/ES-10/190-S/2002/891; A/ES-10/192-S/2002/976; A/ES-10/193-S/2002/983; A/ES-10/194-S/2002/1052; A/ES-10/195-S/2002/1066; A/ES-10/196-S/2002/1083; A/ES-10/197-S/2002/1094; A/ES-10/198-S/2002/1104; A/ES-10/199-S/2002/1114; A/ES-10/200-S/2002/1144; A/ES-10/201-S/2002/1166; A/ES-10/202-S/2002/1244; A/ES-10/203-S/2002/1270 and A/ES-10/204-S/2002/1298), I regret to inform you that, since my last letter to you, at least 18 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces. This raises the total number of Pal estinian martyrs killed since 28 September 2000 to 1,965. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  I should be grateful if you would arrange to have 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 ) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 3 December 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 *
(Wednesday, 27 November, to Tuesday, 3 December 2002)

    Wednesday, 27 November 2002

1.   Alaa’ Ahmed Mahmoud Sabbagh

2.  Imad Farouk Mahmoud Al-Nasharti

3.  Bahaa’ Mohammed Selim Al-Natour

4.  Muhanad Ismail Mahdi 

5.   Attiyah Alyan Yussef Rubaieh

    Thursday, 28 November 2002

1.   Yussef Mohammed Ragheb Abu Alrab

2.  Omar Mohammed Awad Abu Alrab

3.   Rafiq Mohammed Mahmoud Taqatqa (died from wounds sustained on 20 November)

4.  Abbas Raji Al-Atrash (3 years old)

5.  Nahed Yussef Al-Fawaghreh

    Friday, 29 November 2002

 Salem Mohammed Shahwan

    Saturday, 30 November 2002

  Hatim Riziq Saleh Al-Ajleh (16 years old)

   Sunday, 1 December 2002

1.  Mahmoud Saleh Al-Nua’rani

2.  Ashour Abdelmalik Salem 

    Monday, 2 December 2002

1.   Mo’taz Kamal Odeh Astieh (17 years old)

2.   Maher Mohammed Ramez Saqallah

3.  Mahmoud Shildan

    Tuesday, 3 December 2002

 Fatima Hassan

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 *   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 1,965.

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