Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 30 October 2001 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

  I am writing to you in follow-up of my recent letters regarding the Israeli seizure and reoccupation of six Palestinian cities as well as the seizure of and attack on the village of Beit Reema. The Israeli occupying forces remain in the positions they reoccupied in and around four Palestinian cities. Since this most recent wave of invasion and reoccupation began, a total of 46 Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 have been injured. With specific reference to the seizure of Beit Reema, which we referred to in our letter of 24 October 2001 (A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007), a total of five Palestinians were killed by the Israeli occupying forces. Those men were members of the Palestinian police, and Israeli sources have indicated that at least two of the five were killed without being engaged in the fighting.

 The human losses and the physical destruction throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, continue to mount as a result of the Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. The deterioration of the situation continues and tensions in the area continue to escalate, further exacerbating an already volatile situation.

  The Security Council of the United Nations needs to seriously address this critical matter and take concrete and speedy action to ensure the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces and bring this wave of killing and destruction to an end. It is incumbent upon the Security Council to uphold its duties and responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and security wherever needed.

  In follow-up of our previous letters to you regarding the grave situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 24 October 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; 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-10/110-S/2001/855; 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 and A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007), I regret to inform you that, since my last letter to you on 24 October, 21 more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces. That number includes those five Palestinians killed in the assault on Beit Reema on 24 October, as well as those martyrs killed in Tulkarem, Abu Dis and Bethlehem on that day, who have now been identified. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) In total, these killings raise the number of martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces to 734 Palestinians.

  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 30 October 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 occupying forces

in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem ^a 
(Wednesday, 24 October, through Saturday, 27 October 2001)

    Wednesday, 24 October 2001

1.   Kamel Hussein Abdel Hamid Al-Barghouti

2.  Harees Amin Ahmed Hijah 

3.   Kasem Atta Said Al-Moghraby

4.   Abdel M’uti Mohammed Salamah Sharaayah

5.  Rafiq Mohammed Mahmoud Sakr

6.  Mohammed Ziab Sama’nah (from sustained wounds)

7.   Ayman Fayeq Al-Jalad

8.  Mohammed Fayeq Al-Jalad 

9.   Saleh Rasheed Al’Assi

10.  Eissa Jeries Jalil 

11.   Marwan Ahmed Wared Halbiah

    Thursday, 25 October 2001

1.  Hassan Khalil Aref Abu Sariah

2.  Wael Deefallah Naheen Abayaat

3.  Salamah Ibrahim Al-Dibs 

4.   Firas Shehtah Salahat

   Friday, 26 October 2001

1.  Farid Abu Jalaluh

2.   Eid Zaied Hassan Abu Sharkh

3.  Othman Al-Razaina

4.   Iyad Al-Batsh

5.  Foad Al-Dahshan (17 years old)

    Saturday, 27 October 2001

Feras Sabri Fares Jaber

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 ^a   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 734.