Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 22 January 2002 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

  The Israeli occupying forces continued today to kill, injure, abduct, destroy and terrorize in the ongoing bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. Early today, Israeli occupying forces, backed by tanks, entered Al Majeen neighbourhood in Nablus, raiding a building and killing four Palestinians. The killings represent the latest extrajudiciary executions of Palestinians by Israel, adding to the innumerable war crimes being committed by the occupying Power on a daily basis.

  During the raid in Nablus, the Israeli occupying forces also abducted nine Palestinians. In addition, Israeli forces abducted 12 other Palestinian civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory today, including 2 from the village of Zaatara near Bethlehem, 2 from the village of Idna near Al-Khalil, 7 from the town of Hizma near occupied East Jerusalem and 1 from the village of Katana near Ramallah. These abductions, as well as the above-mentioned raid, were carried out in residential neighbourhoods, further intensifying the prevailing fear among the Palestinian civilians as a result of the countless acts of State terrorism committed by Israel.

  At the same time, the Israeli occupying forces continue to destroy homes, buildings and other civilian infrastructure during the attacks, assaults and raids being carried out throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In this regard, according to a statement issued by the European Commission today, over the past year Israel has wrought damage worth 14.5 million euros (US$ 12.8 million) to Palestinian projects funded by the European Union (EU). A comprehensive list of the extensive physical destruction inflicted by attacks of the Israeli occupying forces on EU-funded development projects includes, inter alia, damage to the Palestinian airport and seaport, civil police camps, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, two schools, a forestry project, a counter-terrorism forensic laboratory, and sewerage, irrigation, road and housing projects.

  All of the above-mentioned Israeli actions are in violation of international law and international humanitarian law and serve only to further exacerbate the already volatile situation and make the existence of a ceasefire between the two sides virtually impossible. Indeed, it is the incessant violations by Israel, the occupying Power, that clearly perpetuate the cycle of violence. This is an integral part of the Israeli Government’s decision to continue with its bloody military campaign, including war crimes and State terrorism, against the Palestinian people. These actions have reached an unprecedented criminal level aimed at not only destroying the Palestinian Authority and any potential for peace, but also destroying what is left of the Palestinian infrastructure in order to inflict maximum suffering and agony on the Palestinian people.

  In this regard, I wish to refer to the letter dated 16 January 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/56/774-S/2002/73). First, the Palestinian Authority has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in order to end the cycle of violence. It is the occupying Power that has refused to adhere to the ceasefire and has repeatedly contravened it. Moreover, illegal Israeli settlers have continued to commit acts of violence and destruction against the Palestinian people, increasing their suffering and misery under occupation. Second, it must be reiterated that the presence of Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal under international humanitarian law, namely, the fourth Geneva Convention, which is applicable to all the territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem. The settlers are actively engaged in the colonization of the Palestinian Territory and their presence in and of itself represents a war crime committed by the occupying Power. Accordingly, the deeds and safety of the settlers remain the ultimate responsibility of the occupying Power.

  In follow-up to my previous 92 letters to you regarding the continuing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 21 January 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/2000/1215; 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; 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, and A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95), I regret to inform you that since my last letter to you the Israeli occupying forces have killed a total of five Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) These killings raise the number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 856 martyrs.

  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. Nasser Al-Kidwa
Ambassador
Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 22 January 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 *
(Monday, 21 January 2002, to Tuesday, 22 January 2002)

   Monday, 21 January 2002

  Omar Mahmoud Wahdan (in addition to the martyrs named in the letter of 21 January 2002)

   Tuesday, 22 January 2002

1.  Naseem Abu Alrous

2.  Karim Mufarjah

3.  Jasser Sumarou

4.  Yussef Al Sarkaji

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*   Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 856.