Letter dated 20 September 1991 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine
to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
I am instructed by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of Palestine, to bring the following to your immediate attention:
It has been reported to us that Mekorot (the Israeli Water Company currently owned by the Government of Israel) is on the verge of drilling yet another water well in the Bethlehem area, making it the fifth well drilled to satisfy the needs of the residents of West Jerusalem. In the meantime almost no new permits have been granted by the occupying Power, Israel, to Palestinians to drill new wells, especially for irrigation. However, 35 to 40 new wells for Jewish settlers have been drilled in the Gaza Strip and 25 in the West Bank. Israel uses 95.5 per cent of the overall water resources, while the West Bank is limited to 4.5 per cent.
These illegal actions and practices by the occupying Power, Israel, not only have an adverse effect on the mere livelihood of Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory and the complete destruction of their agricultural economy. They are also in direct violation of a number of international agreements and United Nations resolutions and declarations, among them the declaration on permanent sovereignty over natural resources adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 1962 (resolution 1803 (XVII)), as well as Assembly resolutions 3005 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972, 3336 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974 and 32/161 of 19 December 1977.
Palestine requests the members of the international community to take concrete action with a view to halting Israel, the occupying Power, from its continued violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, of 10 August 1949, and henceforth the Charter of the United Nations.
I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 33, 35 and 73, and of the Security Council.
(Signed) Dr. Nasser AL-KIDWA
Permanent Observer of Palestine
