Ibrahimi Mosque – Letter from Egypt

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Forty-ninth session Forty-ninth year

Agenda items 38, 40 and 78

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE

  TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES

  AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE

  PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER ARABS

  OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Letter dated 8 November 1994 from the Permanent Representative of

Egypt to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

With reference to the letter addressed to you by the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations dated 7 November 1994 concerning the measures that have been taken by the Israeli authorities to divide Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in the city of Al-Khalil in the occupied Palestinian territory, and in my capacity as the Chairman of the Group of Arab States, I would like to affirm the Group's position on that issue.

Al-Khalil and all its religious shrines are part of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.  Therefore, Israel, as the occupying Power, has to respect its legal obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention, of 12 August 1949.  Consequently, it should avoid any attempt to change the status of the occupied territories and, accordingly, Israel should not limit the access of Palestinians to their holy places.

Moreover, Israel should avoid any actions that may reflect negatively on the ongoing peace process or hinder the full implementation of the Declaration of Principles signed on 13 September 1993 by the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Government of Israel.

I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of this letter distributed as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 38, 40 and 78, and of the Security Council.

                                                   (Signed) Nabil ELARABY

Permanent Representative

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