Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 13 June 2001 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the

Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General and

the President of the Security Council

On 9 June 2001, the Israeli occupying forces brutally killed three Palestinian women, all from the same family, and critically wounded many other Palestinian civilians. This savagery occurred when soldiers of the occupying Power, Israel, unleashed tank shelling into their residential neighbourhood. They were killed by flechettes fired from tank shells that struck their home while they were sleeping. Flechette shells, considered one of the most ruthless anti-personnel weapons, spray hundreds of dart-like nails in the general areas at which they are fired. The killing of these three Palestinian women occurred at a time when Israel, the occupying Power, is implementing a so-called ceasefire. Official Israeli reports released by the Israeli military spokesperson shortly after the attack claimed that Israeli fire was directed only at specific locations where gunmen had been identified. However, on 11 June 2001, Israeli authorities stated that the attack on the neighbourhood was a mistake.

This is yet another incident of indiscriminate shelling and killing of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, which is usually followed by Israeli claims that it was in response to Palestinian gunmen, only later to be declared as a “mistake”. This reflects the continuing pattern of the behaviour of the Israeli soldiers, which is supported and encouraged by the policies of the Israeli Government and must cease immediately.

Since our last letter to you, dated 31 May 2001 (A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544), Israeli occupying forces have killed 13 more Palestinians, bringing the total number of Palestinian martyrs to 497 (the names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter). The number of injuries, many critical, also continues to rise each day as a result of the violent and criminal actions of the occupying forces. In addition, the draconian measures taken by Israel, which include the tightening of all kinds of closures on the entire Palestinian people, with severe restrictions on the movement of persons and goods, continue to exacerbate the grave living conditions of the Palestinian people.

Further, I am writing this letter in follow-up to our previous letters to you on this grave and ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 31 May 2001 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 and A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544).

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) Marwan Jilani

Chargé d’affaires a.i.

Annex to the identical letters dated 13 June 2001 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the

Permanent Observer Mission 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,

Tuesday, 31 May 2001 through Monday, 11 June 2001*

Tuesday, 31 May 2001

1. Ahmed Saleh Abu Hilu (17 years old)

2. Khalil Afanah (10 years old)

Sunday, 3 June 2001

1. Ziad Mahmoud Abu Eid

2. Ayad Mahmoud Abu Eid

Monday, 4 June 2001

1. Mazen Lufty Al-Joulany (died from wounds sustained on 3 June 2001)

Thursday, 7 June 2001

1. Jameel Kasem Al-Deek

2. Ashraf Al-Berdowil

Saturday, 9 June 2001

1. Salimah Omar Al-Malalha

2. Nasrah Salem Al-Malalha

3. Hikmat Atallah Al-Malalha (16 years old)

Sunday, 10 June 2001

1. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Hassan Al-Kurdy (18 years old)

2. Ameen Mohammed Mahmoud Awad

Monday, 11 June 2001

1. Naseem Ibrahim Al-Agha

____________

* The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 497.