Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 13 July 2001 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the

United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

Israel, the occupying Power, persists with its bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. In the early hours of today (Palestine time), in a sharp escalation of violence and in gross violation of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli tanks entered and shelled an area under full Palestinian control in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron). The Israeli shelling was indiscriminate and caused a large number of injuries, as well as intense panic and fear among the residents. The shelling resulted in the vast destruction of Palestinian property, including the destruction of a power station, a Palestinian police station and homes belonging to Palestinian civilians.

Furthermore, Israeli settlers, who have been illegally transferred by the occupying Power to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, in grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and in total violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, continued with their atrocities against Palestinian civilians, property and crops. In a serious and dangerous development, Israeli settlers torched homes, shops and orchards belonging to the Palestinian residents in Al-Khalil (Hebron).

Today, in what appears to be yet another extrajudicial killing of Palestinians perpetuated by the Israeli occupying forces, a car was set to explode using a remote control device, instantly killing Fawaz Badran El-Shayeb in the town of Tulkaram. This comes in spite of worldwide condemnation of the Israeli criminal policy of targeted assassinations.

Yesterday, Israeli occupying forces rolled in tanks and shelled the city of Nablus. In addition to causing destruction and devastation to Palestinians and their property, this attack claimed the life of a Palestinian police officer and seriously injured scores of Palestinian civilians. We hold the Israeli government of Mr. Ariel Sharon responsible for the above-mentioned war crimes and State terrorism committed by the Israeli occupying forces as well as by the illegal settlers against our people.

Since my last letter to you, dated 11 July 2001 (A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686), I regret to inform you that Israeli occupying forces have killed 2 more Palestinians, including the above-mentioned martyr, bringing the total number of Palestinian martyrs to 519. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) At the same time, the total number of Palestinian civilians injured, many severely and permanently, also continues to rise each day.

Moreover, I am writing this letter in follow-up to my previous 55 letters addressed to you on this grave matter, dated from 29 September 2000 to 11 July 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; 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 and A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686).

We call upon the international community and the United Nations Security Council in particular to undertake the necessary measures to bring an end to Israel’s bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people, as well as to ensure compliance with international law, international humanitarian law and existing Palestinian-Israeli agreements.

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) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 13 July 2001 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine

to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

Names of martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem*

(Thursday, 12 July, through Friday, 13 July 2001)

Thursday, 12 July 2001

Mohammed Abu Fayad

Friday, 13 July 2001

Fawaz Badran El-Shayeb

__________

* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 519.