Illegal Israeli actions in the OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 12 March 2002 from the Permanent Observer of

Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

The bloody Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian people continued to intensify late Monday into today, with hundreds of Israeli troops and tanks and armoured vehicles descending upon Palestinian refugee camps, towns and cities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The largest incursions and the deadliest assaults by the Israeli occupying forces were carried out in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza and in the Amari refugee camp in Ramallah.

Overnight Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Israeli occupying forces carried out attacks against the Jabaliya refugee camp, which is the largest and most heavily populated of the refugee camps in Gaza. Using tanks and helicopter gunfire, the Israeli forces killed at least 18 Palestinians and injured more than 80 people in the camp and caused extensive destruction of property. The assaults spread terror and panic among the civilian population, causing many refugees, including women and children, to flee the camp in fear in the dark of night. Also, in another raid in Gaza, the occupying forces killed four Palestinians in Khan Yunis in a missile strike on an aluminium factory.

In Ramallah, more than 150 Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles entered the city early today, with soldiers of the occupying force raiding homes throughout the city, particularly in the Amari refugee camp, and tanks positioned at almost every street corner. Israeli tanks even fired upon a hotel in Ramallah housing at least 40 foreign journalists who were documenting the assault being perpetrated against the Amari camp. Further, occupying forces shelled a hospital in the city and continued to fire at and prevent medical personnel from reaching and assisting the wounded. At least five Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupying forces during the assault in Ramallah today. Clearly, this huge Israeli military incursion into such a densely populated city and refugee camp poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of the entire civilian population in the area.

At the same time, the Israeli occupying forces continued today to round up and detain Palestinian men, aged 15 to 60, during raids throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in the Jabaliya and Amari refugee camps. The biggest round-up today took place in the Palestinian town of Wadi al Salqa in Gaza, where more than 100 Palestinians continue to be detained. Many of the detained have been forced to stand blindfolded, hands tied and stripped to the waist. In total, more than 2,000 Palestinians have been detained and questioned by the Israeli occupying army in just the past few days, adding to the mounting human rights violations being committed by the occupying Power against the Palestinian people.

These latest deadly incursions by the Israeli occupying forces convey the true intentions and duplicity of the Government of Mr. Sharon. The continuing war crimes, State terrorism and human rights violations being committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupying forces are actions for which the Government of Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable. Further, the incessant killings, bombardments and destruction must be brought to an immediate end, and the international community is duty-bound to help in this regard.

At this time, I wish to refer to the very important statement made by the Secretary-General during the public briefing today at the Security Council. While the Secretary-General called on Mr. Arafat and Mr. Sharon to immediately take the necessary political, security and economic steps on the ground, he also called on the Security Council to lend its full authority and influence to the vital cause of peace. This is the most vocal call by the Secretary-General for the Security Council to act, and we join the Secretary-General in calling upon the Council to take the necessary actions immediately before this grave situation worsens even further.

In follow-up to our previous 107 letters to you regarding this escalating crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 11 March 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, A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95, A/ES-10/142-S/2002/102, A/ES-10/143-S/2002/121, A/ES-10/144-S/2002/142, A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146, A/ES-10/146-S/2002/165; A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175; A/ES-10/148-S/2002/182, A/ES-10/149-S/2002/190, A/ES-10/150-S/2002/214 A/ES-10/151-S/2002/223; A/ES-10/152-S/2002/232; A/ES-10/154-S/2002/242, A/ES-10/155-S/2002/248, A/ES-10/156-S/2002/249 and A/ES-10/157-S/2002/253), it is with profound regret that I inform you that, since my last letter to you yesterday, 35 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli occupying forces. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) These killings raise the total number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 1,100 martyrs, including men, women and children. Moreover, the number of Palestinians wounded, many critically and permanently, by the Israeli assaults also continues to climb dramatically.

I should 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 12 March 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, 11 March and Tuesday, 12 March 2002)

   Monday, 11 March 2002

(In addition to the martyrs’ names in our letter of 11 March)

1.   Yousef Khaled Al-Aqra

2.  Atef Ahmed Al-Bayari 

3.   Yehia Hamdan Abu Saed

4.   Ayman Saleh Emhana (18 years old)

5.  Nabil Al-Masaree

    Tuesday, 12 March 2002

1.  Yousef Mohammed Abu Al-Qomsan

2.  Eyad Ahmed Issa

3.  Fawzi Sabri Abu Shammas 

4.   Mohammed Salim Abu Skheelah

5.  Hani Salim Abu Skheelah 

6.   Ya’cob Abu Odeh

7.  Saed Ahmed Hassouna 

8.   Nabil Abu Al-Qare’

9.  Majdi Al-Talole

10.   Hamouda Nejim

11.  Sameer Sa’idi Sababa

12.  Hosam Hassan Al-Barrawe

13.  Waleed Abdel Rahman 

14.   Abdel Rahman Mohammed Ezzedine

15.  Ahmed Ismail Kafina 

16.   Mohammed Rusdi Eqelat

17.  Ahmed Abu Hilal

18.   Rawan Abdel Qader (15 years old)

19.   Rami Azzam Basheer (18 years old)

20.  Ziya Al-Barghouti

21.   Feras Qathim Baituni

22.  Adham Ali Kamel

23.   Alaa’ Mohammed Mustafa

24.  Raafat Al-Besheeti 

25.   Mohammed Jumaa Al-Besheeti

26.  Ahmed Jumaa Al-Besheeti 

27.   Zohair Kawaree

28.  Mohammed Ahmad Hils 

29.   Bilal Fayez Shehada

30.  Mohammed Al-Baqaree 

_______________

*Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 1,100.