Mideast situation – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 13 August 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Israel

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I wish to draw your attention to yet another act of Palestinian terrorism that occurred yesterday near the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

At approximately 5.30 p.m. (local time), a Palestinian suicide bomber entered a small coffee house in Kiryat Motzkin, north of Haifa. The terrorist lifted his shirt, exposing a belt packed with explosives to frighten patrons who quickly fled in fear as the bomber detonated his charge. The blast completely destroyed the coffee house, scattering glass and debris into the street and wounding 21 people. Judging from the recent devastating bombing that killed 15 people and wounded 130 others at a popular pizza restaurant in Jerusalem, yesterday’s attack could have inflicted far greater carnage.

The Kiryat Motzkin bombing is merely the latest in a series of Palestinian bombings, mortar attacks, and shootings that have been detailed in my letters dated 9 August 2001 (A/56/272-S/2001/768), 27 July 2001 (A/56/225-S/2001/743), 26 July 2001 (A/56/223-S/2001/737), 17 July 2001 (A/56/201-S/2001/706), 13 July 2001 (A/56/184-S/2001/696), 3 July 2001 (A/56/138-S/2001/662), 21 June 2001 (A/56/119-S/2001/619), 19 June 2001 (A/56/98-S/2001/611), 18 June 2001 (A/56/97-S/2001/604), 13 June 2001 (A/56/92-S/2001/585), 11 June 2001 (A/56/91-S/2001/580), 4 June 2001 (A/56/85-S/2001/555), 30 May 2001 (A/56/81-S/2001/540), 25 May 2001 (A/56/80-S/2001/524), 18 May 2001 (A/56/78-S/2001/506), 11 May 2001 (A/56/72-S/2001/473), 9 May 2001 (A/56/69-S/2001/459), 1 May 2001 (A/55/924-S/2001/435), 23 April 2001 (A/55/910-S/2001/396), 16 April 2001 (A/55/901-S/2001/364), 28 March 2001 (A/55/863-S/2001/291), 27 March 2001 (A/55/860-S/2001/280), 26 March 2001 (A/55/858-S/2001/278), 19 March 2001 (A/55/842-S/2001/244), 5 March 2001 (A/55/821-S/2001/193), 2 March 2001 (A/55/819-S/2001/187), 14 February 2001 (A/55/787-S/2001/137), 13 February 2001 (A/55/781-S/2001/132), 2 February 2001 (A/55/762-S/2001/103), 25 January 2001 (A/55/748-S/2001/81), 23 January 2001 (A/55/742-S/2001/71), 28 December 2000 (A/55/719-S/2000/1252), 22 November 2000 (A/55/641-S/2000/1114), 20 November 2000 (A/55/634-S/2000/1108) and 2 November 2000 (A/55/540-S/2000/1065).

The State of Israel holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for this latest atrocity as it does for the innumerable acts of terrorism perpetrated over the last 11 months. The Palestinian Authority, in grave and flagrant breach of its signed commitments to renounce the use of violence and terrorism, has consistently stoked the flames of Palestinian anger, used its officially controlled media apparatus to incite the population to violence, released convicted terrorist prisoners from Palestinian jails, and steadfastly refused to take any concerted action to prevent attacks on Israeli civilians.

Just this week, the Palestinian Authority released three more Hamas terrorists who were involved in, among other attacks, the suicide bombing at the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium on 1 June 2001. This action follows the release several months ago of scores of other convicted terrorists who were being held prisoner by the Palestinian Authority. In recent days, the Palestinian Authority has arrested Abdullah Barghouti, the mastermind of last week’s bombing in Jerusalem, an arrest that unfortunately came too late. However, judging by past behaviour, Barghouti will likely be freed again under the Palestinian leadership’s “revolving door” policy, a policy that serves to enrich the store of potential suicide attackers and sends a further signal of official support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

The results of these actions are clear for all to see. Since the onset of Palestinian orchestrated violence and terrorism in September 2000, 156 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian terrorists in the course of over 6,000 separate attacks. Since the Palestinians were supposed to have implemented a ceasefire following negotiations conducted by United States Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, there have been over 1,100 separate attacks in which 35 Israelis have been killed. In the last week alone, there has been an average of 22 attacks per day, in which a total of 18 Israelis have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists.

Israel again calls upon the Palestinian leadership to fulfil the cardinal undertakings to which it has repeatedly committed itself. Only by reining in violent terrorist groups can we hope to end this ongoing cycle of bloodshed. Israel further calls on the international community to make clear that it regards the devastating rise in indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians as unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter circulated as a document of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, under item 178 of the provisional agenda and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yehuda Lancry

Permanent Representative