Situation in the OPT – Letter from Palestine

Letter dated 20 March 1992 from the Charge d'affaires a.i. of

the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United

Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I am instructed by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of Palestine, to bring the following to your immediate attention:

During the last two days six Palestinians have been killed by the live ammunition of the Israeli occupying army.  The martyrs are:

l.  Wegdan Fawzi Alkedrah, age 22, from Khan Younis.

2.  Fadi Mohamad Ala'mour, age 11, from Khan Younis.

3.  Hassan Mohamed Twaimeh, age 16, from Kifel Haris, near Nablus.

4.  A teenager whose name is unknown, because the body, along with two other injured, was taken by the Israeli army from Kufur Kaddoum, near Nablus, without revealing their fate.

5.  Hussain Hussni Ay'ad, age 19, from Silwad, near Ramallah.

6.  Mohamad Hussain Abu-Jeldeh, age 24, from Jenin refugee camp.

In addition to these six martyrs many other Palestinians have been injured.  This escalation of repression by Israel, the occupying Power, culminated today with an announcement by Israel of its intention to close completely and until further notice the occupied Gaza Strip, populated by about 800,000 Palestinians.  This abrupt decision left about 25,000 Palestinians from the Strip stranded in Israel with panic overwhelming them.  Jerusalem was also declared today, Friday, closed until further notice to West Bankers.  In addition to all these measures of collective punishment, many Israeli roadblocks were erected on all roads leading to and out of the West Bank.  The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, is extremely tense and dangerous.

All these illegal Israeli measures are violations of the norms of international law and of Security Council resolutions.  It is, further, a clear threat to the security and safety of our people under Israeli occupation.

We call upon the United Nations, especially the Security Council, to stop immediately all these Israeli measures.  We stress further the essential need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 30, 35 and 74 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Dr. Riyad MANSOUR

Deputy Permanent Observer of

Palestine to the United Nations

Charge d'affaires a.i.

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*A/47/50.