Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 17 November 2000 from the Permanent Observer

of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

In follow-up of my previous letters, dated 29 September through 15 November 2000 (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), I am compelled to bring to your attention the fact that, since my last letter to you, the Israeli occupying forces have killed 11 more Palestinian civilians, including 8 children. This brings the total number of deaths in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, since 29 September 2000, to 205 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs since my last letter are annexed.) The excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli occupying forces, including the use of tanks, helicopter gunships and other heavy weaponry, has also caused numerous more injuries among the Palestinian civilians, many of whom are in serious condition.

Furthermore, on 15 November 2000, Israeli helicopter missile fire in Beit Jala in the vicinity of the city of Bethlehem also killed a German national, Mr. Harald Fischer. In addition to his death, several foreigners, mostly correspondents, have been injured as a result of Israeli shelling and shooting during the last few weeks.

Such lethal incidents have occurred daily in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, as a result of the Israeli occupying forces’ brutality and excessive use of force. For example, yesterday, a Palestinian man, age 55, was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, where he got into a shouting exchange with Israeli soldiers and was then shot to death by the soldiers. This represents another specific instance of what human rights organizations have been referring to as the cold-blooded killing of Palestinian civilians.

In conjunction with this bloody Israeli military campaign against Palestinian civilians and the ongoing siege of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Government of Israel has just taken the decision to withhold money belonging to the Palestinian Authority. In these circumstances of socio-economic hardship for the Palestinian people, such measures only exacerbate economic problems and worsen living conditions. This Israeli decision to withhold Palestinian money is tantamount to theft or at best is an illegal and unjustified tool of pressuring and collectively punishing the entire population.

The international community cannot allow this Israeli campaign of killing, terror and collective punishment against the Palestinian people to continue. It must insist on the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1322 (2000) and resolution ES-10/7 of 20 October 2000 of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly. We further reiterate once again our call to the Security Council for the urgent establishment of a United Nations protection force to be dispatched in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, for the purpose of providing much-needed protection for the Palestinian civilian population.

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 and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations


Annex to the identical letters dated 17 November 2000 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 security forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem

(Wednesday, 15 November and Thursday, 16 November 2000)

Wednesday, 15 November 2000

1. Ahmed Samir Bassil (15 years old)

2. Mohammed Nasser Mohammed Al-Sharafi (17 years old)

3. Samer Khairy Ahmed Khidr

4. Fathi Odeh Jumah Salem (18 years old)

5. Ahmed Saeed Shaban

6. Manee Jadou Abu Al-Kabash (16 years old)

7. Abdel Hafez Mohammed Gharouf (18 years old)

8. Ibrahim Abdel Raouf Jaidi (17 years old)

Thursday, 16 November 2000

1. Jihad Abu Shahmah (9 years old)

2. Samer Al-Khadour (18 years old)

3. Yussef Suleiman Ali Awad

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2019-03-11T21:21:49-04:00

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