Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 29 August 2002 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, continues to commit war crimes against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. In the early morning hours (Palestine time) of today, Israeli tanks entered an area south of Gaza City, shelling and firing at random. The tanks, for no apparent reason, shelled a Palestinian house, killing a Palestinian woman, Ruweida Abdullah Al-Hajeen and two of her children and a cousin. Another five of the family members were seriously injured in the assault, including a three-year-old boy. Such ongoing illegal and criminal actions reinforce the notion that the Israeli occupying forces and the Israeli government are indeed trying to sabotage any attempts to pacify the situation and to find a way out of this tragic situation.

In addition, the Israeli occupying forces have recently intensified the illegal and criminal practice of home demolitions, particularly homes belonging to the families of Palestinians allegedly involved in violent activities. In recent weeks, more than a dozen homes have been destroyed, leaving numerous Palestinians homeless. The Israeli occupying forces have also continued to commit numerous other illegal and criminal actions, including carrying out extrajudiciary executions of Palestinians, continuing the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, and raiding homes and abducting and detaining countless Palestinians. Such illegal and criminal actions are ceaseless and are being committed by the Israeli occupying forces on a daily basis. As apparent in the annexed list of martyrs killed since my last letter to you, Palestinians — men, women and children — are being killed nearly every day by the Israeli occupying forces.

All of the above war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law come while the Israeli occupying forces continue with their reoccupation of most Palestinian population centres. This reoccupation has involved a strict military siege on Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps as well as lengthy curfews imposed on the whole population. At the same time, the Israeli military siege on the headquarters of the President of the Palestinian Authority in the city of Ramallah also continues.

Moreover, this ongoing military siege and the vast destruction wrought by the Israeli occupying forces on the Palestinian infrastructure has caused extensive socio-economic devastation among the Palestinian people, virtually suffocating the Palestinian economy. In this regard, it has been recently estimated that more than half of the Palestinian population now lives below the poverty line. In addition to the socio-economic despair and growing humanitarian crisis, the Palestinian people also continue to be subjected to incessant harassment, humiliation and ill-treatment by the Israeli occupying forces.

Clearly, Mr. Ariel Sharon and his government are firmly against finding a political solution to this tragic situation, instead continuing to support the application of brute military force and oppression against the Palestinian people. All of this is aimed at preventing the attainment of any political settlement that would involve Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.

The international community should act to condemn the above-mentioned Israeli actions, in particular the war crimes and State terrorism that have been perpetrated against the Palestinian people. In this regard, the international community also has an inherent duty to uphold international humanitarian law and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

In follow-up to my previous 133 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 6 August 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, A/ES-10/157-S/2002/253; A/ES-10/158-S/2002/258; A/ES-10/159-S/2002/281; A/ES-10/160-S/2002/307; A/ES-10/161-S/2002/319; A/ES-10/162-S/2002/330; A/ES-10/163-S/2002/340; A/ES-10/164-S/2002/353; A/ES-10/165-S/2002/356; A/ES-10/166-S/2002/370; A/ES/10/167-S/2002/433; A/ES-10/168-S/2002/474; A/ES-10/169-S/2002/495; A/ES-10/173-S/2002/536;  A/ES-10/174-S/2002/555; A/ES-10/175-S/2002/610; A/ES-10/176-S/2002/617, A/ES-10/177-S/2002/641; A/ES-10/178-S/2002/650; A/ES-10/179-S/2002/654 A/ES-10/180-S/2002/686; A/ES-10/181-S/2002/697; A/ES-10/182-S/2002/699; A/ES-10/183-S/2002/717; A/ES-10/184-S/2002/738; A/ES-10/185-S/2002/827 and A/ES-10/190-S/2002/891), it is my profound regret to inform you that since my last letter to you, at least 41 more Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed by Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of Palestinian martyrs killed since 28 September 2000 to 1,772 people. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the present letter and its annex distributed as an official 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 29 August 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 ^* 
(Tuesday, 6 August-Thursday, 29 August 2002)

   Tuesday, 6 August 2002

1.   Ali Mohammed Ahmed Al-Ajoury
2.  Murad Suleiman Zuhdi Marshoud

    Wednesday, 7 August 2002

1.  Ziyad Mahmoud Mohammed Da’as
2.   Maher Mohammed Ziab Jazmawy (17 years old)
3.   Mohammed Khamis Sa’adeh Qaraque (18 years old)
4.   Mahmoud Al-Shakhbir
5.  Hussam Ahmed Nimr Hamdan
6.   Raafat Omar Sa’adeh

   Thursday, 8 August 2002

1.  Abdel Riziq Ghoban

    Friday, 9 August 2002

1.  Ihab Badr Za’ir
2.  Hosni Ali Jabr Dumairy

    Saturday, 10 August 2002

1.  Ahmed Jihad Abdel Rahman Qurini
2.   Yussef Mahmoud Mohammed Qanabeeteh
3.  Khadr Mohammed Al-Saidi
4.  Mohammed Baker Al-Masri
5.   Attiyah Ayesh Abu Mughsib (13 years old)

   Monday, 12 August 2002

1.  Ghazal Mohammed Hassan Farayhat

    Wednesday, 14 August 2002

1.  Nasr Jarrar

    Thursday, 15 August 2002

1.  Nidal Abdel Raouf Mahmoud Daraghmeh (18 years old)
2.   Ayman Basem Fares (5 years old)

   Friday, 16 August 2002

1.   Islam Wajih Nasser (9 years old)
2.  Mariyam Mattar

    Saturday, 17 August 2002

1.  Ashraf Mohammed Al-Awawedeh
2.  Ala’Salem Abu Saeed

    Sunday, 18 August 2002

1.  Adel Mahmoud Rawajbeh 

    Monday, 19 August 2002

1.   Amin Mohammed Abdel Raouf Abu Odeh (14 years old)

   Tuesday, 20 August 2002

1.   Ayman Tawfiq Salem Zo’rob (15 years old)
2.  Essam Al-Jaiussi
3.  Mohammed Sa’daat

   Wednesday, 21 August 2002

1.  Adnan Al-Nibrees

    Thursday, 22 August 2002

1.  Aminah Sa’eed Idrees

    Friday, 23 August 2002

1.  Medhat Al-Yazeji
2.  Wafi Al-Dosouki

   Sunday, 25 August 2002

1.  Mohammed Hatem Alott

   Tuesday, 27 August 2002

1.  Jihad Moussa Ibrahim (6 years old)

    Wednesday, 28 August 2002

1.  Mohammed Abdel Rahman Amoury
2.  Mohammed Attiyah Baraka

    Thursday, 29 August 2002

1.  Ruweida Abdullah Al-Hajeen
2.  Ashraf Othman Al-Hajeen
3.  Nihad Othman Al-Hajeen
4.  Mohammed Samir Al-Hajeen

__________________

*The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since September 28, 2000  is 1,772.