Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 1 October 2004 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 intensify its bloody and brutal military campaign against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Palestinian death toll continues to climb as does the number of civilians wounded as a result of the excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the occupying Power. The slaughter yesterday by the Israeli occupying forces of 33 Palestinians, including nine children, ages 11 to 18 years, has been followed today by continued military attacks and the killing of at least eight more Palestinian civilians and the wounding of more than 17 others in the Jabiliya refugee camp.

  The grim prospect of even more death, wanton destruction and terror being wrought by the Israeli occupying forces upon the Palestinian civilian population in the northern Gaza Strip area continues to rise as the occupying Power continues to amass its troops and heavy military weaponry, including about 100 tanks, armoured carriers and bulldozers along the north and east borders of Gaza. In fact, it has been reported that the Israeli government’s security cabinet has decided to launch a large-scale military operation, which they are ominously calling “Days of Penitence”, against the area. This planned escalation of military attacks and violence by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people can only lead to even more disastrous consequences for the civilian population and to greater instability in the area and should be of grave concern for the international community.

  The international community must speak in one firm and unambiguous voice to condemn such military attacks and excessive and indiscriminate use of force by Israel, the occupying Power, against the defenceless Palestinian people. The current situation is explosive and untenable and can only lead to a severe exacerbation of this crisis. A clear demand must be made by the international community for the immediate cessation of attacks against the civilian population and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from the area in order to stem the continued escalation of violence and deterioration of the grave situation on the ground.

  The present letter is in follow-up to our previous 202 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000. These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 30 September 2004 (A/ES-10/283-S/2004/776), constitute a basic record of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people since September 2000. For all of these war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

  Accordingly, in follow-up to the above-mentioned letters, it is my deepest regret to inform you that, since my letter to you yesterday, at least 16 more Palestinians, including children, have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs killed since September 2000 to 3,313 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  I would be grateful if you would arrange to have 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 1 October 2004 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 the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem *

(Thursday, 30 September 2004, to Friday, 1 October 2004)

Thursday, 30 September 2004

 1.   Sultan Saeed Al-Beeshawy (11 years old)

 2.   Mohammed Ra’fat Al-Reefi (16 years old)

 3.   Mu’taz Abdelmalek Al-Toluli (15 years old)

 4.   Jihad Mahmoud Abdelghani Abu Al-Jabeen

 5.  Mustafa Khalil Himsh

 6.   Atef Sabah

 7.  Musa’b Mohamed Qerejeh Jouma’h

 8.  Hossam Omar Ghibn 

Friday, 1 October 2004

 1.   Ibrahim Ali Eiseleh (died from wounds sustained on 30 September 2004) 

 2.  Nidal Omar Matar

 3.   Waseem Mustafa Niteil (18 years old)

 4.  Shady Safi

 5.   Adnan Ahmed Al Bure’ai

 6.  Hani Mushtahi 

 7.   Ra’ed Al Haj Ahmed

 8.  Mohamed Rafiq Kamal Salem

*   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 3,313.

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