Situation in the OPT / TIPH – Letter from Palestine

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Forty-eighth session Forty-ninth year

Agenda items 34, 35, 85 and 86

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS

  AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES

  IN THE NEAR EAST

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO

  INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES

  AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE

  PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER

  ARABS OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Letter dated 11 August 1994 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i.

of the Office of the Permanent Observer for Palestine to the

United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I am instructed by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which retains the powers and responsibilities of the provisional Government of Palestine, to bring the following to your attention.

Despite repeated requests and insistence by the Palestine Liberation Organization for the extension of the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), which was established in Hebron on 8 May 1994, the Israeli Government has refused to approve extension of the mandate to prolong the stay of TIPH until its mission is completed.

Although the presence of the observer force clearly helped to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Hebron, particularly in the wake of the massacre of 25 February 1994 at Al Ibrahimi mosque, the suffering and problems persist.  The situation in Hebron remains tense, the mosque remains closed and several areas in the city are still off limits.  Furthermore, even during the stay of TIPH, very serious incidents occurred and oppressive measures were taken by both the Israeli army and the illegal settlers against the Palestinian people in Hebron.  As such, Israeli refusal to extend the mission of TIPH violates the spirit of the agreement reached on 31 March 1994 between the PLO and Israel on this subject and is not in compliance with the provisions of Security Council resolution 904 (1994).

The PLO recalls paragraph 3 of the said resolution, in which the Security Council

"calls for measures to be taken to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territory, including, inter alia, a temporary international or foreign presence".  The PLO calls upon the members of the Security Council to encourage the co-sponsors of the peace process to fulfil the request of the Council, in paragraph 4 of the resolution, "to undertake the necessary support for the implementation of the above-mentioned measures", in order to avoid any possible violation of human rights by the occupying Power, which would inflict serious harm on the peace process under way and compound the existing difficulties.  We believe that the mission of TIPH was terminated unfulfilled, and we look forward to the full and speedy implementation of resolution 904 (1994) throughout the occupied territory.

I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of this letter distributed as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 34, 35, 85 and 86, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Muin SHREIM      

Chargé d'affaires a.i.

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