Mideast situation/Palestine question – GA emergency session – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 23 October 2000 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

In follow-up to my recent letters, dated 29 September (A/55/432-S/2000/921), 2 October (A/55/437-S/2000/930), 4 October (A/55/450-S/2000/957), 9 October (A/55/466-S/2000/971), 12 October (A/55/474-S/2000/984) and 16 October 2000 (A/55/490-S/2000/993), I regret to inform you once again that Israel, the occupying Power, continues its bloody campaign of terror, massacring and injuring more Palestinian civilians each day. The excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying army continues in total disregard for international law and Security Council resolution 1322 (2000) of 7 October 2000, as well as General Assembly resolution ES-10/7 adopted by the Assembly at its tenth emergency special session on 20 October 2000.

Since my previous letter, Israeli forces have killed 28 more Palestinians, bringing the total number of deaths to 115. (The names of the martyrs are annexed.) The Israeli forces have also injured hundreds more, many of whom remain in critical condition in overwhelmed and overcrowded hospitals in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Using heavy weaponry, the Israeli occupying forces continue to encroach upon Palestinian cities. This has included the deployment of additional tanks and the use of tanks, rockets, missiles and helicopter gunships against the Palestinian people. In fact, yesterday as well as today, the Israeli army launched rockets from helicopter gunships into civilian-populated areas north of Bethlehem in the village of Beit Jala. Such violent Israeli military actions have resulted in the loss of Palestinian lives and the severe destruction of property in wholly civilian areas in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Furthermore, Israel, the occupying Power, continues to impose restrictive blockades on the movement of persons and goods into, out of and throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. Today, the occupying Power once again shut down the airspace at Gaza International Airport.

In addition, the Israeli Government has taken additional political steps making the salvaging of the Middle East peace process even more difficult. The Prime Minister of Israel declared a so-called time out from the peace process. In addition to the fact that the peace process is not a game, such a public attitude brings into serious question the commitment of this Government to both the peace process and to the recent Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. We are seriously concerned that this new Israeli military and political escalation might be in preparation to take the Israeli campaign against our people to a new intensified level.

We reiterate once more the necessity for the international community, in particular the Security Council, to ensure Israeli compliance with international law, as well as with Security Council resolution 1322 (2000) and General Assembly resolution ES-10/7.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter 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 23 October 2000 from the

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed

to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

Names of the martyrs killed by Israeli security forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory including Jerusalem

(Monday, 16 October to Monday, 23 October 2000)

Monday, 16 October 2000

Naim Attallah Ahmad Abu Hawash (was not included in the list of martyrs annexed to the letter dated 16 October 2000 (A/55/490-S/2000/993))

Tuesday, 17 October 2000

1.  Farid Mussa Issa Nasasrah

2.  Mohamad Al Dukheil

3.  Nabil Khater

Wednesday, 18 October 2000

Ibrahim Abdel Rahman Al Alamah

Thursday, 19 October 2000

1.  Zahi Fathi Al Ardeh

2.  Mahdi Abu Shadouh

3.  Hassan Mohamad Abu Mahameed

Friday, 20 October 2000

1.  Alaa Bassam Beni Nimra (13 years old)

2.  Thaer Mohamad Ali (13 years old)

3.  Firas Khalil Mustafa Zeid

4.  Amjad Ahmad Abu Issa

5.  Samer Tallal Al Ouissi (16 years old)

6.  Adnan Mohamad Khairy Assaad

7.  Ahmad Faour

8.  Mohamad Abu Tahoun (15 years old)

9.  Nidal Hamouda Abu Shakra

Saturday, 21 October 2000

1.  Fayez Al Qaimari

2.  Omar Ismail Al Bahisi (16 years old)

3.  Majid Ibrahim Al Hawamdah (15 years old)

4.  Tarek Ismail Hantouly

Sunday, 22 October 2000

1.  Nael Al Zamaira

2.  Ali Al Hawamdah

3.  Wa’el Mahmoud Emad (13 years old)

4.  Salah Fawzi Nijmi (15 years old)

Monday, 23 October 2000

1.  Ashraf Ahmad Habaib (15 years old)

2.  Sa’ed Adnan Abdallah Al Tanbour

3.  Abdel Aziz Mohamad Abu Asnineh

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