Israel calls on Security Council to condemn Palestinian attacks – Letter from Israel

Identical letters dated 24 December 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Israel
to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

I am writing to inform you of yet another set of terrorist attacks against Israelis. Just this morning, before the clock struck noon, two stabbing attacks and one car-ramming attack were carried out by Palestinian terrorists, resulting in multiple injuries. Yesterday, a fatal attack took place at Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate. Two Palestinian terrorists, aged 19 and 20, took to the streets with knives, and attacked a crowd of people walking along the promenade of the Old City of Jerusalem.

These attacks raise the total number of stabbing attacks to 96 since October alone, not to mention the dozens and dozens of other forms of terror inflicted on Israelis during this period.

The numbers are staggering, and the list of victims keeps growing. Every name added to this list represents the pain and devastation of another Israeli family.

Yesterday's attack sent three severely wounded civilians to Shaare Zedek Medical Centre and Hadassah Medical Centre. Two of the three victims, Ofer Ben-Ari, 40 years of age, father of two, and Rabbi Reuven Biermacher, 45 years of age, father of seven, died in the hospital in the hours following the attack.

This is the tragic result of a cruel campaign of terror, and two more families —with nine children between them — have suffered an unimaginable loss.

This attack is part of the wave of terror that Israel has endured for the past several months of Palestinians incited to stab, stone, and deliberately ram cars into innocent Israelis.

Israel faces the threat of terrorism on all fronts, from individuals and from organized groups. New evidence constantly reveals systematic and ongoing attempts to plan and carry out large-scale terror attacks against Israelis.

On Wednesday, Israeli security services exposed a large Hamas terror cell, consisting mainly of university students, who were preparing to carry out terror attacks in Israel. The cell was controlled by Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. They also uncovered a makeshift terror laboratory in Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, in East Jerusalem, which was being used to make explosives for suicide bombings.

They had the personnel and the means to carry out devastating attacks, and would have succeeded with their heinous plans were it not for the vigilance of Israeli security forces. This averted terror plot is a reminder that Hamas continues to act with the intent of carrying out mass-casualty attacks in Israel.

I call on the Security Council to condemn yesterday's attacks in the harshest terms, and to include condemnation of Palestinian terrorism in future references to acts of terrorism around the globe.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter distributed as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Danny Danon

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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