Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 27 August 2003 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 adamantly and recklessly pursue its campaign of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians in flagrant violation of all norms and principles of international law, including international humanitarian law. Following the extrajudicial killing of four Palestinians in Gaza on Monday, the Israeli occupying forces yesterday continued this illegal and barbaric campaign by targeting a car carrying three Palestinian men in northern Gaza. The missile attack launched against them by helicopter gunships missed their car and killed an elderly Palestinian man, Younis Mohammed Al-Abed Al-Hamlawi, aged 65, nearby. The attack also wounded at least 20 other Palestinian civilians, including four children.

  In the wake of the attack, Israeli officials today reiterated their intentions to continue pursuing this pernicious policy of targeting Palestinians for execution, regardless of its illegality or humanitarian consequences or the impact on the fragile peace process between the two sides. Clearly, the continuation of such actions by the occupying Power is seriously obstructing any and all efforts to stabilize the situation on the ground, including with regard to a ceasefire, to proceed with the peace process and to implement the road map.

  In addition, the Israeli occupying forces continue to carry out countless other illegal actions and measures in systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people. The occupying forces continue to raid Palestinian cities, towns and villages and to arrest, abduct and detain dozens more Palestinians. In a particularly appalling incident in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, 26 August, Israeli occupying forces raided the Raffidiyah Hospital in the city of Nablus, physically confined the doctors and nurses, broke down several doors and abducted two wounded Palestinian men from their beds. As the Israeli occupying forces continue to commit such human rights violations against the Palestinian people on a daily basis, they seriously risk further aggravating the already tense and grave situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

  It is incumbent upon the international community, including in particular the Security Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, to take a firm stand against such illegal policies and actions and to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to cease its constant violations of international law. Measures must be undertaken to ensure that Israel complies with international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as with the provisions of the road map. Only under such conditions can the situation be prevented from further and irreparably deteriorating and can a climate truly conducive to the pursuit of peace actually emerge and thrive.

  The present letter is in follow-up to our previous 169 letters to you regarding the 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 25 August 2003 (A/ES-10/231-S/2003/834), 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, I regret to inform you that, since my last letter, at least two Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs to 2,512 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of 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) Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa
Ambassador
Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 27 August 2003 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, 26 August 2003) 

    Tuesday, 26 August 2003

1.  Medalala Mohammed Aljedayli

2.  Younis Mohammed Al-Abed Al-Hamlawi

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 *   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 2,512.

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