Mideast situation – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 5 March 2001 from the Permanent Representative

of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I wish to draw your attention to a heinous act of terrorism perpetrated by a suicide bomber this past Sunday in the Israeli city of Netanya.

Shortly before 9 a.m. local time, a Palestinian terrorist attempted to board a city bus at an intersection in central Netanya. When the driver refused to open the doors, the terrorist crossed the street, entered a crowd of people and detonated the bomb. Three Israelis were killed in the blast: Mr. Naphtali Din, age 85, Ms. Shulamit Ziv, age 58, and Ms. Yevgenya Malchin, age 70. Approximately 50 others were injured and, as of last night, 19 remained hospitalized. This was the third such explosion in Netanya in less than a year and a half.

In response to the attack, the spokesperson for the terrorist organization Hamas called the bombing a “courageous act” and said that all Palestinians are standing together in defence of their land.

Sunday’s bombing is merely the latest in an escalating series of terrorist attacks, which have included drive-by shootings, bombings of public places, abductions and murders. These incidents have been detailed in a number of letters addressed to you, most recently my letters dated 14 February 2001 (A/55/787-S/2001/137); 13 February 2001 (A/55/781-S/2001/132); 2 February 2001 (A/55/762-S/2001/103); 25 January 2001 (A/55/748-S/2001/81); 23 January 2001 (A/55/742-S/2001/71); 28 December 2000 (A/55/719-S/2000/1252); 22 November 2000 (A/55/641-S/2000/1114); 20 November 2000 (A/55/634-S/2000/1108); and 2 November 2000 (A/55/540-S/2000/1065).

The Palestinian leadership continues to avoid taking the necessary steps that could halt the violence and terrorism directed against Israel. Rather than acting to control terrorism, the Palestinian leadership has actively encouraged this behaviour, mainly through the release of convicted terrorist prisoners, who now enjoy complete freedom of movement within the Palestinian territories. Such conduct stands in stark contrast to Chairman Yassir Arafat’s signed commitment of 9 September 1993, in which he renounced the use of violence and resolved to ensure the compliance of all elements and personnel under his authority with this principle.

Chairman Arafat’s failure to abide by this commitment has directly contributed to the outbreak of violence and to the proliferation of terrorist attacks in recent months. Israel again calls upon the Palestinian leadership to abide by its written commitments to halt all violence directed against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the present letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 164, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yehuda Lancry

Permanent Representative