Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 21 May 2001 from the Permanent Observer

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

and the President of the Security Council

I write to you today with reference to my letter of 18 May 2001 (A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504), regarding the use by Israel, the occupying Power, of F-16 war planes to strike Palestinian targets in the cities of Nablus and Ramallah. I regret to inform you that this additional Israeli war crime against the Palestinian people resulted in the killing of a total of 12 Palestinians, which is two more martyrs than the total reported on Friday, 18 May. The targets of those Israeli air strikes were two police stations, both of which were completely destroyed. No real military or moral justification existed for such an Israeli crime. The Israeli claims that these attacks are in “retaliation” are nothing but justifications for inflicting collective, indiscriminate and violent punishment on the Palestinian people.

The next day, 19 May, Israeli occupying forces continued with their bloody military campaign with the use of helicopter gunships to bombard other targets in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem. Israeli occupying forces shot and killed three Palestinians on that day, one of them a farmer who was not engaged in any confrontation with the Israelis.

Yesterday, Israeli occupying forces continued to shell Palestinian areas, including the home of a high-level Palestinian security official in Ramallah. Today, Israeli helicopter gunships again fired missiles at a factory just outside Gaza City, injuring several Palestinians, and Israeli tanks raided the town of Qarara, shelling the mosque of the town and causing serious damage before their withdrawal. The Israeli occupying forces also shot and killed two Palestinians, striking each of them with more than 10 bullets in the upper body.

In follow-up to my previous letters to you on this grave and ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 18 May 2001 (A/55/437-S/2000/930; A/55/450-S/2000/957; A/55/466-S/2000/971; A/55/474-S/2000/984; A/55/490-S/2000/993; A/ES-10/39-S/2000/1015; A/ES-10/40-S/2000/1025; A/ES-10/42-S/2000/1068; A/ES-10/43-S/2000/1078; A/ES-10/44-S/2000/1093; A/ES-10/45-S/2000/1104; A/ES-10/46-S/2000/1107; A/ES-10/47-S/2000/1116; A/ES-10/48-S/2000/1129; A/ES-10/49-S/2000/1154; A/ES-10/50-S/2000/1173; A/ES-10/51-S/2000/1185; A/ES-10/52-S/2000/1215; A/ES-10/53-S/2000/1247; A/ES-10/54-S/2001/7; A/ES-10/55-S/2001/33; A/ES/10/56-S/2001/50, A/ES-10/57-S/2001/101; A/ES-10/58-S/2001/131 A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156;  A/ES-10/60-S/2001/175; A/ES-10/61-S/2001/189; A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209;  A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226; A/ES-10/66-S/2001/239; A/ES-10/67-S/2001/255; A/ES-10/68-S/2001/284; A/ES-10/69-S/2001/295; A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304; A/ES-10/71-S/2001/314; A/ES-10/72-S/2001/332; A/ES-10/75-S/2001/352; A/ES-10/76-S/2001/372; A/ES-10/79-S/2001/418; A/ES-10/80-S/2001/432; A/ES-10/81-S/2001/447; A/ES-10/82-S/2001/463; A/ES-10/83-S/2001/471; A/ES-10/84-S/2001/479; A/ES-10/85-S/2001/486; A/ES-10/86-S/2001/496 and A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504), I regret to inform you that the Israeli occupying forces have killed seven more martyrs since my last letter to you (the names of the seven martyrs are contained in the annex). With these most recent killings, the number of Palestinian martyrs killed since 28 September 2000 now totals 479 people. The number of injuries, many critical, also continues to rise each day as a result of the violent and criminal actions of the occupying forces.

Israel, the occupying Power, is obviously trying to inflict maximum damage and to kill as many Palestinians as possible during this military campaign with the apparent aim of undermining the structure of the Palestinian Authority and forcing the Palestinian people to surrender to the Israeli occupation. Israeli actions in this regard have been tantamount to collective war crimes and state terrorism waged against the Palestinian people, which must urgently be stopped by the international community. The Security Council, in particular, must fulfil its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations. The Council should begin by acting speedily on the request made by the States Members of the Arab Group on 16 May 2001 to convene a meeting of the Council. It is inappropriate for the Council to continue its inaction towards this ongoing tragedy and clear threat to international peace and security.

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) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 21 May 2001 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^a

(Friday, 18 May 2001 through Monday, 21 May 2001)

Friday, 18 May 2001 (in addition to the 10 martyrs included in the letter of Friday, 18 May 2001)

1. Nabil Essam Ismail

2. Rami Ezat Yaseen

Fahd Bani Odeh (unidentified martyr included in letter of Friday, 18 May 2001)

Saturday, 19 May 2001

1. Fawaz Al-Damj

2. Tayseer Awad Al-Areer

3. Hamam Abdel Haq

Monday, 21 May 2001

1. Hamdy Abu Ghosah

2. Ahmed Al Ajamy

_____________

^a The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 479.