Human rights situation in the OT – CHR – Letter from Palestine

QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE

OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES, INCLUDING PALESTINE

Letter dated 23 May 2000 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to

the United Nations Office at Geneva addressed to the United Nations

High Commissioner for Human Rights

I would be grateful if you could have the text of this letter* distributed, as an official document of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Human Rights, under agenda item 8.

(Signed)  Nabil RAMLAWI

Ambassador

Permanent Observer

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*  Reproduced as received, in English only.

Annex

Israeli occupation soldiers open fire at Palestinian civilians

in the occupied Palestinian territory

Following our letter dated 16 May 2000 on this same subject, we would like to bring to your attention by the present that the Israeli occupation forces persisted, on May 19th, 20th and 21st, on their crimes against the Palestinian people by firing live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas bombs, at masses of Palestinians, in different parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.

As a result of such practices, 29 year old Issa Qarakra, from Qaddom refugee camp in Ramallah, died on Saturday, 20 May, from wounds received last Friday, by a bullet fired at him near the northern entrance to Ramallah.

15 year old Sado Hawarin, from Dahereya near Hebron, died in hospital on Sunday, 21 May, as a result of severe head injuries fired on him last Monday.

In Hebron, over fifty Palestinians were wounded, on the 20th May and thirty in Takou town, east of Bethlehem.

In Gaza City, scores of Palestinians including three journalists were wounded by rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Thus, in a week, the Israeli occupation forces have caused the death of six Palestinian martyrs and almost one thousand wounded.

By so doing the Israeli occupation authorities and their military forces are affirming once again, their firm determination, to persist on such crimes, in violation of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva convention of 1949, the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles of international law in that respect.

In front of this new massacre against the Palestinian people, at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces and armed settlers, I would be grateful if you could immediately intervene, in your capacity as High Commissioner from Human Rights, to the Government of Israel, in a bid to urge the latter to refrain from its series of crimes, bearing in mind that this Government should bear the full responsibility for the perpetration of such crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory.

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