Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 6 March 2002 from the Permanent Observer of

Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

The Israeli military campaign being waged against the Palestinian people continues unabated, and is indeed intensifying, pursuant to the declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to, inter alia, carry out “an aggressive and continuous campaign without let-up”. Today, the Israeli occupying forces, using all means of heavy weaponry, launched air, land and sea attacks against numerous Palestinian targets throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Palestinian death toll rose today as a result of the Israeli attacks, which killed a total of 13 Palestinians. These attacks also caused extensive physical destruction of the already battered Palestinian infrastructure, including the demolition of at least three Palestinian homes.

Among the Palestinian targets damaged by Israeli fire today was the home of President Yasser Arafat in Gaza City. The President’s home, as well as a United Nations school for the blind, suffered severe damage as Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian security facility in the area. In other assaults carried out by the occupying forces, including by F-16 warplanes, two Palestinian police stations in Gaza were destroyed, including a building used by the Palestinian police chief. Israeli naval gunboats also launched strikes against a Palestinian naval base in Gaza, killing four Palestinian officers.

Further, the Israeli occupying forces deployed numerous tanks into the area of the Palestinian villages of Abassan and Karrara, which also came under attack by helicopter gunships. Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded in the attacks, which killed three Palestinian civilians, including a 40-year-old woman. Moreover, at least 14 Palestinians were abducted during the Israeli raid, and occupying forces overtook three apartment buildings in a refugee camp in one of the villages.

The intensification of the bloody Israeli military campaign, characterized by a continuous barrage of air, land and naval strikes, against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership has resulted in rising numbers of Palestinian dead and wounded and threatens to reach disastrous proportions. The international community, particularly the Security Council, is duty-bound to take action to bring an immediate end to the human rights violations, war crimes and State terrorism being perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupying forces. It cannot continue to stand idly by as the cycle of violence rages and situation in the Occupied Palestinian territory continues to deteriorate and jeopardize the stability of the entire region.

In follow-up to our previous 103 letters to you regarding this escalating crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 5 March 2002 (A/55/432-S/2000/921; 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; A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504; A/ES-10/88-S/2001/508; A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544; A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586; A/ES-10/91-S/2001/605; A/ES-10/92-S/2001/629; A/ES-10/93-S/2001/657; A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669; A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686; A/ES-10/96-S/2001/697; A/ES-10/97-S/2001/708; A/ES-10/98-S/2001/717; A/ES-10/99-S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754; A/ES-10/101-S/2001/783; A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785; A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798; A/ES-10/104-S/2001/812; A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814; A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821; A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826; A/ES-10/110-S/2001/855; A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880; A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918; A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928; A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932; A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941; A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971; A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989; A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991; A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007; A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024; A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036; A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084; A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092; A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118; A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149; A/ES-10/129-S/2001/1166; A/ES-10/133-S/2001/1239, A/ES-10/134-S/2001/1261, A/ES-10/136-S/2002/18, A/ES-10/137-S/2002/39, A/ES-10/138-S/2002/48, A/ES-10/139-S/2002/58, A/ES-10/140-S/2002/89, A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95, A/ES-10/142-S/2002/102, A/ES-10/143-S/2002/121, A/ES-10/144-S/2002/142, A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146, A/ES-10/146-S/2002/165; A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175; A/ES-10/148-S/2002/182, A/ES-10/149-S/2002/190, A/ES-10/150-S/2002/214 A/ES-10/151-S/2002/223 and A/ES-10/152-S/2002/232), it is my regret to inform you that a total of 13 Palestinians, including children, were killed today by the Israeli occupying forces. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) Their deaths raise the number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 998 martyrs.

  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 6 March 2002 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
(Wednesday, 6 March 2002) 

1.   Abdel Razik Mahmoud Khidr Astity
2.   Lo’ai Fathi Amin Dabaya (14 years old)
3.  Jamil Al-Sabbagh
4.  Maher Hamada
5.  Ahmed Abu Taher
6.   Mohammed Al-Qumu’
7.  Mofida Abu Daqa
8.   Abdel Ghany Abu Daqa
9.  Mohammed Al-Rajoub
10.   Jamal Abu Hamad
11.  Mahdy Al-Qaisy (18 years old)
12.   Yehia Al-Da’amasa
13.  unidentified

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^aThe total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 998.