Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 18 June 2001 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the

Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations addressed

to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

I regret to inform you that Palestinian children continue to be the target of the excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying forces. Yesterday, 17 June 2001, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was brutally shot and killed by Israeli occupying forces in Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Today, a 16-year-old, died of bullet wounds to his abdomen that he suffered yesterday in the same incident at the hands of the Israeli occupying forces. These brutal killings occurred when Israeli occupying forces opened fire, including the use of live ammunition, at a group of children in Khan Yunis refugee camp.

Such brutal killings continue despite recent Palestinian agreement and serious efforts to stop attacks emanating from the territory under its control. On the other hand, Israel, the occupying Power, has continued with its military campaign against the Palestinian people, including its excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians and children, and has continued to impose its siege against Palestinian towns and cities.

The Israeli occupying forces have also continued to provide protection for illegal settlers’ aggression against the Palestinian people and their property. Israeli settlers, who have been illegally transferred by the occupying Power to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, in grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and in total violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, have aggravated their attacks against Palestinian civilians, property and crops. In a serious and dangerous development, Israeli settlers, on a daily basis, are burning trees and crops belonging to the Palestinians and erecting new settlement posts as they continue humiliating and assaulting Palestinian civilians.

In this context, a mob of illegal Israeli settlers, on 13 June 2001, opened fire onto a car travelling on a road between Hizma and Khan Al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, killing the driver, Awni Abed Al-Ra’ouf Hadad, as well as injuring two other passengers. This brutal killing follows an attack on 3 June 2001, in which illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian truck, west of Ramallah, causing the truck to overturn, resulting in the killing of two Palestinian civilians.

Since our last letter to you, dated 13 June 2001 (A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586), Israeli occupying forces and Israeli illegal settlers have killed four more Palestinians, bringing the total number of Palestinian martyrs to 501. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) In addition, many Palestinian civilians have been seriously injured as a result of the excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying forces and the perpetual violence of Israeli settlers.

Further, I am writing this letter in follow-up to our previous letters to you on this grave and ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 13 June 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; A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504; A/ES-10/88-S/2001/508; A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544 and A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586).

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) Marwan Jilani

Chargé d’affaires, a.i.

Annex to the identical letters dated 18 June 2001 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

Names of martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem,

Wednesday, 13 June, through Monday, 18 June 2001*

Wednesday, 13 June 2001

Awni Abed Al-Ra’ouf Hadad

Thursday, 14 June 2001

Hassan Abu Sha’era

Sunday, 17 June 2001

Ali Murad Abu Shawish (11 years old)

Monday, 18 June 2001

Adel Qanan (16 years old) (from wounds sustained on 17 June 2001)

__________

* The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 501.