Situation in the OPT/Hebron – Communique of NAM – Letter from Indonesia

SECURITY COUNCIL

LETTER DATED 1 MARCH 1994 FROM THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDONESIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

On behalf of the Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement, I have the honour to transmit herewith a copy of the Communiqué of the Committee on Palestine of the Non-Aligned Movement adopted on 1 March 1994 in New York (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the text of the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

                                          (Signed)  Witjaksana SOEGARDA

                                                        Ambassador

                                                   Chargé d'affaires a.i.

Annex

Communiqué of the Committee on Palestine of the

Non-Aligned Movement

New York, 1 March 1994

The Committee on Palestine of the Non-Aligned Movement was convened in New York on 1 March 1994, under the chairmanship of H.E. Ambassador Witjaksana Soegarda of Indonesia, to consider the grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, resulting from the massacre in Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron) on 25 February 1994 committed by armed Israeli settlers.

The meeting was attended by H.E. Ramtane Lamamra of Algeria, H.E. Reaz Rahman of Bangladesh, H.E. Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa of Palestine, Mr. Abelardo Moreno Fernandez of Cuba, Mrs. Mitra Vasisht of India, Mr. Mwenya Lwatula of Zambia and Mr. Ngoni Francis Sengwe of Zimbabwe.

The Committee was briefed on the recent developments by H.E. Dr. M. Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer for Palestine to the United Nations in New York, particularly the massacre in Al-Khalil (Hebron) as well as the ensuing violence.

The Committee strongly condemns this barbaric and bloody attack on worshippers who were praying in the mosque and which caused the death of more than 60 Palestinian civilians and injured several hundred others.  This dastardly attack while unprecedented in magnitude was followed by the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces and the closure of many areas as military zones.

In view of the dangerous situation now prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem the Committee believes that it is incumbent upon the international community to take decisive measures in order to ensure the protection of the Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories. In this context, it is Israel's responsibility to disarm the settlers pending the dismantling of illegal settlements.  Furthermore, the safety and security of Palestinians should be ensured during the transitional period through an appropriately structured international presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Committee reaffirms the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 to all the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem.

In this context, the Committee, while reaffirming the permanent responsibility of the United Nations over the question of Palestine, calls upon the Security Council to take immediate remedial measures to forestall the recurrence of similar acts in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem.

Finally, the Committee has decided to closely monitor the developments in the occupied Palestinian territory in order to ensure that they are conducive to the implementation of the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Interim Self-Government Arrangements, as a step towards exercising their inalienable rights to self-determination and independence.

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