Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 4 December 2000 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 against the Palestinian people continues unabated. In the early morning hours of today, Israel used helicopter gunships to fire missiles at populated areas in the vicinity of Bethlehem. During the day, the Israeli occupying forces also used heavy machine guns and other kinds of weaponry against civilians in the same area. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces and illegal Israeli settlers prevented the movement of persons and goods, even in an area that is supposed to be under full Palestinian control. The Israeli side even went so far as to open a new road in that area to serve one of the illegal settlements in Gaza.

Furthermore, and in follow-up to my previous letters to you, dated from 29 September to 28 November 2000 (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-10/41-S/2000/1046; 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), I regret to inform you that, since my last letter, dated 28 November 2000, and until today, 16 more Palestinians have been killed, which brings the total number of deaths to 266 Palestinians. (The names of the 16 martyrs are annexed.) Scores of Palestinian civilians were also wounded during the same period, many of whom remain in critical condition.

With regard to the urgent issue of providing protection to the Palestinian civilians under the Israeli occupation and the efforts to establish a United Nations monitoring force, we welcome the step taken by the members of the Non-Aligned Movement Caucus who are members of the Security Council to table a draft resolution in this regard. We call upon the Security Council to expedite its consideration of this matter and to take the necessary steps in this regard as soon as possible. The establishment of a United Nations monitoring force will definitely save lives and make the situation on the ground better, and will thus enhance the potential for peace in the region.

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 and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters 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 security forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem

(Tuesday, 28 November to Saturday, 2 December 2000)

Tuesday, 28 November 2000

1. Imad Adeeb Al-Dabah

2. Karam Al-Kurd (13 years old)

3. Ibrahim Abdel Jabbar Kahla

Wednesday, 29 November 2000

1. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Masharawi (14 years old)

2. Ashraf Abdel Karim Al-Basous

3. Musa Musbah Mawafi

Thursday, 30 November 2000

1. Shadi Ahmed Hassan Za’oul (14 years old)

2. Waleed Mohammed Ahmed Al-B’den (17 years old)

3. Ismail Abdel Salam Abu Al-Rous

Friday, 1 December 2000

1. Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Arja (12 years old)

2. Hamza Nadi Al-Hasees

3. Midhat Mohammed Sobih Jadallah (14 years old) (from wounds sustained on 30 November 2000)

4. Yaseen Mohammed Hussein Shehadah

Saturday, 2 December 2000

1. Shehadah Musa Al-Jafary

2. Shadi Nasser Abu Hobeid

3. Naif Abu Dahoud

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