Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

Identical letters dated 12 June 2003 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

  Today, Israel, the occupying Power, committed yet another extrajudicial execution in Gaza City, using helicopter gunship missile fire against a densely populated civilian area. In fact, the Israeli occupying forces have committed three such war crimes in just the past 24 hours alone, killing at least 19 Palestinians and wounding scores more, including women and children. In this regard, Israeli officials have indicated that these attacks are a matter of policy and not specifically in reaction to attacks by Palestinian groups. The above-mentioned dramatic escalation in the use of force on the part of the Israeli Government, in addition to the other recent attacks, is obviously aimed at destroying any prospects for the implementation of the road map to peace. The international community, especially members of the Quartet, must firmly condemn and confront such Israeli policies and practices, calling for their immediate cessation to allow for the urgent achievement of a ceasefire.

  The latest air strike occurred today while hundreds of Palestinian civilians were attending a funeral for those Palestinians killed in the previous two Israeli missile attacks. Israeli helicopter gunships fired six missiles at a car, killing Yasser Taha, his wife and their three-year-old daughter and infant son. This attack was launched following the attempt two days ago by the occupying forces to assassinate Abdel Aziz Rantisi, which left three innocent bystanders dead and dozens more injured.

  The brutal killings of these Palestinians, in addition to the thousands of other Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces since September 2000, have been committed before the eyes of the world with absolute impunity. It is this culture of impunity that has allowed Israel, the occupying Power, to continuously and relentlessly perpetrate serious violations and grave breaches of international law and international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, all the while undermining and indeed destroying any and all efforts in pursuit of peace in the region. The international community must act to seriously address this crisis situation.

  This letter is in follow-up to our previous 166 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000. These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 10 June 2003 (A/ES-10/227-S/2003/638), constitute a basic record of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people since September 2000. For all of these war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

  Accordingly, in follow-up to the above-mentioned letters, it is my deep regret to inform you that, since my last letter, at least 19 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs to 2,459 Palestinians. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

  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 12 June 2003 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 the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem^a

    Wednesday, 11 June through Thursday, 12 June 2003

   Wednesday, 11 June 2003

1.  Tito Ma’soud

2.  Suhail Abu Nahl

3.   Azam Hosny Al-Ja’l

4.  Khalil Hassan Khalil Hamid

5.  Mohammed Shtewy

6.  Majida Mahmoud Mohammed Dalool

7.  Samia Mahmoud

8.  Yasser Hassan Khalil Hamid

    Thursday, 12 June 2003

1.  Mohammed Adel Deghmish 

2.   Rawy Abu Kamil

3.  Rateb Mahmoud Al-Ja’l

4.  Yassin Sobhi Murtaja’

5.   Sa’ed Zuhair Mohammed Ghabayen

6.   Ahmed Mohammed Abdel Fatah Samour

7.  Jihad Jasser Soudy

8.   Yasser Mohammed Taha

9.  Islam Abdallah Taha 

10.   Ifnan Yasser Taha (3 years old)

11.   Name unknown (one-year-old son of Yasser Mohammed Taha)

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^aThe total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 2,459.

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