17 May 2001 (A/ES-10/86-S/2001/496)
Letter sent by Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa, Ambassador and Permanent
Observer of Palestine to the U.N., to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, the President of the Security Council, and the President of the
General Assembly: (Executions & Incursions)
I write to you with reference to my letter of 14 May 2001
(A/ES-10/84-S/2001/479), particularly with regard to the heinous crime of
execution committed by the Israeli occupying forces against five Palestinian
policemen who had been stationed at a post in Beitunia near the city of
Ramallah. These killings perpetrated by the occupying forces signal an ever
more dangerous escalation of Israeli military aggression and war crimes
against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including Jerusalem.
In this regard, Israel’s policy of extrajudicial killings has
been reaffirmed by the emergence of more facts in recent days regarding this
tragic event, including public admissions by high-ranking Israeli military and
government officials that the execution of those five men was indeed
intentional, irrespective of Israeli claims that it was a case of ‘mistaken
identity’. Moreover, disclosures about the specific intent of this execution
corroborate repeated Palestinian assertions regarding the official Israeli
policy and practice of extrajudicial killings, assassinations and executions.
Not only do these brutal actions indicate an utter and total disregard for
human life, they clearly represent grave breaches of international law and
international humanitarian law, including article 3 common to the four Geneva
Conventions, and are tantamount to war crimes and state terrorism.
The perpetrators of these crimes, including high-ranking
officials in the Israeli government and military responsible for such orders,
must be held accountable and prosecuted for their actions. Failure to do so
can only serve to perpetuate such crimes in the future, for, as noted in
General Assembly resolution 55/111 (4 December 2000), entitled Extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions, "impunity continues to be a major cause of
the perpetuation of violations of human rights, including extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions".
Furthermore, recent statements made by Israeli officials to
various media have indeed confirmed Israel’s intentions to intensify its
military assault against the Palestinian people. The Israeli occupying forces
continued this week to pursue further incursions into Palestinian-controlled
areas using tanks and bulldozers, resulting in extensive damage to homes,
buildings and fields and dozens of injuries among Palestinian civilians.
Incursions late last night also
included the firing of rockets and missiles targeting
Palestinian police structures located in densely populated civilian areas in
the West Bank town of Jenin and the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Also yesterday, Israeli occupying forces seized a Palestinian building in the
Gaza Strip. In this regard, the Israeli army stated that its forces now have
authority for "taking positions on houses in Palestinian areas for varying
periods of time according to need." Such statements and actions are a stark
indication of the mounting seriousness and longevity of these repeated Israeli
incursions.
In follow-up to my previous letters to you on this grave
matter, dated from 29 September 2000 to 15 May 2001 (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/2000/1206;
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; and A/ES-10/85-S/2001/486), I
regret to inform you that one more Palestinian civilian, a 14 year-old boy,
was killed by the Israeli occupying forces since my letter to you on 15 May.
(The name of the martyr is contained in the annex to the present letter.) The
killing of this child raises the total number of Palestinian martyrs since 28
September 2000 to 462 people.
We reiterate the need for the international community to
undertake urgent measures to bring an end to this bloody and escalating
Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people under occupation. The
Security Council must undertake its duties and responsibilities in this
regard, taking into consideration the recent request for an official meeting
of the Council made by the Arab Group on 16 May. Action has been long overdue,
and this has served only to encourage a severe culture of impunity as Israel
continues to intensify its military aggression against the Palestinian people.
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Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem*
(Wednesday, 16 May 2001 to Thursday, 17 May 2001)
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Wednesday, 16 May 2001
- Mohammed Salim (14 years old)
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* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli
occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 462.
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