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: (Jabaliya & Amari Attacks)
The bloody Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian people
continued to intensify late Monday into today, with hundreds of Israeli troops
and tanks and armored vehicles descending upon Palestinian refugee camps,
towns and cities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The largest incursions
and the deadliest assaults by the Israeli occupying forces were carried out in
the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza and in the Amari refugee camp in
Ramallah.
Overnight Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday morning,
the Israeli occupying forces carried out attacks against the Jabaliya refugee
camp, which is the largest and most heavily populated of the refugee camps in
Gaza. Using tanks and helicopter gunfire, the Israeli forces killed at least
18 Palestinians and injured more than 80 people in the camp and caused
extensive destruction of property. The assaults spread terror and panic among
the civilian population, causing many refugees, including women and children,
to flee the camp in fear in the dark of the night. Also, in another raid in
Gaza, the occupying forces killed four Palestinians in Khan Yunis in a missile
strike on an aluminum factory.
In Ramallah, more than 150 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles
entered the city early today, with soldiers of the occupying force raiding
homes throughout the city, particularly in the Amari refugee camp, and tanks
positioned at almost every street corner. Israeli tanks even fired upon a
hotel in Ramallah housing at least forty foreign journalists who were
documenting the assault being perpetrated against the Amari camp. Further,
occupying forces shelled a hospital in the city and continued to fire at and
prevent medical personnel from reaching and assisting the wounded. At least
five Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupying forces during the assault
in Ramallah today. Clearly, this huge Israeli military incursion into such a
densely populated city and refugee camp poses a serious threat to the safety
and well being of the entire civilian population in the area.
At the same time, the Israeli occupying forces continued
today to round up and detain Palestinian men, ages 15 to 60, during raids
throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in the Jabaliya and
Amari refugee camps. The biggest round up today took place in the Palestinian
town of Wadi al Salqa in Gaza, where more than 100 Palestinians continue to be
detained. Many of the detained have been forced to stand blindfolded, hands
tied and stripped to the waist. In total, more than two thousand Palestinians
have been detained and questioned by the Israeli occupying army in just the
past few days, adding to the mounting human rights violations being committed
by the occupying power against the Palestinian people.
These latest deadly incursions by the Israeli occupying
forces convey the true intentions and duplicity of the government of Mr.
Sharon. The continuing war crimes, State terrorism and human rights violations
being committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupying forces
are actions for which the government of Israel, the occupying Power, must be
held accountable. Further, the incessant killings, bombardments and
destruction must be brought to an immediate end, and the international
community is duty-bound to help in this regard.
At this time, I wish to refer to the very important statement
made by the Secretary-General during the public briefing today at the Security
Council. While the Secretary-General called on Mr. Arafat and Mr. Sharon to
immediately take the necessary political, security and economic steps on the
ground, he also called on the Security Council to lend its full authority and
influence to the vital cause of peace. This is the most vocal call by the
Secretary-General for the Security Council to act, and we join the
Secretary-General in calling upon the Council to take the necessary actions
immediately before this grave situation worsens even further.
In follow up to our previous 106 letters to you regarding the
escalating crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem,
dated from 29 September 2000 to 11 March 2002 (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; 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; A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586; A/ES-10/91-S/2001/605;
A/ES-10/92-S/2001/629; A/ES-10/93-S/2001/657; A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669;
A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686; A/ES-10/96-S/2001/697; A/ES-10/97-S/2001/708;
A/ES-10/98-S/2001/717; A/ES-10/99S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754;
A/ES10/101-S/2001/783; A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785; A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798;
A/ES10/104-S/2001/812; A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814; A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821;
A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826; A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880; A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918;
A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928; A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932; A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941;
A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971 A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989; A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991;
A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007, A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024; A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036;
A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084; A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092; A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118;
A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149; A/ES-10/129-S/2001/1166; A/ES-10/133-S/2000/1239;
A/ES-10/134-S/2001/126; A/ES-10/136-S/2002/18; A/ES-10/137-S/2002/39;
A/ES-10/138-S/2002/48; A/ES-10/139-S/2002/58; A/ES-10/140-S/2002/89;
A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95; A/ES-10/142-S/2002/102; A/ES-10/143-S/2002/121;
A/ES-10/144-S/2002/142; A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146; A/ES-10/146-S/2002/165;
A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175; A/ES-10/148-S/2002/182; A/ES-10/149-S/2002/186;
A/ES-10/150-S/2002/214; A/ES-10/151-S/2002/223; A/ES-10/152-S/2002/232;
A/ES-10/154-S/2002/242; A/ES-10/155-S/2002/248; A/ES-10/156-S/2002/249 and
A/ES-10/157-S/2002/253), it is my profound regret to inform you that, since my
letter to you yesterday, 35 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli
occupying forces. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the
present letter.) These killings raise the total number of Palestinians killed
since 28 September 2000 to 1,100 martyrs, including men, women and children.
Moreover, the number of Palestinians wounded, many critically and permanently,
by the Israeli assaults also continues to dramatically climb.
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces In the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem* (Monday, 11 March 2002 to
Tuesday, 12 March 2002)
Monday, 11 March 2002 (In addition to the martyrs’ names in our letter
of 11 March)