Showing complete disregard for appeals from around the international community to abide by international law and to halt the violence, Israel, the occupying Power, continues to take actions escalating the violence and aggravating already heightened tensions, causing further destruction and deterioration of the situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In this regard, actions by the Israeli occupying forces in recent weeks have involved in particular acts of extrajudicial killings and assassinations and the seizure of Palestinian towns and cities.

Since my last letter on 30 October 2001, Israeli occupying forces have killed eight more Palestinians, six of them by targeted assassination. Today, Israeli forces using helicopters fired on a taxi in the city of Tulkarem, killing two Palestinians, Yasser Ahmed Abu Asida and Fahmi Abu Eisha. Yesterday, 31 October, the Israeli occupying forces assassinated four Palestinians. In Al-Khalil (Hebron), occupying forces used helicopter missile fire to kill Jameel Jadallah Khalifa. Another Palestinian man, Abdallah Rashid Al-Jaroushi, was assassinated by Israeli tank fire in the city of Tulkarem. Two other Palestinians, Mohammed Merwih Ghanam and Rabie’ Mohammed Ghanam, were assassinated in the town of Jabah near the city of Jenin. On that same day, two Palestinian policemen were killed by occupying forces that had incurred deep into the city of Qalqilya. Also, on Wednesday, Israeli occupying forces used tanks and helicopters to seize the Palestinian village of Arrabeh, abducting several Palestinians during that raid.

These most recent assassinations by the Israeli occupying forces constitute additional war crimes for which the Israeli government must be held responsible. Such actions are being committed by the occupying Power in blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949. It is imperative for the Security Council to take concrete and speedy action to address this very serious matter in order to prevent the further deterioration of the critical situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.

In follow-up of our previous letters to you regarding this grave situation, dated from 29 September 2000 to 30 October 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; 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-10/99-S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754; A/ES10/101S/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 and A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024), I regret to inform you that that total number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupying forces has risen to 742 martyrs. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.)

 

* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 742