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: (Continuing Siege)
Israel, the occupying Power, continues to pursue its bloody
military campaign against the Palestinian people and their leadership in
complete violation of international law and international humanitarian law and
in complete defiance of the will of the international community. Mr. Sharon
and his government continue to ignore Security Council resolutions and to
avoid their implementation, refusing to comply with the demands made in
resolution 1402 (2002) for the withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces from
Palestinian cities and an immediate cessation of all acts of violence. Once
again, the Security Council convened yesterday and adopted resolution 1403
(2002), demanding the implementation of resolution 1402 (2002) without delay,
and yet the Israeli occupying forces continue to wage their military campaign
throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. The
Israeli military attacks also continue in spite of the requests made by U.S.
President George W. Bush in his statement yesterday.
The Israeli occupying forces continue to occupy Palestinian
cities, towns, villages and refugee camps, killing and wounding Palestinians,
destroying homes and properties and terrorizing the entire Palestinian
population. Yesterday, occupying forces reoccupied the city of Al-Khalil and
today seized the town of Tubas and began launching attacks and raids on the
population there. In addition, the occupying forces continued to launch
assaults in Nablus and Jenin and the surrounding refugee camps as well as
continuing the siege and attacks in Ramallah, Qalqilya, Tulkarem and
Bethlehem. The toll of death and destruction in these cities steeply climbs
with each passing day of the Israeli military campaign.
The Israeli siege of the Church of the Nativity continues in
the occupied city of Bethlehem, which remains a closed military zone. Dozens
of Israeli tanks and occupying soldiers remain surrounding the Church and
Manger Square. The lives of the Palestinians who fled to the Church in search
of safe haven from the Israeli onslaught are clearly in danger as is the
sanctity of the Church while the occupying forces continue their siege.
The international community must ensure the implementation of
Security Council resolutions 1403 (2002), 1402 (2002) and 1397 (2002) to bring
a halt to this most recent aggression by Israel, the occupying Power, in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. The international
community is morally and legally duty bound to take the necessary measures to
bring an end to the Israeli human rights violations, war crimes and State
terrorism against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority.
In follow-up to my previous 113 letters to you regarding the
crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from
29 September 2000 to 4 April 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/2002/245; A/ES-10/157-S/2002/253;
A/ES-10/158-S/2002/258; A/ES-10/159-S/2002/281; A/ES-10/160-S/2002/307;
A/ES-10/161-S/2002/319; A/ES-10/XXX-S/2002/330; A/ES-10/163-S/2002/340 and
A/ES-10/164-S/2002/353), it is my regret to inform you that, since my letter
to you yesterday, at least 8 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli
occupying forces, raising the total number of Palestinian martyrs to 1,236
people. These figures do not include today’s fatalities. Once again, due to
the extremely difficult circumstances in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
we have been unable to compile a complete and accurate list of all of the
Palestinian martyrs that have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces. The
annex to the present letter contains the names of the martyrs that have thus
far been identified, and the names of the other Palestinians that have been
killed by the occupying forces will be conveyed once they are
identified.
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem*
(Thursday, 4 April 2002)
Thursday, 4 April 2002
- Sadaqa ‘Okasheh
- Samir Ibrahim Salman
- Rabe’a Ahmed Jalamneh
- Abdallah Khidr Abu Obeid
- Ahmed Hassan Abu Al-Heija
- Nidal Abu Al-Heija
- Mahmoud Rawhi Al-Akkah
- Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Hattab
*Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
since 28 September 2000 = 1,236