Letter sent by Mr. Marwan Jilani, Charge d’Affaires, a.i.,
Deputy 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: (Israeli New Response)
The toll of death and destruction in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including Jerusalem, continues to rise with the incessant attacks
by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people, the
Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian infrastructure. In recent days, the
violence by Israeli forces against Palestinian targets has sharply intensified
in a vicious cycle of reprisals and recriminations ordered by the Israeli
government of Mr. Ariel Sharon. The Israeli attacks have been carried out by
all means of heavy weaponry, including tank shelling, machine-gun fire, naval
bombardments and missiles fired from helicopter gunships and F-16
warplanes.
Overnight, Israeli occupying forces bombarded and raided Gaza
city from air, land and sea for more than five hours, terrorizing the
Palestinian population and destroying a number of civilian and official
buildings and attacked the official compounds of President Yasser Arafat in
Gaza city and Ramallah where he remains under military siege. Israeli
occupying forces also committed other attacks in Palestinian cities in the
West Bank, including Nablus, Jenin and Ramallah.
All of the above-mentioned attacks by the Israeli forces
resulted in the killing of Palestinian civilians, including at least two
children, and the injury of dozens, some critically wounded. Further, these
attacks have been carried out in civilian areas, including crowded refugee
camps, gravely endangering the lives of many other Palestinian civilians. The
assaults in Gaza caused the deaths of five Palestinian security officers,
while the assaults in Nablus caused the deaths of ten Palestinians, including
seven Palestinian policemen and three youths, and the attacks on Ramallah
killed two Palestinians. These attacks follow Israeli assaults carried out
over the past few days, which have caused the deaths of other Palestinian
civilians, including three children, and widespread destruction throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In addition to the killings, the Israeli forces have abducted
more than 20 Palestinians in raids in the Occupied Territory. Moreover,
tightening the closures and restrictions on movement, as of today the Israeli
army has prohibited all Palestinian movement between Palestinian cities, towns
and villages, confining the entire Palestinian population and preventing all
type of socio-economic activities, virtually suffocating the Palestinian
people.
In follow up to my previous 97 letters to you regarding the
grave deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 15 February 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 and A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175), I
regret to inform you that, since my last letter to you, the intensification of
the bloody Israeli military campaign has indeed caused a dramatic increase in
the number of deaths and serious injuries among the Palestinian people.
As the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including Jerusalem, continues to seriously deteriorate with increasing death
and destruction being wrought by the Israeli occupying forces against the
Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority, it is incumbent upon the
international community to address this crisis situation. The United Nations
Security Council bears particular responsibility in this regard and must
uphold its duties for the maintenance of peace and security. We therefore call
for an urgent meeting of the Security Council to consider this grave situation
and to take immediate action. Israel, the occupying Power, must be held
accountable for all the human rights violations, war crimes and State
terrorism it is committing against the Palestinian people.
Â
Â