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: (Nablus Raid & Settlers)
The Israeli occupying forces continued today to kill, injure,
abduct, destroy and terrorize in the ongoing bloody military campaign against
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem. Early today, Israeli occupying forces, backed by tanks, entered Al
Majeen neighborhood in Nablus, raiding a building and killing four
Palestinians. The killings represent the latest extrajudiciary executions of
Palestinians by Israel, adding to the innumerable war crimes being committed
by the occupying Power on a daily basis.
During the raid in Nablus, the Israeli occupying forces also
abducted 9 Palestinians. In addition, Israeli forces abducted 12 other
Palestinian civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory today,
including two from the village of Zaatara near Bethlehem, two from the village
of Idna near Al-Khalil, seven from the town of Hizma near Occupied East
Jerusalem and one from the village of Katana near Ramallah. These abductions,
as well as the above-mentioned raid, were carried out in residential
neighborhoods, further intensifying the prevailing fear among the Palestinian
civilians as a result of the countless acts of State terrorism committed by
Israel.
At the same time, the Israeli occupying forces continue to
destroy homes, buildings and other civilian infrastructure during the attacks,
assaults and raids being carried out throughout the Occupied Palestinian
Territory. In this regard, according to a statement issued by the European
Commission today, over the past year Israel has wrought damage worth 14.5
million euros (US$12.8 million) to Palestinian projects funded by the European
Union (EU). A comprehensive list of the extensive physical destruction
inflicted by attacks of the Israeli occupying forces on EU-funded development
projects includes, inter alia, damage to the Palestinian airport and
seaport, civil police camps, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, two
schools, a forestry project, a counter-terrorism forensic laboratory, and
sewage, irrigation, road and housing projects.
All of the above-mentioned Israeli actions are in violation
of international law and international humanitarian law and serve only to
further exacerbate the already volatile situation and make the existence of a
cease-fire between the two sides virtually impossible. Indeed, it is the
incessant violations by Israel, the occupying Power, that clearly perpetuate
the cycle of violence. This is an integral part of the Israeli government’s
decision to continue with its bloody military campaign, including war crimes
and State terrorism, against the Palestinian people. These actions have
reached an unprecedented criminal level aimed at not only destroying the
Palestinian Authority and any potential for peace, but also destroying what is
left of the Palestinian infrastructure in order to inflict maximum suffering
and agony on the Palestinian people.
In this regard, I wish to refer to the letter of 16 January
by the Israeli Permanent Representative (A/56/774-S/2002/73). First, the
Palestinian Authority has repeatedly called for a cease-fire in order to end
the cycle of violence. It is the occupying Power that has refused to adhere to
the cease-fire and has repeatedly contravened it. Moreover, illegal Israeli
settlers have continued to commit acts of violence and destruction against the
Palestinian people, increasing their suffering and misery under occupation.
Second, it must be reiterated that the presence of Israeli settlers in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal under international humanitarian
law, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention, which is applicable to all the
territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem. The settlers are
actively engaged in the colonization of the Palestinian Territory and their
presence in and of itself represents a war crime committed by the occupying
Power. Accordingly, the deeds and safety of the settlers remain the ultimate
responsibility of the occupying Power.
In follow up to my previous 92 letters to you regarding the
continuing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem,
dated from 29 September 2000 to 21 January 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 and
A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95), I regret to inform you that since my last letter to
you the Israeli occupying forces have killed a total of 5 Palestinians. (The
names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) These
killings raise the number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to
856 martyrs.
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem*
(Monday, 21 January 2002 to Tuesday, 22 January 2002)
Monday, 21 January 2002
1. Omar Mahmoud Wahdan (in addition to the names of the
martyrs in the letter of 21 January 2002)
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Tuesday, 22 January 2002
- Naseem Abu Alrous
- Karim Mufarjah
- Jasser Sumarou
- Yussef Al Sarkaji
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* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli
occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 856