4 December 2000 (A/ES-10/49, S/2000/1154)
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: (Israeli Force in Bethlehem)
The Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people
continues unabated. In the early morning hours of today, Israel used
helicopter gunships to fire missiles at populated areas in the vicinity of
Bethlehem. During the day, the Israeli occupying forces also used heavy
machine guns and other kinds of weaponry against civilians in the same area.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces and illegal Israeli settlers
prevented the movement of persons and goods, even in an area that is supposed
to be under full Palestinian control. The Israeli side even went as far as
opening a new road in that area to serve one of the illegal settlements in
Gaza.
Furthermore, and in follow-up to my previous letters to you,
dated 29 September to 28 November 2000 (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/ES10/42-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), I regret to inform you that
since my last letter, dated 28 November 2000, and until today, 16 more
Palestinians have been killed, which brings the total number of deaths to 266
Palestinians. (The names of the 16 martyrs are annexed.) Scores of Palestinian
civilians were also wounded during the same period, many of whom remain in
critical condition.
With regard to the urgent issue of providing protection to
the Palestinian civilians under the Israeli occupation and the efforts to
establish a United Nations Monitoring Force, we welcome the step taken by the
members of the NAM Caucus who are members of the Security Council to table a
draft resolution in this regard. We call on the Security Council to expedite
its consideration of this matter and to take the necessary steps in this
regard as soon as possible. The establishment of a United Nations Monitoring
Force will definitely save lives and make the situation on the ground better,
and will thus enhance the potential for peace in the region.
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli security forces
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory including Jerusalem
(Tuesday, 28 November through Saturday, 2 December
2000)
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Tuesday, 28 November 2000
- Imad Adeeb Al-Dabah
- Karam Al-Kurd ( 13 years old)
- Ibrahim Abdel Jabbar Kahla
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Wednesday, 29 November 2000
- Mohammed Abdullah Al-Masharawi ( 14 years old)
- Ashraf Abdel Karim Al-Basous
- Musa Musbah Mawafi
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Thursday, 30 November 2000
- Shadi Ahmed Hassan Za’oul ( 14 years old)
- Waleed Mohammed Ahmed Al-B’den (17 years old)
- Ismail Abdel Salam Abu Al-Rous
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Friday, 1 December 2000
- Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Arja ( 12 years old)
- Hamza Nadi Al-Hasees
- Midhat Mohammed Sobih Jadallah ( 14 years old) (from wounds sustained on
30 November 2000)
- Yaseen Mohammed Hussein Shehadah
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Saturday, 2 December 2000
Shehadah Musa Al-Jafary
Shadi Nasser Abu Hobeid
Naif Abu Dahoud