12 March 2001 (A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226)
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 Siege of Occupied Palestinian
Territory)
Israel, the occupying Power, continues with its bloody
military campaign against the Palestinian people. Yesterday, the occupying
Power even escalated its severe restrictions on the movement of persons and
goods by surrounding the city of Ramallah in the Occupied West Bank and many
other populated Palestinian areas. The Israeli army built new roadblocks, dug
trenches around certain areas, and bulldozed paved roads in some locations for
the direct purpose of preventing Palestinian movement. Moreover, the Israeli
army sent in additional tanks as part of these measures of siege.
It is distressing to note that the above-mentioned actions
come as among the first actions of the new Israeli government of Ariel Sharon
since it took office, a signal of the impending increasing dangers facing the
Palestinian people. In fact, an Israeli source has described these additional
measures as moving from a "breathing siege" to a "suffocating siege". Indeed,
the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation are now suffocated and
besieged.
Also today, the Israeli army shot and killed another
Palestinian civilian and injured more than 20 of those who were demonstrating
against the siege of the city of Ramallah. This killing brings the total
number of Palestinian martyrs since by last letter to you, on 9 March 2001
(A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209) to 373 persons. (The names of the two martyrs are
contained in the annex to the present letter.)
We are calling upon the Security Council to convene an
immediate meeting to consider the increasingly dangerous situation on the
ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, with the
aim of taking the necessary measures, including the establishment of a United
Nations observer force to contribute in providing protection for the
Palestinian civilians.
Further, please note that this letter is in follow-up to my
previous letters to you, dated from 29 September 2000 to 9 March 2001, on this
very serious matter (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/2000/131; A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156;
A/ES-10/60-S/2000/175; A/ES-10/61-S/2001/189; and A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209).
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli security forces
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem
(Saturday, 10 March 2001 through Monday, 12 March
2001)
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Saturday, 10 March 2001
- Eyad Sa’di Ayyad
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Monday, 12 March 2001
- Abdelkader Mohammed Ibrahim