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).

 

1. Eyad Sa’di Ayyad

 

1. Abdelkader Mohammed Ibrahim