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: (Martyrs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory)

In follow up to my two recent letters, dated 29 September 2000 and 2 October 2000 (A/55/432, S/2000/921; A/55/437, S/2000/930), I regret to inform once more that Israel, the occupying Power, has intransigently persisted in its campaign against the Palestinian people, continuing to massacre and injure even more Palestinian civilians.

On the 2^nd and 3^rd of October, Israeli security forces killed 17 more Palestinians, bringing the total number of dead to 45. The majority of those killed were civilians and a number of them were children, including a baby girl of 1½ years of age. (The names of the martyrs are annexed to this letter.) The forces also injured hundreds more Palestinians, many of whom remain in critical condition. It was starkly horrific to realize that among the severely injured, several of the injured were hit in the eyes, causing loss of sight in most of them.

In addition to the information I conveyed to you in my previous letters regarding the use of lethal power by Israel, the Israeli security forces have continued to increase their presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, have reoccupied parts of the areas under Palestinian jurisdiction, and yesterday actually used tanks to fire against Palestinian targets.

I find myself also compelled to refer to the tragic events in Israel itself. In recent days, Israeli Arabs have been protesting in demonstration of their solidarity with the Palestinian people. The Israeli police have responded to this with fatal brutality, which has resulted in the killing of 10 Israeli Arabs and the injuring of hundreds.

Once again, we call for immediate action by the Security Council to ensure the cessation of all illegal Israeli actions and measures against the Palestinian people, including its use of all kinds of lethal military power; the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Al-Haram Al-Sharif and from the vicinity of Palestinian cities and towns; and an investigation of the bloody events of recent days.

Monday, 2 October 2000:

1. Sara Abdelazeem Hassan (1½ years old)
2. Hatim Abdelaziz Al-Najjar
3. Mahmoud Ghazi Al-Nabih
4. Salah Abdullah Abu-Kaylis
5. Ibrahim Sameeh Barahma
6. Mohammed Amin Majdi
7. Wael Tayseer Al-Katawi (14 years old)
8. Ahmad Sami Fayadh
9. Musleh Hussein Abu-Jarrad

 

Tuesday, 3 October 2000:

1. Fahmi Fuad Abu-Amuna
2. Khadra Ahmad Abu-Salameh (hospitalized on 29 September)
3. Omar Mohammed Suleiman
4. Ammar Khalil Al-Rifaee (17 years old)
5. Mohammed Yunis Al-Zamamra (bullet wounds on 30 September)
6. Ismail Mohammed Shamalekh
7. Husam Ismail Al-Hamshari (16 years old, bullet wounds on 1 October)
8. Ahmad Ali Al-Nabrees