In the late night hours of last Friday, 10 August 2001, scores of Israeli security forces raided and closed down the Orient House along with nine other buildings belonging to Palestinian institutions in and around Occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli security forces physically attacked and arrested the Orient House guards and confiscated important archives belonging to the House, including a number of maps and land ownership documents. Israeli occupying forces also forcefully changed the prevailing situation in the village of Abu Dis in the vicinity of East Jerusalem.

The decision of the Israeli government of Mr. Ariel Sharon to take such a step in regard to the closure of Palestinian institutions, which remain to be closed and occupied, represent a dangerous escalation in the Israeli bloody military campaign being waged against the Palestinian people since last September. It also represents an assault on Palestinian national dignity and Palestinian rights in Jerusalem. Furthermore, this Israeli action denotes a reversal by force of an important part of the agreements reached between the two sides and a flagrant violation of the explicit commitment made in a letter from the Foreign Minister of Israel to the Foreign Minister of Norway dated 11 October 1993, with regard to Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem.

We recall in this regard the international consensus, including relevant Security Council resolutions, that all actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to alter the legal status and the demographic composition of Jerusalem are not only illegal but null and void. We call upon the Security Council to immediately take the necessary action to redress the situation in Occupied East Jerusalem and to halt the continuous deterioration of the situation on the ground.

In addition to the above, Israeli occupying forces continue with their brutal killing of Palestinian civilians. Yesterday, nine-year-old Sabreen Abu Snaineh was shot to death by Israeli gunfire to her head in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron). This latest killing brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 to 560.(The names of martyrs including the names mentioned in our letter dated 31 July 2001 are contained in the annex to the present letter). At the same time, the number of Palestinian civilians injured, many severely and permanently, also continues to rise each day.

Moreover, I am writing this letter in follow-up to our previous 60 letters addressed to you regarding this grave and ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 31 July 2001 (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; 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-10/99-S/2001/742 and A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754.)

 

 

1. Maher Ahmed Abdallah Jawabrah

2. Abdel Rahman Ishtiwi Mubarak

3. Hikmat Abdel Kareem Abu Al-Habal

4. Mohammed Taye’ Kasem Belatyah

5. Munir Mustafa Saleh Belatyah

6. Amin Mohammed Hafez Belatyah

1. Jamal Mansour

2. Omar Mansour

3. Jamal Salim

4. Othman Qabani

5. Faheem Ibrahim Dawabshah

6. Mohammed Al-Bishawi

7. Bilal Abdel Munem Khalil Abu Khidr ( 10 years old)

8. Ashraf Abdel Munem Khalil Abu Khidr (8 years old)

9. Mohammed Asaad Al-Husny

10. Hamoudah Nassri Al-Madhoon

1. Mohammed Badawi Mohammed Al-Sharbati

1. Feras Abdel Haq

 

1. Amer Hassan Al-Khudairy

2. Mahdi Mohammed Mazeed

3. Ali Ibrahim Al-Joulani

 

 

1. Ashraf Subhi Al-Sayed

 

1. Izz El-Dean Al-Masri

1. Maher Afanah

2. Mohammed Ramadan Al-Saqa

3. Azhar Saeed Abu Shalouf (2 years old)

 

1. Sabreen Abu Snaineh (9 years old)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 560