9 January 2002 (A/ES-10/137-S/2002/39)
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 Claims of Alleged Ship)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his government fail
to run out of dangerous and malicious declarations, measures and allegations
directed against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. These
are reflective of a policy bent on blocking any attempt to end the violence,
including implementation of the Mitchell recommendations, and destroying any
potential for real peace between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. While
Israel, the occupying Power, continues committing war crimes and State
terrorism, it also continues to spread accusations of terrorism, to use its
military force to prevent the movement of the elected President of the
Palestinian Authority, to invent preconditions for implementation of the
Mitchell recommendations and to spread unfounded stories aimed at undermining
the credibility of the Palestinian Authority.
I would like to refer to the letter by the Israeli Permanent
Representative on 4 January 2002, which contains the infamous allegation with
regard to the "50 tons of offensive weapons" aboard a "ship bound for the
Palestinian Authority". The Israeli story defies logic and any common sense.
No sane person could imagine this quantity of weapons to be successfully
smuggled into Gaza through the many serious barriers, including the Israeli
naval siege, irrespective of any talks of floating devices and the like.
Neither could any sane person imagine the possible use of weapons such as
Katyusha rockets against Israel from a place such as Gaza, without
catastrophic results. Furthermore, no sane person can imagine in the
circumstances this sort of "military cooperation" between the Islamic Republic
of Iran and the Palestinian Authority, who have both denied any
involvement.
Several credible sources and reports have indicated that the
shipment might have been going to a totally different destination and that the
ship might have been loaded in the port of Dubai and not just off the coast of
Iran as Israel alleges. As for the presence of Palestinians aboard the ship,
including the Captain, the Palestinian Authority has already established a
committee to investigate the matter, taking into consideration the serious
questions raised about the behavior of the Captain. The Palestinian Authority
has called for the cooperation of all interested parties, and that includes
Israel, irrespective of its erratic and suspicious behavior on that matter.
In follow up to my previous 86 letters to you regarding the
ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem,
dated from 29 September 2000 to 4 January 2002 (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/2001/131;
A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156; A/ES-10/60-S/2001/175; A/ES-10/61-S/2001/189;
A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209; A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226; A/ES-10/66-S/2001/239;
A/ES-10/67-S/2001/255; A/ES-10/68-S/2001/284; A/ES-10/69-S/2001/295;
A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304; A/ES-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-10/99S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100;
S/2001/754;A/ES10/101-S/2001/783;A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785;
A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798; A/ES10/104;S/2001/812; A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814;
A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821; A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826; A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880;
A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918; A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928; A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932;
A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941; A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971 A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989;
A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991; A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007, A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024;
A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036; A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084; A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092;
A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118; A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149; A/ES-10/129-S/2001/1166;
A/ES-10/133-S/2000/1239; A/ES-10/134-S/2001/1261 and A/ES-10/136-S/2002/18), I
also regret to inform you that 2 more Palestinians have been killed by the
Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of Palestinians killed
since 28 September 2001 to 844 martyrs. (The names of the martyrs are
contained in the annex to the present letter.)
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem*
(Friday, 4 January 2002 through Wednesday, 4 January 2002)
Friday, January 4 2002
- Nael Tahseen Ramadan
Wednesday, 9 January 2002
- Shadi Ahmad Mussalim (from wounds sustained on 15 December 2001)
* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli
occupying forces since 28 September 2000 = 844