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.)

1. Nael Tahseen Ramadan

1. 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