General Assembly Tenth emergency special session Agenda item 5 Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory Security Council Sixty-third year Identical letters dated 18 June 2008 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council Israel, the occupying Power, continues to perpetrate systematic human rights violations against the Palestinian people as the occupying forces continue to launch violent attacks, military raids and arrest campaigns in civilian areas throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. With the continuation of its military campaign, the casualties and destruction being endured by the Palestinian people, especially in the besieged Gaza Strip, continue to mount. Moreover, Israel’s military attacks continue to cause destruction to Palestinian property and infrastructure, in flagrant violation and grave breach of the relevant rules and provisions of international law. Despite all such violent and unlawful Israeli actions, the Palestinian leadership has continued to exert efforts to diplomatically address the prevailing crisis and to call for calm. As a result, with the support of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Egyptian Government, a ceasefire in Gaza has been agreed upon and will take effect early tomorrow morning, Thursday, 19 June 2008 (Palestine time). This ceasefire should be extended to the remaining parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. In the meantime, the agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza should lead to the opening of the crossing points in Gaza and bring an immediate end to all Israeli military attacks against the Gaza Strip along with an end to its suffocating and unlawful siege and collective punishment against the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, which has caused vast suffering, deepening poverty and a high incidence of disease and hardship. On another front, we wish to emphasize the urgency of translating the collective will of the international community concerning Israel’s continuing unlawful and intensifying pursuit of settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. In this regard, there must be immediate action taken to call on Israel, the occupying Power, to completely cease all of its illegal settlement activities, including any construction, expansion and planning of settlements and the construction of the wall, and to dismantle its outposts. It is crucial that the international community address this serious issue, especially given that since the Annapolis Conference seven months ago and despite its pledges and commitments to cease settlement activity, the Israeli Government has actually accelerated its settlement activity throughout the Occupied West Bank, including in Occupied East Jerusalem, further fragmenting the contiguity, integrity and unity of the Palestinian Territory and severely endangering the prospects for realizing the two-State solution. Indisputably, the issue of settlement building by Israel, the occupying Power, is the largest obstacle in the path of the peace process and is dangerously undermining the efforts being exerted by the parties and the international community to bring about peace in the region. In this regard, we reiterate our call for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities and to condemn such unlawful Israeli actions and call for an immediate cessation of all settlement activity by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Council must pronounce itself in a clear and forceful way to help salvage the peace process before Israel’s illegal settlement campaign effectively destroys the peace process in its entirety. The present letter is in follow-up to our previous 315 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000. Those letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 3 June 2008 (A/ES-10/419-S/2008/365), constitute a basic record of the crimes being committed by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian people since September 2000. For all of these war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. In follow-up to the above-mentioned letters, I regret to inform you that, since our letter to you dated 29 April 2008, at least 64 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs killed since September 2000 to 5,261 people. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified are included in the annex to the present letter.) I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the present letter and its annex distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council. (Signed) Riyad Mansour Ambassador Permanent Observer Annex to the identical letters dated 18 June 2008 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council * The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 5,261. Names of martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem* (from Friday, 2 May 2008, to Tuesday, 17 June 2008) Friday, 2 May 2008 1. Usama Al-Houbi Sunday, 4 May 2008 2. Hossam Al-Najjar Tuesday, 6 May 2008 3. Hisham Shomar Wednesday, 7 May 2008 4. Mahmoud Abu Moussalam Friday, 9 May 2008 5. Hamdi Shubair 6. Sami Jameel Abu Anza 7. Omar Daoud Moussa Al-Sir 8. Sameer Jameel Wafi 9. Mohammad Abu Odeh 10. Bassam Abu Shbaika 11. Mohammad Abu Armana Monday, 12 May 2008 12. Mu’taz Abu Anza Tuesday, 13 May 2008 13. Tahreer Abdel Ghafour Wednesday, 14 May 2008 14. Mohammad Mounir Abu Habeeb 15. Hamdi Abdel Majeed Kheder (17) 16. Khedr Slama Kheder (17) 17. Ibrahim Hassan Salha (18) 18. Bassem Mohsen Ashour 19. Mohammad Harara 20. Ahmad Al-Malahi (18) Thursday, 15 May 2008 21. Maher Al-Najjar Monday, 19 May 2008 22. Fahmi Al-Dardouk (16) Tuesday, 20 May 2008 23. Majd Abu Okal (13) 24. Ali Al-Dahdouh 25. Mohammad Khamees Odeh 26. Zayed Abu Wadi (12) Wednesday, 21 May 2008 27. Mohammad Ahmad Al-Bahabsa 28. Khaled Abdel Hadi Thursday, 22 May 2008 29. Abdel Kareem Ramadan Ahl 30. Mohammad Ibrahim Nasr 31. Saleh Atwa Al-Bahabsa Friday, 23 May 2008 32. Ibrahim Madi 33. Muhannad Abu Awwad 34. Mohammad Abu Rizq 35. Ra’ed Jamal Al-Naqa 36. Hossam Abu Abda Wednesday, 28 May 2008 37. Usama al-Ghotti 38. Abdel Razeq Abu Mu’ammar Thursday, 29 May 2008 39. Ahmad Al-Ammour Friday, 30 May 2008 40. Yousra Abu Rouq Monday, 2 June 2008 41. Sari Abu Samra Thursday, 5 June 2008 42. Aya Al-Najjar (4) Friday, 6 June 2008 43. Khalil Sokkar Saturday, 7 June 2008 44. Bilal Al-Sharbasi Tuesday, 10 June 2008 45. Mohammad Dolat 46. Khaled Zaki Zuhd 47. Ahmad Al-Safadi 48. Yehya Hameed 49. Mostafa Attallah Wednesday, 11 June 2008 50. Yasser Abu Haleeb 51. Hadeel Abdel Kareem Al-Somairi (9) 52. Ibrahim Mahmoud Sa’ad 53. Hassan Asaliyya Friday, 13 June 2008 54. Mostafa Al-Batsh 55. Moussa Hammouda 56. Mahmoud Hadar Monday, 16 June 2008 57. Mu’taz Tafesh 58. Alaa’ Al-Boraim 59. Mahmoud Abu Shab Tuesday, 17 June 2008 60. Mohammad Al-Shindi 61. Mu’taz Daghmash 62. Ezz Al-Mozazi 63. Mahmoud Asaliyya 64. Moussa Al-Modaini (10)   sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/ES-10/420 sss2 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/404 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/ES-10/420 sss2 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/404 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 08-39268 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 08-39268 United Nations A/ES-10/420–S/2008/404 General Assembly Security Council Distr.: General 20 June 2008 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 08-39268 (E) 250608 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0839268*