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-first year Identical letters dated 5 May 2006 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 commit serious violations and grave breaches of international law and international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, as it continues to carry out its brutal military campaign throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The death toll, the injuries and the destruction of homes, properties, infrastructure and lands are tragically mounting as the Israeli occupying forces continue to commit systematic human rights violations against the Palestinian people under occupation. In this connection, over the past month, Israeli occupying forces have killed at least 37 Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including 6 children, as a result of Israeli military attacks, including extrajudicial executions. Moreover, more than 182 Palestinians, and 5 international peace activists, were also injured, many severely. The most recent Israeli crime occurred today when Israeli occupying forces killed five Palestinians in an air strike in Gaza. Four of the five Palestinians killed belonged to the same family. Also today, Israeli occupying forces, backed by more than 30 Israeli tanks and 3 bulldozers, raided the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, killing at least one Palestinian and injuring many others. In another incident in Nablus, Israeli occupying forces opened fire on a Palestinian taxi driver at one of the hundreds of checkpoints erected throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Palestinian taxi driver was hit in the chest and later died of his wounds. Earlier this week, Israeli occupying forces also killed a Palestinian woman inside her own home in the West Bank town of Tulkarem. Her two daughters were present when Israeli occupying forces opened fire, witnessing their mother being shot in the head. One of the daughters was shot in the leg. These are only a few of the tragic events that have occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since our last letter was sent to you on 10 April 2006. Furthermore, Israel, the occupying Power, has continued its siege on the Gaza Strip, keeping border crossings nearly closed, preventing basic foods from reaching the civilian population and medicine from reaching the sick, and barring their freedom of movement to and from the West Bank. The World Health Organization warned of a “rapid decline” and “possible collapse” of the public health system in the West Bank and Gaza Strip if the crisis continues. In addition, today the UNRWA Director of Operations in Gaza, John Ging, said that a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is on “our doorstep”. In this regard, the international community must ensure that basic food and medicine reach the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza to avert the impending humanitarian catastrophe. I wish to direct your attention to the speech made yesterday by the Prime Minister of Israel during the approval of the new Israeli Government. In his speech, Prime Minister Olmert reiterated his determination to unilaterally set Israel’s final borders without negotiations. Mr. Olmert told the Israeli Parliament that he intended to unilaterally hold on to large illegal settlement blocks as part of his so-called “consolidation” plan. Rather than adhering to international law and cooperating with international efforts to resolve the conflict, including through implementation of the road map, the occupying Power has exerted every effort to defy the law, undermine the peace process and divert the course towards its own unilateral plans to serve its own illegitimate interests. The Palestinian side continues to adamantly reject any and all unilateral actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and continues to call for immediate negotiations between the two parties to move the peace process forward. Accordingly, such dangerous unilateral policies, positions and intentions must be rejected by the international community, including by the Quartet in its upcoming meeting on 9 May 2006, if a genuine peace between both sides is ever to be realized. This letter is in follow-up to our previous 239 letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000. These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 10 April 2006 (A/ES-10/329-S/2006/226) constitute a basic record of the crimes 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. Accordingly, in follow-up to the above-mentioned letters, it is my profound regret to inform you that, since our last letter to you, at least 23 more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces, raising the total number of martyrs killed since September 2000 to 3,844. (The names of the martyrs that have been identified are listed in the annex to the present letter.) I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of 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 of Palestine to the United Nations Annex to the identical letters dated 5 May 2006 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 3,844. Names of martyrs killed by the Israeli occupying forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem* (Monday, 10 April to Friday, 5 May 2006) Monday, 10 April 2006 Hadil Mohamed Gaban (9 years old) Tuesday, 11 April 2006 Amer Maher Chawahnah Wednesday, 12 April 2006 1. Mohamed Adnan Al-Amoudi 2. Ibrahim Masoud Saturday, 15 April 2006 Ayada Abdallah Abu Jarida Monday, 17 April 2006 1. Mamdouh Obeid 2. Sami Salim Mohmed Sunday, 23 April 2006 1. Ahmed Ali Moslih 2. Daniel Abu Hamah Monday, 24 April 2006 Abdelwahab Samir Abu Ariban Wednesday, 26 April 2006 1. Amer Awni Hawchiah 2. Rafida Thanir Bader (3 years old) 3. Soulayman Mohamed Darayjah Thursday, 27 April 2006 Wael Nassar (Aqraa) Monday, 1 May 2006 Atef Youssef Zalat Tuesday, 2 May 2006 1. Thamer Al-Macheharawi 2. Khaled Said Sanouna Friday, 5 May 2006 1. Mohamed Al-Qoteb 2. Jomaa Daghmach 3. Mahmoud Daghmach 4. Hamada Daghmach 5. Saeb Daghmach 6. Mohamed Abu Waked   \* MERGEFORMAT 4 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 United Nations A/ES-10/330–S/2006/279 General Assembly Security Council Distr.: General 8 May 2006 Original: English 06-34078 (E) 090506 *0634078* A/ES-10/330 S/2006/279 A/ES-10/330 S/2006/279