14 November 2017 – Israeli Confiscation of Palestinian Land and Eviction of Civilians

Excellency,

I regret to inform you that, in the absence of any serious measures of accountability pursuant to Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) and the countless other relevant United Nations resolutions demanding the cessation of Israel’s illegal policies and measures in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and an end to its more than half-century occupation, the occupying Power continues with its flagrant violations and methodical destruction of the two-State solution.

Following its recent provocative announcements regarding plans for the illegal construction of thousands more settlement units across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Israeli Government is forging ahead with its colonization and annexation schemes, escalating its confiscation of Palestinian land, demolition of Palestinian homes and properties, and its forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population.  This has included ongoing measures aimed at the forced transfer of thousands of Bedouin Palestinians from their lands. All of this is being done in grave breach of international law and direct and repeated violation of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. [Read more…]

17 November 2015 – Continued Israeli Violations and Crimes against the Palestinian People

Excellency,

We are compelled to draw your attention to the continuously rising tensions and violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem – the territory constituting the State of Palestine – as Israel, the occupying Power, continues its military aggressions and human rights violations against the Palestinian people.

Israeli occupying forces continue to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians, including against children and peaceful demonstrators, causing death and injury and destruction of property.  Moreover, Israel has been unrelenting in its pursuit of illegal colonization practices, with settlement and wall construction continuing unabated. For example, just in this past week the occupying Power approved the construction of 891 settlement “units” in the illegal settlement of “Gilo” and approved the construction of 450 more settlement “units” in the illegal settlements of “Ramat Shlomo” and “Ramot”, all in Occupied East Jerusalem.  At the same time, Israel continues to impose countless collective punishment measures on the Palestinian people, including, inter alia, home demolitions and its blockade on the Gaza Strip.  The destructive impact of such Israeli violations on the situation on the ground is immense, as reflected in rising tensions, deteriorating socio-economic conditions, and deepening anger and frustration among the Palestinian civilian population living under this nearly fifty-year old Israeli occupation.  [Read more…]

29 October 2015 – Israeli Military Aggression against the Palestinian People

 

Excellency,

I write to once again urgently draw the international community’s attention to the grave situation in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, due to Israel’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people. This aggression continues to fuel the cycle of violence and the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate on all fronts. Moreover, it has become overwhelmingly clear that Israeli aggression is in particular targeting Palestinian children and youth, who have been suffering casualties at an alarming rate, including by means of extrajudicial killing, and whose despair is only deepening in the face of the brutality of this illegal occupation.

Despite recent diplomatic efforts, the current situation remains one of pervasive human insecurity, in which the lives, safety and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population are being gravely threatened by the occupying Power and its extremist settlers. It is Palestinian civilians, including children, who continue to be killed, injured and terrorized by Israel, the occupying Power, on a daily basis and who remain in dire need of protection. [Read more…]

19 October 2015 – Israeli Crimes and Rising Palestinian Casualties

Excellency,

The situation on the ground in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, is deteriorating at an alarming rate due to the escalation of Israel’s latest campaign of military aggression against the Palestinian people. Over the past 19 days, the occupying Power has intensified its attacks against the Palestinian civilians and destructive actions in the Palestine land in grave breach of international law, including international humanitarian law and the relevant provisions regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflict and in grave breach of the prohibitions against reprisals and collective punishment against the civilian population under occupation.

In this regard, Palestinian civilian casualties are mounting as a result of this brutal and criminal Israeli onslaught, with numerous Palestinians dead and injured in recent days by the occupying forces. Since this most recent Israeli aggression began 19 days ago, 46 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,800 Palestinians have been injured, including hundreds of children.  We thus reiterate our urgent appeal to the international community, including the Security Council, to take all necessary measures to provide the defenseless and occupied Palestinian civilian population with protection and to immediately act to compel a halt to the occupying Power’s violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law.

The international community must condemn and reject the fact that Israel, the occupying Power, allows not only for its occupying forces to use excessive and indiscriminate force against the Palestinian civilian population with impunity but also allows and encourages all Israeli citizens and settlers to carry weapons and roam the occupied land as they wishes, creating de facto militia forces that are gravely threatening the safety and well-being of the Palestinian people.  This has obviously added another layer of oppression and fear to spread among our people as incitement by Israeli officials and the Israeli public in general aimed at harming Palestinians has become rampant as is the culture of impunity for any Israeli who commits crimes against Palestinians.

The following are some of the many crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces and terrorist settlers against the Palestinian people in recent days:

  • On 14 October 2015:
    • Ahmed Abu Sha’ban (age 23) was shot dead by the Israeli occupying forces in the area of the “central bus station” west of Occupied Jerusalem.
    • Alaa Abu Jamal (age 33), died from wounds sustained in an attack by Israeli occupying forces on 13 October 2015.
  • On 15 October 2015
    • Riyad Dar Yousef (age 46), was attacked along with his family, by Israeli settlers as he tended to his olive grove in Al-Janiya. He died shortly after from a heart attack.

 

  • On 16 October 2015
    • Ihab Jihad Hanani (age 19) was shot dead by Israeli occupying forces in Nablus.
    • Yahiya Farhat (age 24) was shot dead by Israeli occupying forces in the Gaza Strip.
    • Mahmoud Hatim Hmeid (age 22) was shot dead by Israeli occupying forces in Gaza.
    • Shawiq Jamal Jabr (age 37), who was shot by Israeli occupying forces in Gaza last week, died from his wounds.
    • Eyad Khalil Awawdeh (age 26) was shot dead near the illegal settlement of “Kiryat Arba” in Al-Khalil.
  • 17 October 2015
    • Mu’taz Owaisat (age 16), was shot and killed by Israeli occupying forces in Jabal Al-Mukaber in Occupied East Jerusalem.
    • Fadil Al-Qawasmi (age 18) was forcefully captured by a terrorist settler in central Al-Khalil and when Fadil tried to leave the area, the terrorist settler shot him. He was left to bleed to death by Israeli occupying forces who witnessed and were present at the scene.
    • Bayan Ayman Al-Esseili (age 17) was shot dead by Israeli occupying forces in Al-Khalil.
    • Israeli occupying forces violently prevented Palestinian farmers from picking their olive trees in the village of Burin, south of Nablus.
    • Omar Mohamed Al-Faqih (age 24), was shot Israeli occupying forces at Qalandiya checkpoint, north of Occupied East Jerusalem, and was left to bleed to death.
    • Tareq Ziad Al-Natsheh (age 22), was shot and killed by Israeli occupying forces in Al-Shuhada Street in Al-Khalil.
    • More than 200 Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli occupying forces, attacked the Palestinian villages of Wad Al-Haseen and Wad Al-Nasara near the illegal Israeli settlement of “Kiryat Arba”, in Al-Khalil. During the attack, terrorist Israeli settlers threw stones and firebombs at Palestinian homes and injured at least three people, including Imad (age 40), Abdullah (age 13), and Mohamed (age 17); Mohamed’s injuries were the most serious as he was hit in the chest with one of the fire bombs.
  • 18 October 2015
    • Terrorist settlers attempted to kidnap two Palestinians from Burin, south of Nablus.
    • Israeli occupying forces fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades inside a boys’ secondary school in Jenin while students were still inside, causing fear and panic to spread, while groups of settlers attempted to storm Yabod town, west of Jenin.
    • Israeli occupying forces began installing a large concrete wall in Occupied East Jerusalem to separate the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Al-Mukabbir from a nearby illegal Israeli settlement of “Armon Hanatziv”.
    • Huda Mohamed Darwish (age 65) died from breathing difficulties due to Israeli tear gas inhalation.
  • 19 October 2015
    • Over the past 19 days, the Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that 46 Palestinians, including 10 children, have been killed by Israeli occupying forces. During that same time, a Palestinian political prisoner also died of medical neglect. In addition, 1,850 Palestinians have been shot with live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets, with some suffering burns and others beaten and assaulted by occupying forces and settlers, while more than 3,500 have suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
    • The Ministry of Health also reports that the occupying forces have carried out 136 attacks against medical crews since the beginning of the month, wounding 165 medics, while 39 ambulances have been hit with gas bombs and grenades. Moreover, occupying forces stopped and delayed ambulances on 32 occasions as they were attempting to transport or reach wounded Palestinian civilians, with such obstruction undoubtedly contributing to the number of fatalities.
    • The health condition of two Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails have been deteriorating due to deliberate medical negligence, according to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs.
    • At least nine Palestinians were left homeless after settlers escorted and protected by Israeli occupying forces forcibly evicted them from their homes in Silwan in Occupied East Jerusalem.

As the violations against Palestinian children continue to multiply, we continue to insist again that the Israeli Government, the Israeli occupying forces and Israeli settler militias belong on the list of grave violators of child rights in the context of the Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, and we will not relent in calling for such listing in the face of ongoing violations and crimes against our innocent and defenseless children.

Given that the occupying Power has chosen to escalate the perilous situation rather than to de-escalate, we once again reiterate our urgent appeal to the Security Council of the United Nations to uphold its Charter duties and act to bring an end to this Israeli aggression and to protect the Palestinian civilian population.  A strong message must be sent to Israel, the occupying Power, to cease immediately its military campaign and call for its occupying forces to abide by the law, disarm its settlers and citizens and hold them accountable for their crimes against the Palestinian people and their land.  This will be the only way to de-escalate this dangerous situation, to save lives, promote calm and revive some hope that a peaceful solution to end Israel’s occupation, which would allow the Palestinian people to live in freedom and dignity in their own State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, still actually exists .

This letter is in follow-up to our 559 previous letters regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which constitutes the territory of the State of Palestine.  These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 14 October 2015 (A/ES-/10/xxx- S/2015/xxx) 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, acts of State terrorism and systematic human rights violations being committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Riyad Mansour

Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations

 

 

14 October 2015 – Israel’s Killing of Palestinian Civilians, including Children

Excellency,

Since our last letter to you, on 12 October 2015, the Palestinian civilian population, including women and children, have continued to be killed, injured and terrorized as a result of Israel’s latest rampage of aggression throughout the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem.   As we continue to write these letters, we must emphasize that the purpose of writing them is not only to place on record the long list of crimes committed by the occupying Power against a defenseless and occupied civilian population but aimed at mobilizing the international community, in particular the Security Council, to immediately act to halt all of the occupying Power’s violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law.

Further, as more and more Palestinian civilians, especially young children, are being killed and severely injured by live ammunition, we continue to call on the international community to provide the Palestinian people with international protection.  It is without a doubt, that each day that passes the situation is worsening and if the occupying Power continues to pursue its acts of aggression, collective punishment and State terrorism against an occupied people that has already suffered so much over the past five decades of Israeli occupation, the situation will hit a breaking point that may become impossible to stabilize.

The following are some of the many crimes that continue to be perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces and terrorist settlers against the Palestinian people. This includes the latest Palestinian casualties caused by the violence and terror of the occupying Power against our defenseless civilians:

On 13 October 2015:

  • According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of 13 October 2015, thirty Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces since the beginning of this month, and over 1,400 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets used by the Israeli occupying forces across the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Moreover, at least 33 journalists have been injured since the beginning of October 2015, 15 of them were injured with live and rubber coated bullets.
  • Alaa Abu Jamal (age 33) was shot in East Jerusalem by Israeli occupying forces and was seized afterwards by Israeli occupying forces.
  • The occupying Power took a decision to seal off Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and to erect additional checkpoints clearly constituting a form of collective punishment in violation of the occupying Power’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention. In a statement, Human Rights Watch stated that: “Locking down East Jerusalem neighborhoods will infringe upon the freedom of movement of all Palestinian residents rather than being a narrowly tailored response to a specific concern. The checkpoints are a recipe for harassment and abuse.” Frightfully, it was also decided that the occupying Power would make obtaining permits for personal fire arms even easier for Israeli individuals.
  • Mutaz Ibrahim Zawahreh (age 27), from the Dheisheh refugee camp, was shot and killed by the occupying forces with a live bullet in the chest during a military raid in Bethlehem.
  • According to the Red Crescent, over 400 Palestinians were injured during raids by the occupying forces on 13 October in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, at least 31 of whom were shot with live ammunition.
  • Terrorist settlers attacked olive farmers near Turmus’ayya and Tal villages, south and west of Nablus, and stoned Palestinian cars on the Ramallah-Nablus Road as well as near the town of Yatta in Al-Khalil.
  • Several farmers, including Mohammad Ishtayeh, Ahmad Hindi, Meqdad Zeidan and Karim Ramadan, were detained and attacked by the terrorist settlers, under the watch and protection of Israeli occupying forces.

On 14 October 2015

  • A total of 36 Palestinians were detained overnight and on Wednesday and 4 others were summoned by Israeli forces throughout the West Bank.
  • A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was shot in the eye and seriously injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet in Surif town, northeast of Al-Khalil.
  • Israeli settlers set fire to large swaths of Palestinian-owned agricultural land near the village of Burin, south of Nablus in the West Bank.
  • Bare’ Ismael Shalash (age 17) was shot and injured in Beit Awwa, west of Al-Khalil.
  • Palestinian detainee Fadi Al-Darbi (age 30), who had suffered a stroke while in Israeli captivity in prison, died in an Israeli hospital.
  • Basel Sidr (age 20) was shot with more than 10 bullets and left to bleed on the ground until he died at the Damascus Gate in Occupied East Jerusalem.

As the violations against Palestinian children continue to multiply, we continue to insist again that the Israeli Government, the Israeli occupying forces and Israeli settler militias belong on the list of grave violators of child rights in the context of the Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, and we will not relent in calling for such listing in the face of ongoing violations and crimes against our innocent and defenseless children.

It is without a doubt that the above-mentioned violations are in grave breach of international humanitarian law, as well as international criminal law as articulated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. For these war crimes, we will continue to seek accountability and justice through all legal and peaceful means.  At the same time, we call again on the international community, particularly the Security Council, to act now to protect the Palestinian people and diffuse this dangerous situation, which clearly constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

The international community must ensure that international protection is provided to the Palestinian people in order to spare them of more loss and suffering.  As we have stated in the past, the Palestinian people cannot remain the exception to the responsibility to protect civilians from atrocities and flagrant breaches of the law for they are not just statistics but human beings whose lives are being constantly shattered by a brutal occupier that proves over and over again its total disregard for the lives and rights of the Palestinian people and total contempt for international law.  The time is now for the international community to finally bring an end to Israel’s impunity and to justly resolve this conflict and bring overdue justice to the Palestinian people.

This letter is in follow-up to our 558 previous letters regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which constitutes the territory of the State of Palestine.  These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 12 October 2015 (A/ES-/10/xxx- S/2015/xxx) 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, acts of State terrorism and systematic human rights violations being committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Riyad Mansour

Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations

12 October 2015 – Israeli Crimes and Violations

Excellency,

Since our last letter to you, on 9 October 2015, I regret to inform you that the situation in the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate as a result of Israel’s crimes and violations against the Palestinian people held hostage to its occupation.  This situation warrants immediate attention by the international community, in particular the Security Council, to act to halt all violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, committed by the occupying Power against the Palestinian people, as well as to provide the Palestinian people with international protection before the situation spirals further out of control.  Each day that passes, more innocent lives are lost as is any hope to reach a peaceful two-State solution in the future.

The following are just some tragic examples of the latest Palestinian casualties and human rights violations caused by the brutal raids and attacks of the occupying forces and their terrorist settlersover the past three days. The list also includes some additional violations by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian population under its occupation: [Read more…]

11 May 2015 – بيان صحفي

عقب تشكيل الحكومه اليمينية الجديدة

السفير منصور يبعث برسائل متطابقة  لاركان الامم المتحدة

بعث السفير د. رياض منصور، المندوب الدائم لدولة فلسطين لدى الامم المتحدة، برسائل متطابقة لاركان الامم المتحدة الثلاث، الامين العام السيد بان كي مون، ورئيس مجلس الامن، ورئيس الجمعية العامه، مستهلا اياها بتركيبة الحكومة الاسرائيلية الجديدة مؤكدا ان هذه التشكيلة الحكومية هي بالضرورة ضد السلام وضد حل الدولتين وستعمل على اشتقاق سياسات غير قانونية من شانها ان تعزز الاحتلال الاستعماري الاسرائيلي على ارض الدولة الفلسطينية بما فيها القدس الشرقية، كما انها ستستمر في مصادرة حقوق الانسان وليس ادل على ذلك من وجود “ايلي شكيد” وزيرة للعدل في حكومة نتنياهو والتي سبق وان دعت لاستخدام العنف والتدمير ضد الفلسطينين سيما الامهات الفلسطينيات ودعت الاطفال الفلسطينين بالثعابين الصغيرة.  منصور اعاد التأكيد على ان الحكومة الاسرائيلية الجديدة ستعمل على تسريع عمليات الاستيطان في القدس الشرقية وفي هدم بيوت الفلسطينيين والسماح للمستوطنين بتملك بيوت الفلسطينيين وكذلك ترحيل وتشريد الاف الفلسطينيين لمصلحة مشاريع الاستيطان الكبرى سيما القاطنين في منطقة E1 وستستمر في حصار غزة واعتقال الاف الفلسطينيين بما فيهم الاطفال والنساء وقيادات فلسطينية منتخبة وهذا يدعم ما سبق وان اكدناه وقلناه بان الحكومة الاسرائيلية غير معنية بعملية السلام وانها مستمره باحتلالها الكولونيالي في تحد واضح لارادة المجموعة الدولية والقانون الدولي وقرارات الامم المتحدة ذات الصلة. [Read more…]

11 May 2015 – Israeli Violations and Anti-Peace Stance

Excellency,

In both word and deed, the new Israeli Government is proving its anti-peace, anti-two-State stance as it persists with unlawful policies and practices entrenching its illegitimate occupation and colonization of the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and systematically and grossly violating the human rights of the Palestinian people. [Read more…]

2 February 2015 – Incessant Israeli Settlement Activities

Excellency,

As the Security Council remains sidelined vis-à-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel, the occupying Power, continues to exploit the international community’s inaction by persisting with its illegal policies and practices with impunity.  In particular, the Israeli Government continues its insidious colonization of the Palestinian land it has belligerently, illegitimately occupied since June 1967, in grave breach of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, as well as international criminal law as articulated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

There is no difference – whether through periods of peace process or periods of unrest and conflict – Israel has never ceased its settlement activities in the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem.  In words and in deeds, every single Israeli government has actively carried out this illegal settlement campaign, openly entrenching the occupation in every way.  The latest such step was taken on Friday, 30 January, when it was revealed that the occupying Power has decided to move forward with the construction at least 450 new settlement units in various areas throughout Occupied Palestine, including in East Jerusalem.   [Read more…]

25 August 2014 – More Death and Destruction by Israel, the occupying Power

Excellency,

I am compelled to again draw your attention to the horrific situation in the Occupied State of Palestine, as we enter the 51st day of the Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. In the four days since my last letter to you, Israel, the occupying Power, has not relented with its airstrikes against densely-populated civilian areas in Gaza, intentionally killing and injuring more Palestinian civilians, destroying more homes and infrastructure and displacing hundreds of more families in addition to the over half-million civilians already displaced by this Israeli onslaught against our people, the majority of whom continue to shelter in UNRWA schools. Specifically, the level of premeditated death and destruction imposed on the Gaza Strip by the occupying Power has surpassed merely immoral, inhumane behavior and constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity, for which Israel must be fully held accountable.

The stories, photos and social media voices coming out of Gaza are horrifying and even those cannot convey the extent of the misery being deliberately inflicted by Israel on the Palestinian civilian population in grave breach of international humanitarian law.   The figures since the start of this barbaric aggression in early July now stand as follows: at least 2,130 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, including an estimated 577 children, 261 women and 101 elderly people.

Almost 10,870 other Palestinians, most civilians, have been injured including some 3,300 children, more than 2,000 women and roughly 400 elderly people. Of those killed during the past seven weeks of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, it is estimated that 90 families have been decimated, with the killing of 530 family members. These shocking figures do not include the dead that have yet to be recovered from the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings struck by Israeli missiles and bombs and do not include those who continue to tragically die from the wounds sustained in Israeli attacks. [Read more…]