Embassy of the State of Palestine

Ref. SGC.170/23 [View as PDF]

Excellency,

When a civilian population under foreign occupation is attacked and terrorized by the occupying Power, armed to the teeth and acting in flagrant breach of international law and absolute disregard for human life, is the international community not duty-bound to act?

Is the United Nations Security Council, mandated by the Charter to maintain international peace and security and committed, through countless resolutions, to protecting civilians in armed conflict, including women and children, not duty-bound to act?

Is it not clear for all the world to see that Israel’s terrorism and aggression against the Palestinian people is escalating and becoming ever more brutal, invasive and hateful as it becomes ever more emboldened by the inaction of the international community, believing that no words of condemnation or calls for respect of the law will ever lead to consequences in spite of its blatant war crimes and crimes against humanity?

Absent such accountability and absent the protection for our people that we have continually appealed for, Israel, the occupying Power, has once again attacked to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and perpetrated a large-scale aerial and ground invasion, wantonly causing death and destruction.

Israeli occupying forces (IOF), numbering over 1,000 soldiers, backed by military aircraft and drones, raided the camp, firing missiles, artillery bombardment and live ammunition, killing and injuring civilians, destroying homes and civilian infrastructure and terrorizing our people. IOF have besieged the camp, cutting off electricity and water and worsening the dire humanitarian situation, obstructing and attacking medical personnel trying to aid the wounded, and once again also attacked journalists.

Eight (8) Palestinians were murdered in the Israeli assault, among them three (3) children: Noureldin Husam Marshoud, age 16; Majdi Ararawi, age 17; and Ali Hani Al-Ghoul, age 17; and five (5) youth: Husam Mohammad Abu Theeba, age 18; Aws Hani Hanoun, age 19; Sameeh Firas Abu al-Wafa, age 20; Ahmad Mohammad Amer, age 21; and Mohammad Muhannad Al-Shami, age 23. Among the casualties, at least 50 people have been seriously wounded, some in critical condition struggling to survive and now added to the dozens of civilians wounded in prior Israeli attacks on the camp in recent weeks. 

Also, yesterday, another young Palestinian was killed by IOF at a checkpoint near Ramallah. Mohammed Imad Hasanein, age 21, was shot point-blank by Israeli soldiers, bringing the death toll to nine (9) Palestinians in less than 24 hours.

This pattern of wanton and willful killing exposes in particular, once again, Israel’s blatant targeting of Palestinian children and youth, and yet somehow it continues to evade being listed as a serial violators of child rights. There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, nor for any pretexts that excuse such crimes and fail to bring accountability.

This grave escalation and the spiraling descent of the situation on the ground call for immediate action by the international community. From its actions and the declarations of its leaders, including depraved politicians in its government, it is clear that Israel is pursuing all-out war against the defenseless people of Palestine in their homes, villages, towns, cities, refugee camps, wherever they may be.

We thus call again for serious and urgent efforts, regionally and internationally, to stop this brutal Israeli aggression against our people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

We call on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities to stop this aggression by Israel against the Palestinian civilian population and to act forthwith to implement its relevant resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016) and resolution 904 (1994) and all other resolutions relevant for the protection of civilians, including the protection of children and women.

We call on the Secretary-General to use his good offices to help de-escalate this dangerous situation and to act urgently to mobilize the United Nations’ capacities to ensure protection to the Palestinian people.

We call on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its investigation into the situation in Palestine, stressing the exigency of holding all perpetrators, including all liable Israeli political and military officials and settlers, to account for their crimes and of deterring further crimes against our people.

We call on all peace-loving nations to translate their longstanding solidarity to the Palestinian people into tangible actions aimed at ensuring protection and supporting them in their ongoing, legitimate quest to realize self-determination and all other inalienable human rights, including by enacting measures to hold Israel accountable for its crimes, including an arms embargo and withholding of any assistance that can be exploited to sustain its colonization schemes, with a view to ending this illegal, deplorable situation.

The Palestinian people are entitled to protection, in accordance with international law, including humanitarian and human rights law. They are entitled to defend themselves against the aggressions of this illegal, inhumane, colonial, apartheid regime. They must not be left to the mercy of Israel and its military forces and settler militias who have taken the paralysis of the international community as a green light to carry on with their crimes and terror against them.

The Palestinian leadership strongly condemns these heinous crimes, massacres and atrocities against our people and reiterates its standing appeals for accountability to save lives, uphold the rule of law, ensure justice and salvage the prospects peace and security for our people and region, which Israel is destroying by the minute.

This letter is in follow-up to our 795 letters regarding the ongoing historic injustice against the Palestinian people and the crimes being perpetrated by Israel, the occupying Power, 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 21 June 2023 (A/ES-10/943–S/2023/___) 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 must be held accountable and the perpetrators brought to justice.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the present letter made available to the members of the Security Council for their immediate, valuable consideration and also distributed as an official document of the Security Council.

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

Dr. Riyad Mansour
Minister, Permanent Observer