An open letter to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Mr. Kofi
Annan
Subject: The Indiscriminate Use of Force in the Palestinian Occupied
Territories
This letter is written to your Excellency
after reading hundreds of testimonies collected by the Israeli Organization;
“Breaking the Silence” and the publication of an article by “Guardian” in
In this letter, I will view some examples of the testimonies produced by “Breaking the Silence”, which present a grave picture of blatantly illegal orders frequently given throughout the oPt. These testimonies reveal the deplorably racist and violent attitudes and behaviors of the Israeli military administration and the dimness of moral sense, which has spread to the highest ranks.
One example is firing at
Palestinian Policemen. A soldier from Paratroop Reconnaissance Unit was a
witness to confess what happened in February 2002 at a Palestinian check point
in the
Another example is firing at Palestinian children. Between February and May 2003, a 1st Sergeant from Paratroops confessed that the soldiers were told to shoot people who climb on their armored vehicles. The 1st sergeant realized that no armed Palestinian would roam the streets with APCs around. Only children or innocent civilians would dare to climb on an APC or any other armored vehicle. The result was the death of a 12-year old kid who climbed on one of the APCs.
These testimonies of Israeli soldiers are evidence of the magnitude of the moral decay, and the appalling depths to which so-called norms have degenerated. I will not include all the testimonies with this letter, however evocative they all may be.
All testimonies are found at “Breaking the Silence” website at http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimony_en.asp.
Acknowledging and taking responsibility for the incidences described in these testimonies are the minimum requirement of a civilized and decent society based in basic moral values.
Since the inception of the al_Aqsa Intrifada in
In April 2000, your Excellency issued a Millennium Report, entitled "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century", urging for the protection of all people from deadly conflict and violence. In compliance to principles established in this Report, I call for the creation of independent public inspection committee, which will enable a responsible disclosure and examination of facts. I also call on you to take active measures aiming limits and to put an end to this deadly conflict and violence, which constitute war crimes.
P.S Please send letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations;Mr. Kofi Annan to support our view.
Public Relations Officer
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The Palestinian Human Rights
Monitoring Group (PHRMG) is a Palestinian, independent, non-governmental
organization working to end human rights violations committed against
Palestinians in the
Sheikh Jarrah-Jerusalem
tel. 972-2-582-3372/3
fax. 972-2-582-3385