Excellency
Mr. Kofi Annan
General Secretary
United Nations
Your
Excellency
As you are aware it has been 15 days since
the Israeli army re-invaded the city of Nablus and its four refugee
camps. Two hundred thousand residents of Nablus and suburbs have
been imprisoned in their houses, as the military has imposed a
strict 24-hour curfew.
Moreover, the Israeli occupation has launched
a campaign of mass arrests, through which hundreds of Palestinians
have been detained and arrested. Residential buildings have been
occupied by the soldiers and turned into permanent military posts.
More than 25 houses have been subjected to this sort of atrocity.
Education, healthcare and social systems
have been brought to a standstill. Women, children and men have
been deprived a normal human life, as the Israeli army has vandalized
the streets of the city, terrorizing people and dehumanizing them.
Economic and social life of the population of the city has been
severely disrupted and Palestinian infrastructure has been badly
damaged.
We believe that the Israeli government,
through such measures, is destroying the last hope for peace in
the region. We ask the United Nations to stand up to its responsibility
and act immediately to pressure Israel to abide with international
law. Unless this happens, our suffering will continue and the
stability and security in the whole region will be jeopardized.
We urge you to act immediately to pressure
the Israeli government to withdraw its troops from all Palestinian
areas and lift the closure, which has been imposed over Palestinian
towns and villages since September 2000.
The situation in our country is catastrophic.
The level of suffering and deprivation is dramatically deepening.
The need for international protection for Palestinian civilians
represents a necessary step to be taken by the United Nations
as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
The
Residents of Nablus
6th July 2002
