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The challenges on all of these fronts are formidable. Since my last briefing to the Council, some 46 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have been killed as of yesterday, and at least one more Palestinian has been killed since then. On 5 November, the Palestinian Authority issued a directive to all Fatah offices forbidding members of the movement from opening fire on Israelis “for any reason whatsoever”, and the Authority has begun negotiations with Islamist factions intended to secure a commitment to end suicide operations.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
As the Council knows, however, late on Sunday night a Palestinian gunman infiltrated Kibbutz Metzer in Israel and shot dead five Israelis, including two children sleeping in their beds. The Al-Aqsa Brigades of the Fatah movement are reported to have claimed responsibility. The Secretary-General has condemned that terrorist attack and has reiterated his concerns about the broader context of the ongoing cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, including extrajudicial killings.<\/p><\/div>\n
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It bears repeating that terrorist attacks damage the Palestinian cause politically, as well as being morally unacceptable. If its orders are to have any credibility, the Palestinian Authority must take all measures within its power to apprehend and prosecute the gunmen responsible for this crime, as well as those who ordered them to carry it out, and to prevent the commission of further acts of terrorism.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Equally, it bears repeating that the Government of Israel must fully respect international humanitarian law in confronting terrorism. On Sunday morning, Israel announced that its soldiers had killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative in Jenin, which Israeli forces had reoccupied two weeks earlier and where they demolished the homes of ten alleged militants and their families. Islamic Jihad immediately pledged to inflict an even more painful strike, as they described it, on Israel and have already claimed responsibility for an explosion on Sunday afternoon that killed an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad also claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack against a bus near Hadera on 21 October that killed 14 Israelis and injured more than 40. <\/p><\/div>\n
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It is clear, therefore, that the distressing, self-perpetuating and ultimately futile pattern of violence shows no signs of abating. As I mentioned in my last briefing, settler violence against Palestinians, especially in connection with the harvesting of olives, is a growing problem. On 27 October, settlers attacked olive pickers from the village of Yanun, near Nablus, injuring four Palestinians, including two children, as well as four volunteers. In previous incidents, Palestinian olive pickers had been killed by settlers. As the Council knows, olives are the backbone of the Palestinian economy in the West Bank.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Israel’s confiscation of thousands of dunums of agricultural land near the green line, so as to facilitate construction of its separation wall, is also heightening tensions. According to Israeli human rights organizations, the northern segment of the wall will leave at least eight villages, home to more than 10,000 Palestinians, stranded between the wall and the green line. And it will cut off access by West Bank residents to their agricultural land and water resources. Once completed, the wall could effectively annex approximately 7 per cent of the West Bank. Although Israel is entitled to safeguard the security of its citizens, it must do so without prejudicing the rights of Palestinians or pre-empting the contours of a permanent territorial settlement. <\/p><\/div>\n
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Moving to the humanitarian situation, curfews have been eased in a number of places in recent weeks, notably Ramallah and Hebron. However, residents of the Palestinian towns of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Tulkarem continue to suffer, with curfews lasting an average of 17 hours a day. Strict restrictions on movement also remain in place for Palestinians travelling within the West Bank, and humanitarian personnel continue to face difficulties accessing Palestinian areas. In addition, ambulances are reportedly still facing lengthy delays at checkpoints — sometimes for as long as two and a half hours — despite the pledge first made to the Secretary-General’s Personal Humanitarian Envoy, Catherine Bertini, last August and repeated on subsequent occasions by Israeli authorities that ambulances would not be delayed longer than half an hour at each checkpoint, which would still be far too long.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Another humanitarian commitment by the Government of Israel was to facilitate the passage of water tankers inside the West Bank. Some 200 villages, with approximately 200,000 residents, are without a local source of water, at least during the dry months. The majority of those villages are located in Area C. In other words, they are under full Israeli civilian and security control, and are thus not served by the Palestinian Authority water networks. Villagers are dependent on water delivered daily by tankers for their household use and many also for their livelihoods. Israeli security forces continue to delay tankers severely or even outright prevent them from gaining access to villages. The consequence is that a regular supply of water is not assured. The Âé¶¹APP has urged the Government of Israel to fulfil its pledge to Ms. Bertini to facilitate the delivery of water. Unfortunately, we observe no improvement. <\/p><\/div>\n
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On 29 October, the Palestinian Legislative Council gave a vote of confidence to a new Cabinet appointed by President Arafat. The Cabinet includes eight new ministers, three of whom were first appointed last June but never confirmed in office. By decree, the Cabinet will remain in office in a caretaker capacity until new elections are held.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Those elections are currently scheduled for 20 January, 2003. President Arafat has appointed a new electoral commission, which is chaired by a respected independent. Many observers are, nevertheless, sceptical about the prospects of holding elections as soon as January, citing the absence of an approved legislative framework for elections and the difficulty of preparing for and holding elections while many West Bank cities remain under Israeli military occupation and are subject to severe restrictions on movement. The Palestinian people last had the chance to vote in January 1996. Everything possible should therefore be done to help ensure that elections can take place.<\/p><\/div>\n
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New elections in Israel will be held on 28 January, 2003. On 4 November, after failing to establish a new coalition Government following the departure of the Labour Party from the coalition, Prime Minister Sharon announced his decision to go to early elections within 90 days, and President Katzav dissolved the Knesset. Between now and the date of the elections, Labour and Likud will hold primary contests to select their candidates for Prime Minister.<\/p><\/div>\n
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I would like now, if I may, to turn to developments in Lebanon. Despite the reduced rhetoric and lower profile of the issue in both Lebanon and Israel, the Wazzani Springs water project continues to be a source of tension along the Blue Line. Since the last briefing to the Council, there has been constant diplomatic activity aimed at defusing tensions. The United States, the European Union and France have recently dispatched water experts to the region in order to work towards a resolution of the issue.<\/p><\/div>\n
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The Âé¶¹APP has remained in close contact with all parties in an effort to facilitate a reduction in the level of tension. Certain media reports have indicated that, while water has begun to be drawn from the Wazzani Springs under the current project, the amount being pumped may, for the time being, be limited. Both sides should be encouraged to work towards a diplomatic resolution of the matter.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Israeli air violations continue to be a cause for concern. Israeli aircraft have continued to violate the Blue Line and Lebanese airspace, drawing anti-aircraft fire from the Lebanese side of the line. This anti-aircraft fire, and the shrapnel that it produces, continues to fall over northern Israeli towns and villages.<\/p><\/div>\n
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On 3 November, there was a marked increase in the number of air violations. It was reported that Israeli aircraft overflew southern Lebanon, the Bekaa valley and the capital city, Beirut. Again, those sorties were met with anti-aircraft fire.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Both the air violations and the ensuing anti-aircraft fire carry the potential for a deterioration of what is already a tense situation. All parties should be reminded of their obligations fully to respect the Blue Line and to refrain from all violations thereof.<\/p><\/div>\n
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The coming elections in Israel will consume a great deal of attention, both in the region and beyond, and there may be a temptation to suspend efforts on other fronts until they have been concluded. We cannot afford that luxury. As I argued during my last briefing, a deterioration of the situation on the ground only makes it more difficult to pursue our collective objective of a two-state solution. The maintenance of the status quo — with its high levels of violence, increasing human suffering and loss of life and steady erosion of even a minimum of mutual trust and respect — should not be an option, as this can only lead to a further worsening of conditions.<\/p><\/div>\n
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The current efforts of the Quartet and others to develop strategies for addressing simultaneously political, security, humanitarian and reform issues need the international community’s full support and attention. In order to succeed, however, we need to pursue these efforts within a coherent framework to which the parties have agreed, and the parties need to stay the course and carry out long-standing commitments. For that reason it is of critical importance that the Quartet finalize its road map as soon as possible and then obtain the explicit agreement of both sides and of the international community to follow that map to a just, lasting settlement of this conflict. <\/p><\/div>\n
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The President<\/strong> (spoke in Chinese<\/i> ): I thank Mr. Prendergast for his comprehensive briefing.<\/p><\/div>\n\n
On behalf of the entire membership of the Council, I would like to bid farewell to the Permanent Representative of France, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte. I understand that our respected colleague, Ambassador Levitte, is here with us in this Chamber for the last time before he undertakes his next important assignment. <\/p><\/div>\n
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Ambassador Levitte has made important contributions to the work of the Council through diplomatic skills, an affable manner and a sense of collegiality which have made him a highly effective representative of his country. I am certain that he will continue to use his talents in his new assignment. We will not forget our colleague Ambassador Levitte. He will be remembered as one who always strived to work in cooperation and harmony with other members of the Council. In bidding him a fond farewell, Council members, including myself, wish him great success and fulfilment in his future endeavours. <\/p><\/div>\n