That act of provocation, which triggered the tragedy that the Palestinian population is currently experiencing on a daily basis, clearly aimed to sabotage the peace process and to destroy, once and for all, any chance of a just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question. Indeed, not a day goes by without innocent young Palestinians being struck down - innocents who are armed only with their stubborn faith in an imminent victory against heavily armed soldiers who are determined to use force without any hesitation or restraint. The damage that has been caused by this all-out war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people is considerable.
Hundreds are dead and thousands injured.
Hundreds of schools have been closed because they can no longer operate, and there is a serious dearth of food and medication in many Palestinian towns, which are cut off from the rest of the world, and humanitarian assistance and basic emergency services can no longer reach them. Furthermore, in flagrant violation of its obligations and in spite of the repeated appeals of the international community, Israel is continuing to withhold from the Palestinian Authority hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue that the Authority is owed. In the light of this tragic situation, and given Israel's unrelenting attitude towards a defenceless population, the Palestinian Authority, backed by the Non-Aligned Movement, asked the Security Council several months ago to take steps to ensure the protection of that population and to put an end to the represssion to which it is subject. In spite of the great flexibility shown by the representatives of Arab States and non-aligned countries during the negotiations on the draft resolution, the Security Council chose last December not to act but to let the situation on the ground deteriorate, possibly until the point of no return. First, it must urgently put an end to the policy of repression and of the systematic use of force, and in particular the use of real bullets against Palestinian demonstrators.