NGO Action News – 19 October 2018

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations affiliated with the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the
Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People 

NGO Action News
19 October 2018

Middle East

• On 19 October, BADIL- Resource Center for Palestinian Residency& Refugee Rights issued a press release on their intervention during the 39th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, which took place on 10-28 September in Geneva. During the session, BADIL delivered three oral statements under Items 7, 4 and 2; and later submitted a written statement on “The Israeli Nation-State Law: Underpinning seven decades of institutionalized discrimination”. The written statement points out that the recent law aims at cementing seventy years of Israeli institutionalized discrimination against the Palestinian people, regardless of where they reside.

• On 18 October, Al-Haq issued a joint briefing paper on “Strengthening the International Law Commission’s draft principles on environmental protection in situations of occupation”. The briefing paper seeks to identify areas where the Commission’s revised draft principles on occupation could be further strengthened and to encourage States to address them in their statements during the Sixth Committee debate on the work of the International Law Commission (ILC). In this paper, Al-Haq analyzes the draft principles on occupation such as sovereign rights over maritime areas, due diligence to address transboundary harm from occupier to occupied, etc. in light of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

• On 18 Ocotber, Hagai El-Ad, the Executive Director of B’Tselem, addressed the UN Security Council during the quarterly debate on the Middle East. In his intervention, he stressed that the real difficulty lies with trying to conduct a normal communal and family life with the conditions Palestinians have to bear under occupation. He denounced the plans of Israel to “raze the entire community” of Khan al-Ahmar with the approval of the High Court of Justice, and using a planning regime in the West Bank that is solely meant “to serve settlers and dispossess Palestinians.” El-Ad, while stressing Israeli policies vis-à-vis Khan al-Ahmar and the Gaza Strip, highlighted the contradiction posed by Israel in “oppressing millions while somehow still being considered a ‘democracy’.”

• On 17 October, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights denounced increased restrictions reinstated by the Israeli Forces on the movement of people and goods as well as on the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip. The restrictions followed the escalation of the situation and the firing of several missiles by Israeli military aircraft. Al-Mezan issued a condemnation of the attacks and collective punishment measures imposed by Israel on Gaza; and affirmed that the re-instated restrictions serve only to exacerbate economic and human rights conditions in Gaza.

• On 12 October, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) denounced a recent incident where a Palestinian woman was killed after Israeli settlers had thrown stones at her vehicle at Za’tarah checkpoint, south of Nablus. PCHR said that the Israeli Forces had not taken the necessary actions to prosecute the settlers who carried out the attack in front of them and called upon them to stop providing protection and “covering up their crimes against Palestinian civilians and property.”

North America

• On 19 October, Amnesty International reported of a potential escalation of bloodshed ahead of planned protests in Gaza later today after Israeli authorities announced a “zero tolerance” policy towards demonstrations along the Israel/Gaza fence. Amnesty International called on the Israeli government to rein in its armed forces, which had routinely used excessive force during Gaza’s weekly “Great March of Return” demonstrations.

United Nations

• On 18 October, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The Special Envoy underscored that despite the monthly briefings, the situation on the ground was sliding into a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and violence that does not serve peace and without a negotiated resolution based on the final status there could be no sustainable peace.

• On 17 October, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) signed the first multi-year agreement with Indonesia’s national zakat agency, BAZNAS. Under the agreement, BAZNAS will promote the #DignityIsPriceless campaign in Indonesia meant to raise funds for UNRWA, following the unprecedented financial crisis.

• On 12 October, UNRWA and Luxembourg signed a new EUR 3 million multi-year agreement focusing on health for youth in Gaza. Luxembourg also announced an increased multi-year contribution to the UNRWA core budget over the 2019-2021 period, amounting to EUR 4 million contribution per annum.