NGO Action News – 27 April 2018

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations affiliated with the United Nations CommiDocumentttee 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.

NGO Action News
27 April 2018

Middle East

• On 27 April, Other Voice (Kol Aher), an Israeli movement based in the town of Sderot and in smaller communities in the Gaza border area, continued to hold demonstrations, calling on the Israeli government to “cease the shooting of unarmed demonstrators” and to “form a political program, rather than cause further destruction” with the Gaza blockade.

• On 27 April, Zimam organized in Rafah a workshop on the March of Return and its role in promoting non-violent popular resistance. A main focus was the need to engage women in this process while improving the perception of this community action.

• On 26 April, the Israeli human rights B’Tselem asked the UN to stop Israel from shooting unarmed protesters on the Gaza border. The request came ahead of the Security Council open session on the Middle East. In the letter, the organization shared the names of the 35 unarmed Palestinian protesters killed by Israel in the Gaza strip since 30 March, and asked the UN to do all in its power to protect Palestinian lives. 

• On 26 April, following their petition to the Israeli Supreme Court against the killings of unarmed civilians in Gaza by Israeli army snipers, Adalah- The Legal Center for Arab Center for Arab Minorities in Israel was reportedly attacked by Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett on social media. Adalah issued a response explaining how “harsh videos and eyewitnesses’ testimonies from Gaza […] raise serious suspicions of war crimes.”

• On 26 April, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemned the killing of a Palestinian journalist by Israeli forces, emphasizing that targeting of journalists was a crime under international law and calling for exerting pressure to prosecute the perpetrators.

• On 25 April, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights issued a press release reporting a “pattern of attacks on medical staff and equipment, including patient care units” from Israeli security forces in areas of Palestinian demonstrations.

• On 21 April, Al-Haq shared the outcomes of their investigation on the recent killings of  Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces. The organization condemns “Israel’s longstanding impunity in the face of systematic human rights violations” and calls for an independent international investigation. It further calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the situation in blockaded Gaza strip. 

• On 20 April, HaMoked petitioned the High Court of Justice in Israel to instruct the military to respond to their request of clarifications with regards to their permit regime in the “Seam Zone”, the area between the separation wall and the Green Line.

Europe

• On 26 April, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) published an article on “Gaza: The world’s largest open-air prison.” It describes the impact of 50 years of occupation and ten years of blockade on the lives of 1.9 million Palestinians in the Gaza strip, leading to the current protests. NRC shared statistics on undrinkable ground water, access to humanitarian aid, medical care and availability of electricity.

North America

• On 24 April, the Palestine Centre at Columbia University organized the screening of
  “A World Not Ours” followed by a discussion with film director Mahdi Fleifel. The film is a portrait of three generations of exile in the Palestinian refugee camp Ain el-Helweh in southern Lebanon.

United Nations 

• The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will jointly convene an international conference under the theme “The Question of Jerusalem after 50 years of Occupation and 25 years of the Oslo Accords” in Rabat, Morocco, on 26-28 June 2018. 

• To mark the anniversary of the 1948 war and subsequent uprooting and mass displacement of Palestinians, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will convene the two-day Forum “70 years after 1948- Lessons to Achieve a Sustainable Peace” at the UN Headquarters, NY, on 17-18 May 2018. 

• The NGO Branch at the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development in UN DESA, is inviting NGOs interested to apply for consultative status with ECOSOC, to an online informational session on 2 May 2018. 

• On 27 April, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on Israel to ensure that its security forces do not resort to the use of excessive force, following the many deaths and injuries sustained by Palestinians, including children, in Gaza during the past month. 

• On 26 April, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, Nickolay Mladenov, delivered a briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, and particularly on increased incidents during demonstrations since 30 March and risks of war in Gaza. The Special Coordinator has engaged in “intense efforts with all sides to reduce risks of friction” and welcomed the efforts, particularly of Egypt, and others to the same effect.