DPR Monthly Bulletin – Vol. XV, No. 2 – CEIRPP, DPR bulletin (February 1992) – DPR publication

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February 1992

Volume XV, Bulletin No. 2

Contents

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I.  ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE

    INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

On 11 February 1992, in a letter addressed to the Secretary-General (A/46/875-S/23570), the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People made the following statement:

"In my capacity as Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, I wish to express anguish and outrage at the death of Palestinians in Israeli custody and the systematic use of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees by the Israeli authorities.

"The Palestine Human Rights Information Centre (PHRIC) reported on 5 February 1992 that Mustapha al-Akawi, a 35-year old Jerusalem resident, died on 4 February, while under interrogation in Hebron Prison in the occupied West Bank.  Akawi was detained on 22 January and was brought before the military court in Hebron for extension of detention upon the request of the Shin Beth (Israeli secret service).  According to the report, the military judge, after ordering the detention of Akawi for another 8 days (and not for 30 days as requested by the Shin Beth), told Akawi's lawyer, Lea Tsemel, that Akawi had complained of having been beaten during interrogation and had shown the judge deep bruises on both of his arms and shoulders.  The lawyer was not permitted to speak with Akawi during the period of his detention or during his court appearances.  On 4 February, Akawi's father was summoned to the police station in Jerusalem, and in the father's presence, the father's lawyer telephoned Hebron Prison and learned of Akawi's death.  The Israeli authorities provided no information on the cause of death.

"According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicated, on 5 February, that it was investigating the circumstances in which Mr. Akawi died in Hebron Prison.  The representative of ICRC in Israel told AFP that five prisoners had died after interrogation in that prison since 1989.

"On 3 December 1991, PHRC issued a report documenting "systematic use of torture by electric shock against Palestinian detainees" by the Israelis during interrogation in the Hebron military headquarters.  The shocks were applied by thin wires attached to the detainees' heads, necks, arms, legs and genitals.  The report concluded that 'it is highly unlikely – indeed virtually impossible – that the actions of these interrogators in torturing detainees with electricity were not known by the interrogators' superiors, and possibly others'.  All the Palestinians interviewed for the report had been subjected to other types of torture, including prolonged beating on various parts of their bodies, threats of execution, and forced witnessing of torture.  According to this report, at least 10 Palestinians have died during interrogation since 1987.

"In a special report on the military justice system in the occupied territories, Amnesty International concluded, in July 1991, that 'the substantial evidence available indicates the existence of a clear pattern of systematic psychological and physical ill-treatment, constituting torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, which is being inflicted on (Palestinian) detainees during the course of interrogation.'

"In March 1991, Betzelem, the Israeli Information Centre on Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, published a report showing that a number of interrogation methods routinely used are prohibited by international human rights instruments, as well as by Israeli laws banning the use of force to extract confessions or information.  The report detailed 11 illegal interrogation methods and was based on interviews with 41 Palestinians who had been subjected to such methods.  It concluded that the operation of military justice, especially during the intifadah, has undermined the prohibitions and protection afforded by the legal system, particularly through the long periods of incommunicado detention without access to a lawyer and the wide powers given to the Shin Beth, which create a context in which ill-treatment of detainees can go unpunished.

"The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People strongly condemns the use of physical and psychological torture against Palestinian detainees, which is in total violation of Israel's obligations under article 2 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading treatment or Punishment and article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel ratified recently, as well as articles 31 and 32 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

"The Committee therefore urgently appeals to you as well as all those concerned, and in particular the Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture, which monitor implementation of the relevant treaties, as well as the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention, to see to it that all the necessary measures are taken in order to ensure that Israel desists forthwith from using illegal methods in its treatment of Palestinian detainees and respects its international obligations."

II.  COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS ADOPTS THREE RESOLUTIONS

    ON THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

The Commission on Human Rights, at its forty-eighth session, adopted the following resolutions.  Final edited text will appear in the report of the Commission on its forty-eighth session, which will be issued in due course.

"1992/2.  Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

         "A

"The Commission on Human Rights,

"Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as by the provisions of the Universal declaration of Human Rights,

"Guided also by the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

"Taking into consideration the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and the provisions of Additional Protocol I thereto, and the Hague Convention No. IV of 1907, as well as the principles of international law affirmed by the General Assembly in its resolutions 3 (I) of 13 February 1946, 95 (I) of 11 December 1946, 260 (III) A of 9 December 1948 and 2391 (XXIII) of 26 November 1968,

"Recalling the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 252 (1968) of 25 May 1968, 267 (1969) of 3 July 1969, 298 (1971) of 25 September 1971, 446 (1979) of 22 March 1979, 465 (l980) of 1 March 1980,471 (1980) of 5 June 1980, 476 (1980) of 30 June 1980, 478 (1980) of 20 August 1980, 605 (1987) of 22 December 1987, 607 (1988) of 5 January 1988, 608 (1988) of 14 January 1988, 636 (1989) of 6 July 1989, 641 (1989) of 30 August 1989, 672 (1990) of 12 October 1990, 694 (1991) of 24 May 1991, and 726 (1992) of 6 January 1992,

"Recalling also the General Assembly resolutions on Israeli violations of human rights in occupied Palestine, since 1967 and until now,

"Taking note of the reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Arab Occupied Territories submitted to the General Assembly since 1968, in particular its report of 1 February 1991 (A/46/65),

"Expressing its deep concern at the contents of the report by the Special Rapporteur, Mr. S. Amos Wako (E/CN.4/1991/36), regarding summary or arbitrary executions and the acts committed by Israel in this respect referred to in the report, in particular in paragraphs 290 to 296,

"Recalling all its previous resolutions on the subject,

"1. Condemns the policies and practices of Israel, which violate the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel with military force, including Jerusalem, and, in particular, such acts as the opening of fire by the Israeli army and settlers on Palestinian civilians that results in killing and wounding them, as has happened continuously since the eruption of the Palestinian people's intifadah against Israeli military occupation; the imposition of restrictive economic measures; the demolition of houses; the expropriation of houses as happened recently in Silwan village; the ransacking of property belonging individually or collectively to private persons; collective punishment; arbitrary and administrative detention of thousands of Palestinians; the confiscation of the property of Palestinians, including their bank accounts; the expropriation of land; the prevention of travel; the closure of universities and schools; the perpetration of crimes of torture in Israeli prisons and detention centres; and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory;

"2. Affirms the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation by all means, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, consistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as has been expressed by the Palestinian people in their brave intifadah since December 1987, in legitimate resistance against the Israeli military occupation;

"3. Calls once more upon Israel, the occupying Power, to desist from all forms of violation of human rights in the Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories and to respect the bases of international law, the principles of international humanitarian law, and its commitments to the provisions of the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations;

"4. Calls upon Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and other occupied Arab territories in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the Commission on Human Rights in this regard;

"5. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of the Government of Israel and of all other Governments, the competent United Nations organs, the specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations, to disseminate it on the widest possible scale, and to report on its implementation by the Government of Israel to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-ninth session;

"6. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide the Commission on Human Rights with all United Nations reports issued between sessions of the Commission that deal with the conditions in which the citizens of the Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories are living under the Israeli occupation;

"7. Decides to consider this question at its forty-ninth session as a matter of priority.

"27th meeting 

"14 February 1992"

"B

"The Commission on Human Rights,

"Recalling Security Council resolutions related to the applicability of the four Geneva Conventions of l949 to the Palestinian and other Arab occupied territories and the condemnation by the Security Council of Israel for its refusal to abide by these Conventions, particularly resolutions 446 (1979) of 22 March l979, 465 (1980) of 1 March 1980, 497 (1981) of 17 December 1981, 592 (1986) of 8 December 1986, 605 (1987) of 22 December 1987, 607 (1988) of 5 January 1988, 608 (1988) of 14 January 1988, 636 (1989) of 6 July 1989, 641 (1989) of 30 August 1989, 672 (1990) of 12 October 1990, 694 (1991) of 24 May 1991 and 726 (1992) of 6 January 1992,

"Recalling all relevant General Assembly resolutions on the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of l2 August 1949, to the occupied Palestinian territory, which urge Israel's commitment to and respect of their provisions,

"Recalling also the decisions of the International Conference of the Red Cross in respect of the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention in all circumstances,

"Recalling further its previous resolutions on this question,

"Recalling the different appeals and statements of the International Committee of the Red Cross which point to the continuing violations by the Israeli occupation authorities of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, particularly article 49 thereof, and which call upon those authorities to respect the provisions of the Convention and abide by them,

"Taking into account that the States parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention undertake, in accordance with article 1 thereof, to respect, and ensure respect for, the Convention in all circumstances,

"1. Reaffirms that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, is applicable to Palestinian and all other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem, and that Israel's longstanding refusal to apply the Convention to those territories has led to the perpetration, by the Israeli authorities, of grave violations of human rights against Palestinian citizens, and calls upon Israel to comply with its international commitments, to respect the Fourth Geneva Convention and to apply it in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem;

"2. Urges once more all States parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to make every effort to ensure that the Israeli occupation authorities' respect for, and compliance with, the provisions of that Convention in the Palestinian and all other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem, and to undertake the necessary practical measures to ensure the provision of international protection for the Palestinian people under occupation, in accordance with the provisions of article 1 and other relevant articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, as well as article 89 of the First Protocol additional to the four Geneva Conventions; it also urges the States parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to act in accordance with article 90 of Additional Protocol I by requesting the fact-finding commission referred to therein to investigate the grave violations of international humanitarian law in the Palestinian occupied territory mentioned in this resolution;

"3. Strongly condemns once more the refusal of Israel to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention to Palestine and the Arab territories occupied since 1967 and to their inhabitants, Israel's policies of perpetrating crimes of torture against Palestinian detainees and prisoners in Israeli prisons and concentration camps, and its continued deliberate disregard for the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, in contravention of resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights;

"4. Strongly condemns Israel for its grave violations of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, for continuing its policy of deporting Palestinian citizens and of expelling them from their homeland, as recently happened to the Palestinian citizens Ihab Mohammad Ali Al-Ashkar, Sami Attiya Zayed Abu Samhadana, Ahmad Hassan Abdullah Youssef, Marwan Hassan Mohammad Afana, Ra'fat Osman Ali El-Najjar, El-Sheikh Ahmad Mohammad Ali El-Nimer Hawdan, Khader Attiya Khader Mohrez, Iyad Elhami Abdelraouf Gouda, Ghassan Mohammad Soleiman Jarrar, Hassan Abdullah Hassan Sha'ban, Ali Fares Hassan El-Khatib and Omar Nimer Abdelrahman Safi, and calls upon Israel to comply with the resolutions of the Security Council, particularly resolution 726 (1992) of 6 January 1992, of the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights on this question;

"5. Calls upon Israel to refrain immediately from deporting Palestinian citizens from their homeland, and to allow all those who have been deported since l967 to return to their homeland without any obstacle or delay;

"6. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of the Government of Israel and all other Governments, the competent United Nations organs, the specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental organizations, international humanitarian organizations and non-governmental organizations, and to submit a report on progress in its implementation by the Government of Israel to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-ninth session;

"7. Decides to consider this question at its forty-ninth session as a matter of high priority.

"27th meeting

"14 February 1992"

"1992/3.  Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories

"The Commission on Human Rights,

"Recalling that, in accordance with article 13, paragraph 2, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to leave any country including his own and to return to his country,

"Reaffirming that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, is applicable to Palestinian and all Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem,

"Recalling its resolutions 1990/1 of 16 February 1990, and 1991/3 of 15 February 1991,

"Gravely concerned at the large-scale establishment, by the Israeli Government, of settlers, including immigrants, in the occupied territories, which may change the physical character and demographic composition of the occupied territories,

"Taking into account the need to create the stable environment required for progress in the negotiation process following the Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid,

"Convinced that the halting by Israel of its policy of settlement would constitute a meaningful contribution to the creation of that environment,

"1. Reaffirms that the installation of Israeli civilians in the occupied territories is illegal and constitutes a violation of the relevant provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949;

"2. Regrets that the Government of Israel has not complied with the provisions of Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1990/1 and 1991/3;

"3. Urges the Government of Israel to abstain from installing settlers, including immigrants, in the occupied territories.

"27th meeting

"14 February 1992"

"1992/4.  Situation in occupied Palestine

"The Commission on Human Rights,

"Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the provisions of Article 1 and Article 55 thereof, which affirm the right of peoples to self-determination,

"Guided also by the provisions of article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm that all peoples have the right of self-determination,

"Taking into consideration the provisions of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 1514 (XV) of l4 December 1960,

"Noting Security Council resolutions 183 (1963) of 11 December 1963 and 218 (1965) of 23 November 1965, which affirmed the interpretation of the principle of self-determination as laid down in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV),

"Recalling General Assembly resolutions l8l A and B (II) of 29 November 1947 and 194 (III) of 11 December 1948, as well as all other resolutions which confirm and define the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination without external interference and to the establishment of their independent State on their national soil, especially resolutions ES-7/2 of 29 July 1980 and 37/86 E of 20 December 1982,

"Reaffirming its previous resolutions in this regard,

"Bearing in mind the reports and recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People which from 1976 to 1991, have been submitted to the Security council through the General Assembly,

"Reaffirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the relevant United Nations resolutions and the provisions of the international covenants and instruments relating to the right to self-determination as an international principle and as a right of all peoples in the world,

"Expressing its grave concern at the persistence of Israel in preventing by force the Palestinian people from enjoying their inalienable rights, in particular their right to self-determination, in defiance of the principles of international law, United Nations resolutions and the will of the international community, which has affirmed and recognized those rights,

"Recalling that the military occupation by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State constitutes an act of aggression and a crime against the peace and security of mankind, according to General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974,

"Expressing its grave concern that no just solution has been achieved to the problem of Palestine, which has constituted the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948,

"Reiterating its grave concern at the military, economic and political support given by some States to Israel, which encourages and supports Israel in its aggressive and expansionist policies, its continued occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories and the Judaizing of Palestine by establishing Jewish settlements and settling Jewish immigrants therein,

"Affirming that the directing of the immigration of Jews in an organized manner to Israel constitutes support to Israel's settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territories and an obstacle to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination,

"1. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation of Palestine constitutes a gross violation of human rights and an act of aggression against the peace and security of mankind;

"2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference and to the establishment of their independent sovereign State on their national soil, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and resolutions adopted by the General Assembly since 1947;

"3. Reaffirms also the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homeland, Palestine, in accordance with General Assembly resolution l94 (III) and subsequent relevant resolutions;

"4. Reaffirms further the right of the Palestinian people to recover their rights by all means in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with relevant United Nations resolutions, and affirms that the intifadah of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation since 8 December 1987 is a form of legitimate resistance against the military occupation of Palestine and an expression of the Palestinian people's rejection of the occupation and an affirmation of their unshakeable desire for liberation and for the exercise of their inalienable national rights on their national soil;

"5. Reaffirms its support for the call to convene an effective international peace conference on the Middle East, with the participation of the permanent members of the Security Council and the parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, under the auspices of the United Nations, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, and to guarantee the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people, in particular their right to self-determination without external interference;

"6. Expresses its great interest in the current process of negotiations, which began in Madrid, between the parties to the conflict to resolve the problem of Palestine and of the Middle East; affirms the necessity of this process being based on international legitimacy, on the principles of international law and on the United Nations resolutions concerning the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, at the forefront of which is their right to self-determination, so that the process results in a just solution leading to a just and permanent peace in the Middle East; also affirms that any attempt to achieve a peaceful solution in the region which is not based on the principles of international law and the United Nations resolutions regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other Arab occupied territories and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination free from external interference will not ensure the achievement of a just, permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East;

"7. Strongly condemns Israel for its continued occupation of the Palestinian territory, which constitutes the main obstacle to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their national rights, the foremost of which is their right to free self-determination on their national soil;

"8. Calls upon Israel to comply with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law and to withdraw from the Palestinian and other Arab territories which it has occupied since l967 by military force, including Jerusalem, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;

"9. Urges all States, United Nations organs, the specialized agencies and other international organizations to extend their support and assistance to the Palestinian people through their sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization, in their struggle to recover their rights and to liberate their land from Israeli occupation, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and with the relevant United Nations resolutions;

"10. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to the Government of Israel and to all other Governments, to distribute it on the widest possible scale and to make available to the Commission on Human Rights, prior to the convening of its forty-ninth session, all information pertaining to the implementation of the present resolution by the Government of Israel;

"11. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-ninth session the item entitled "The right of peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation" and to consider the situation in occupied Palestine under that item, as a matter of high priority.

"27th meeting

"14 February 1992"

III.  UNRWA DEPLORES ISRAELI ATTACKS ON REFUGEE CAMPS IN LEBANON

The following press release was issued by UNRWA on 18 February 1992:

"The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Ilter Türkmen, today deplored the Israeli air raids on two Palestine refugee camps in southern Lebanon which took place in the early hours of Sunday, l6 February.  Sites in Ein el Hilweh and Rashidieh camps were bombed.  UNRWA sources confirmed that four civilians were killed and 10 were wounded in the attacks.  Refugee shelters also suffered extensive damage.

"UNRWA said that since mid-1991 security in the areas where the camps are located has been provided by the Lebanese Government.

"Ein el Hilweh camp is located south of Sidon and houses 34,000 Palestinian refugees.  Rashidieh camp, with a refugee population of 20,000, is located south of Tyre." (see PAL/1772)

IV.  NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:  ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION

     A.  Preparations for Ninth United Nations North American NGO

       Symposium on the Question of Palestine

The preparatory meeting for the annual North American NGO symposium was held in New York on 3 and 4 February 1992.  The 12 members of the North American Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine (NACC) held consultations with the Bureau and other members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and drafted the following provisional programme for the forthcoming symposium, which was later adopted by the full Committee:

NINTH UNITED NATIONS NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL NGO SYMPOSIUM

ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

United Nations Headquarters, New York

Wednesday, 24 June to Friday, 26 June 1992

THEME:  PEACE IS THE FRUIT OF JUSTICE

         25 Years of Occupation –

Overcoming the Obstacles, Preparing the Way for Palestine

   PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Wednesday, 24 June

8 a.m.-10 a.m.    –  REGISTRATION

9.45 a.m.-10.45 a.m.   –   OPENING MEETING

Statement by the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People;

Statement by the Chairman of the North American Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine;

Statement by the Representative of Palestine.

11 a.m.-1 p.m.         PLENARY I:

Panel:  25 Years of Occupation:  Overcoming the Obstacles

1.  The peace process;

2.  Occupation update;

3.  Israeli Settlements;

4.  United States policy.

1 p.m.-3 p.m.          LUNCH BREAK

3 p.m.-5 p.m.          SIMULTANEOUS EVENTS:

1.  Teach-in on Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

2.  Resource Fair – videos, publications, etc.

5 p.m.-7 p.m.     REGIONAL, CONSTITUENCY AND ISSUE WORKING GROUPS.

Thursday, 25 June

10 a.m.-11.30 a.m.     PLENARY II:

Panel:  Preparing the Way for Palestine

1.  Needs of Palestinians in hardship areas;

2.  Health and human rights;

3.  Implementing United Nations resolutions-Lessons from Namibia

11.30 a.m.-1.30 p.m.   SIMULTANEOUS WORKSHOPS:

"Overcoming Obstacles, Providing Protection"

1.  Defending Human Rights:  children, prisoners, expellees;

2.  Ending United States aid for occupation;

3.  Land, water and settlements;

4.  Misinformation and disinformation.

1.30 p.m.-3 p.m.       LUNCH BREAK.

3 p.m.-5 p.m.          SIMULTANEOUS WORKSHOPS:

"Preparing the Way for Palestine"

5.  Supporting Palestinian institution-building;

6.  Supporting Israeli peace projects;

7.  Gulf war aftermath:  Needs of Palestinians in hardship areas;

8.  Implementing United Nations resolutions.

5 p.m.-7 p.m.          REGIONAL, CONSTITUENCY AND ISSUE WORKING GROUPS.

Friday, 26 June

10 a.m.-11.30 a.m.     SIMULTANEOUS SKILLS TRAINING                                      

WORKSHOPS:

1.  Lobbying/letter writing;

              2.  Media;

              3.  Fund raising;

              4.  Educating the public.

11.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m.  Workshop reports;

                       Consideration and adoption of the Draft Declaration;

                       Election of the North American Coordinating Committee.

12.30 p.m.-1 p.m.      CLOSING MEETING:

             Statement by the Chairman of the North American

             Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question

             of Palestine;

             Statement by the Representative of the Palestine

             Committee for NGOs;

             Statement by the Chairman of the Committee on the

             Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

1 p.m.-2 p.m.          LUNCH BREAK.

2 p.m.-5 p.m.          BUSINESS MEETING:

Meeting of newly elected NACC          

B.  Information received from NGOs

In the course of February, the following information was received by the Division for Palestinian Rights:

1. ICCP Newsletter No. 40, available from:  the International Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine, 150, route de Ferney, Case postale 2100, CH-1211, Geneva 2, Switzerland.

2. Newsletter of the Middle East Justice Network, available from:  P.O. Box 558, Cambridge, MA  02238, United States of America.

3. Israel and Palestine Political Report, available from: Magelan, Boite Postale l30, 75463 Paris CEDEX 10, France.

4. Middle East International, bi-weekly publication, available from:  P.O. Box 53365, Temple Heights Station, Washington, D.C. 20009, United States of America.

5. Palestine Solidarité, bi-monthly bulletin of l'Association Medicale Franco-Palestinienne, available from:  14, rue de Nanteuil, 75015 Paris, France.

6. Women for Women Political Prisoners, available from: P.O. Box 8537, Jerusalem 91083.

7. Another Viewpoint, commentary available from:  AVP, 604 Barbera Place, Davis, California 95616, United States of America.

8. The Other Front, weekly bulletin on developments in Israeli society, available from:  The Alternative Information Centre, P.O. Box 24278, Jerusalem.

9. Une Terre, Deux Peuples, publication of the Association pour l'union entre les peuples juif et palestinien, available from: C.P.  43, 1247 Anières, Geneva Switzerland.

10. P.R.C.S. Newsletter, newsletter of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, available from Information Department, P.O. Box 5386, Nicosia, Cyprus.

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