DPR Monthly Bulletin – Vol. XVIII, No. 04 – CEIRPP, DPR bulletin (April 1995) – DPR publication

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April 1995

Vol. XVIII, Bulletin No. 4

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I.  COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS

  OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE MEETS TO REVIEW

  DEVELOPMENTS AND CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held its 214th meeting on 13 April 1995.  The deliberations are summarized in the following press release (GA/PAL/689):

"The deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories must be solved through economic and political measures and not through military means, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people was told this afternoon by the Permanent Observer for Palestine, M. Nasser Al-Kidwa.

"The peace process must press ahead, Mr. Al-Kidwa said, Israeli troops must be redeployed from the West Bank and elections must be held throughout the territories.  He condemned recent acts of violence in the Gaza Strip by extremists, and said it was the firm intention of the Palestinian Authority to establish law and order.

"Israel must, however, shoulder the main responsibility for the deterioration, he continued, stating that the gravity of the situation was caused by the illegal presence of Israeli settlers and settlements.  He also cited the isolation of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and the withholding of taxes collected from Palestinian citizens in the West Bank as two examples of negative Israeli practices.

"Also this afternoon, Committee Chairman Kéba Birane Cissé (Senegal) reported on two seminars that he recently attended.  The first was the International Seminar on Al-Quds, City of Peace, held in Cairo from 12 to 14 March, which discussed placing the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jerusalem, historically an Arab city, once it was liberated, he stated.

"The second report concerned the United Nations Seminar and Non-Governmental Organization Symposium on the Question of Palestine for the Latin American and Caribbean Region, held in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 23 March.  He said the Seminar provided an opportunity to help the region to contribute to the Palestinian peace process.

"Mr. Cissé informed the Committee that the dates of the United Nations Seminar on Palestinian Administrative, Managerial and Financial Needs and Challenges had been changed.  It would now be held from 28 to 30 June at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.

"The Chief of the Palestine and Decolonization Section of the Department of Public Information, Mustapha Tlili, introduced a new publication entitled Prerequisites for Peace in the Middle East.  It is the fifth in the Department's Israeli-Palestinian dialogue series and reflects proceedings of the International Encounter for European Journalists on the Question of Palestine, held last June in Elsinore, Denmark.

"Mr. Tlili also described a Department of Public Information seminar on assistance to the Palestinian people in the field of media development, held last month, which examined ways to promote an independent and pluralistic Palestinian media.

The Committee will meet again on a date to be announced."

II.   SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES DEEP SHOCK AT ATTACKS

  ON ISRAELI BUSES IN GAZA STRIP

The following statement was issued by the spokesman for the Secretary-General on 10 April 1995 (SG/SM/5608):

"Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was deeply shocked by the two attacks on Israeli buses in the Gaza Strip yesterday, 9 April, in which several people were killed and dozens wounded, many of them civilians.  He strongly condemns these acts, as well as all other acts of violence, which can only serve to undermine the confidence required to sustain the peace process.

"The Secretary-General commends the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization for continuing their negotiations today, in an effort to implement fully the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements."

III.   UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE BOARD

     TAKES NOTE OF REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATOR ON THE

    UNDP PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE TO THE

  PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

The Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and of the United Nations Population Fund held its second regular session from 3 to 5 April 1995.  At that meeting, the Board took note of the report of the Administrator on the UNDP programme of assistance to the Palestinian people.  The text of that report is reproduced below (DP/1995/20/Rev.1):

"Report of the Administrator

 "I.   PURPOSE

"1.  The present report contains an account of the activities of the programme of assistance to the Palestinian people during 1994, including its financial situation, programme delivery and strategy, operational highlights and the coordinating role played by UNDP.

 "II.  OVERALL SITUATION

"2.  The programme more than doubled its operations in 1994, directing its activities mainly at strengthening new Palestinian institutions and creating employment opportunities.  In close cooperation with the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories, steps have also been taken to promote private and public investment in the area, including a base for improved trade and export.

  "III.  FINANCIAL SITUATION

"3.  The fifth cycle allocation from special programme resources (SPR), which constitute the core resources of the programme, amounts to $10.5 million.  Non-core resources for the period under review, furnished in various forms, including trust fund arrangements, cost-sharing, and management service agreements, were provided by: Germany ($0.2 million); Italy ($9.8 million); Japan ($29.7 million); Norway ($7 million); United States ($9.1 million); United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) ($1.5 million); and United Nations Development Fund for Women ($72,000).

"IV.  PROGRAMME DELIVERY AND STRATEGY

"4.  Following the signing of the peace agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in Cairo in May 1994, which established Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, the programme placed high priority on the provision of start-up support to the Palestinian Authority and its various sectoral departments and supporting institutions.  On a visit to the area in September 1994, the Administrator met with senior officials of the Authority and of the Government of Israel.  He also represented the Secretary-General at the Middle East-North Africa Economic Summit in Casablanca, held from 30 October to 1 November 1994.

"5.  The programme strategy in 1994, formulated in full collaboration with the Palestinian Authority, focused on four broad objectives: the protection and management of the environment; the encouragement of sustainable human development; the support of economic development; and the strengthening of public administration.

   "V.  OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

"6.  In 1994, assistance was provided to the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction and six authorities (finance, economy, trade and industry, labour and vocational training, local government and municipalities, tourism and culture).

"7.  Assistance was also provided to the Civil Defence Department, especially in the Gaza Strip, the Border Control Unit (responsible for joint control with Israel of the international border), the Palestinian Information and International Relations Centre, the Palestinian Economic Research Centre and the National Computer Centre in Gaza City.

"8.  A number of projects include support for the establishment of computerized information systems.  The latter will be linked to a national computer network within the National Computer Centre that will eventually include all major governmental entities.  UNDP has also provided start-up funds to enable three Palestinian universities to establish an inter-university computer network linked to INTERNET through UNDP.  This network will be progressively extended to the remaining six Palestinian universities, as well as to other public and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"9.  Two emergency projects addressed the grave unemployment situation in the Gaza Strip, estimated at more than 50 per cent of the labour force, as well as the urgent needs for the rehabilitation of basic infrastructure: the Gaza clean-up project, funded by Japan; and the neighbourhood transformation project, funded by Norway.  In 1994, these projects generated work for more than 4,000 people in Gaza, with wages estimated at $3.5 million.  These programmes will be followed by a much larger project formulated by UNDP for 1995.

"10.  The programme continued its support for education in 1994. During the year, 54 new classrooms were constructed for girls in remote rural areas, accommodating 2,000 additional students, bringing the total of classrooms built by UNDP to 223, for nearly 9,000 students.  Work was also begun on the renovation of the only two agricultural training centres, one in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip.

11.   Implementation of the programme for the promotion of women in Palestinian society accelerated significantly in 1994.  A directory of Palestinian professional women, listing 2,420 women working in various professional fields, was published by UNDP.  A study of the legal system as it affects the women and impacts on their rights was also carried out.  About 10 workshops were held to discuss issues of concern to women and formulate action strategies.  These activities have laid the groundwork for a follow-up project formulated by UNDP and approved in December 1994.  Finally, following a Norwegian-UNDP mission, the report At the Crossroads: Challenges and Choices for Palestinian Women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was published and presented at the Arab Regional Conference held in Amman, Jordan, in November 1994 in preparation for the Fourth World Conference to be held in Beijing.  This report has been adopted as a framework policy and is being translated into Arabic for wider distribution.

"12.  In the water supply sector, work was completed on the Ramallah water well, phase I of the Tulkarem water supply system and several village water systems, and is almost completed on the Nablus Old City water distribution system. A new project was launched in Khan Younis and design work started on phase II of the Tulkarem system.  Expansion of the northern Gaza sewerage network continued during the year.  Together, these projects will benefit approximately 400,000 people throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  In addition, detailed proposals have been drawn up for the rehabilitation of the water supply and irrigation system of Jericho City, which serves more than 12,000 people, and for an improved irrigation system for an additional 3,000 farmers in an adjacent village.

"13.  The integrated rural development project, launched jointly by UNDP and UNCDF at the end of  1993 has  made  impressive  progress.  A 7-kilometre road has been completed, opening up the region and linking farmers to major markets of the area.  Work has started on the construction of 12 earth roads of about 30 kilometres total length to improve farmers' access to about 5,000 acres of agricultural land.  These results have been achieved with active participation by the local communities in accordance with the programme's participatory methodology.  In preparation for the extension of the programme to other areas, a comprehensive physical planning study in the Jenin and Hebron districts of the West Bank has been completed.

"14.  An important milestone in the programme was achieved in November 1994, when the citrus processing plant, jointly financed by the Government of Italy and UNDP at a cost of $12 million was officially handed over to the Palestinian Authority.

    "VI.  UNDP ROLE IN COORDINATION

"15.  In June 1994, a Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories was appointed  by the Secretary-General to facilitate coordination among the respective United Nations programmes and agencies operating in the occupied territories.  In this respect, UNDP continues to play a major role in putting  its experience at the disposal of the Coordinator.  Meanwhile, throughout 1994, UNDP provided significant logistical and advisory support to numerous missions to various United Nations agencies (International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) (Habitat), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)), to the World Bank, and to other international organizations and national NGOs.  The joint project between UNDP, UNICEF and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), implemented in 1994 to improve and expand community centres for children and youth, has been successfully completed.

"16.  Following the experience of previous years, UNDP expanded its initiative towards greater information exchange and cooperation between bilateral and multilateral donors.  The third Compendium on Ongoing Technical Assistance Projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories was published by UNDP in August 1994, and a report on programme projects, Building Capacity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was published in September 1994.  Both of these documents were widely circulated.

    "VII.  EXECUTIVE BOARD ACTION

"17.  The Executive Board may therefore wish to:

  "1. Take note of the present report; and

  "2.  Encourage the international donor community to increase contributions to the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People and to take full advantage of its unique and effective delivery capacity."

IV.     PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF

      THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

    ON ISRAELI VIOLATIONS IN THE CITY

    OF AL-QUDS AL-SHARIF (JERUSALEM)

The following press release was issued by the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Conference on 29 April 1995 (OIC/A-007/95):

"H. E. Dr. Hamid Algabid, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, is following with great concern the persistence of the Israeli occupation in its expansionist and settlement policies, and the acts of profanation perpetrated by Israeli settlers, against Islamic sanctities in the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif, most recently illustrated by the decision to confiscate 53 hectares of the land of Al-Quds al-Sharif and its projected plans to confiscate another 440 hectares of Arab land for the construction of Israeli settlements there.

"These violations and continued Israeli aggressions such as the crime perpetrated by a group of extremist Israeli settlers who broke into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and profaned its sanctity under the sight and hearing of the Israeli occupation forces represent a serious regressive step for the peace process and place new obstacles which adversely affect the progress of the peace initiative as well as a blatant violation of the agreements concluded with the Palestine Liberation Organization which call for desisting from any actions that may alter the demography or geography of the occupied city of Al-Quds al-Sharif during the transition period.

"The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference urges the international community and more particularly the co-sponsors of the peace process to shoulder their full responsibilities and exercise pressure on Israel to immediately discontinue its confiscation of Palestinian land and put an end to the serious violations perpetrated by the Groups of Israeli settlers in the form of daily acts of violation against the Islamic and Christian shrines, and reiterates again that Al-Quds al-Sharif forms an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and must be returned to Palestinian sovereignty if the desired peace and justice and to be achieved in that important part of the world."

V.    FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR

      ON AL-QUDS AL-SHARIF CONVENED BY THE ORGANIZATION

     OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE AND THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

On 12 to 14 March 1995, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the League of Arab States sponsored an international seminar on Al-Quds al-Sharif, in Cairo.  The following is the text of the final communiqué:

"1.   The International Seminar on Al-Quds al-Sharif, "Al-Quds, City of Peace", was held in Cairo, capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, from 11to 13 Shawal 1415 H (12-14 March 1995).  It was convened by the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the League of Arab States, with a view to emphasizing the stand of the Arab-Islamic ummah and of peace-loving forces in support of the Palestinian right in the context of the cause of Al-Quds al-Sharif, an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; to emphasize also that it should be restored to Palestinian sovereignty, and the need to consolidate the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and of their institutions, safeguard the city's cultural and religious character and demographic composition and counter the Israeli policy aimed at stripping it of its Arab-Islamic character.  The meeting was attended by a number of thinkers and personalities from various countries of the world.

"2.   H.E. Dr. Esmat Abdel Meguid, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, H. E. Dr. Hamed Algabid, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, His Eminence Al-Sheikh Al-Akbar Sheikh Gad Al-Hak Ali Gad Al-Hak, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, H. E. Abdel Kabir Al-Alawi Al-Modghari, Minister of Wakfs and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco, representing His Majesty King Hassan II of Morocco, the Chairman of Al-Quds Committee and the Chairman of the Seventh Islamic Summit, H. E. Farouk Al-Kaddoumi, Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine, His Eminence Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Patriarchate, and H. E. Ambassador Badr Hamman, who delivered the address of the Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, attended the opening ceremony and delivered addresses.  Also participated were a number of knowledgeable thinkers from various countries of the world.

"3.   Throughout the Seminar, three working groups considered the following major issues:

– International law and the city of Al-Quds;

– The United Nations and Al-Quds;

– Al-Quds after the end of the cold war;

– Israeli settlements in the city of Al-Quds and their ensuing effects on the eradication of its historical, cultural, urban, Arab and Islamic landmarks;

– Islam and Al-Quds;

– Christianity and Al-Quds;

as well as other issues relevant to the Holy City.

"4.    The participants emphasized that Al-Quds al-Sharif was the key to peace in the Middle East, being at the very heart of the Palestinian question and the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, that just and comprehensive peace could be established only if Al-Quds was restored to Palestinian sovereignty, as an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, to which all international decisions and agreements that would be applied to all the occupied Arab territories should apply.

"5.    The participants condemned the recent Israeli practices, such as seizing Arab properties and territories, establishing and enlarging settlements in Al-Quds al-Sharif and in all the other occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, changing the demographic composition of the city, Israel's ongoing siege of the sacred city, isolating it from the other occupied Palestinian territories.

"6.    The participants urged that the United Nations and the international community ensure that Israel put an end to Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, including Al-Quds al-Sharif and implement the relevant United Nations resolutions and those advocating that Israel desist from establishing settlements and dismantle those existing, given their incompatibility with international law and the threat posed to the peace process as a whole.

"7.    The participants called upon the international community to abide by Security Council resolution 478 (1980), advocating the non-transfer of their diplomatic missions to Al-Quds al-Sharif.  They reaffirmed the Arab and Islamic Summit resolutions concerning the measures to be taken against any country transferring its diplomatic mission to Al-Quds or recognizing it as the capital of Israel.  They reiterated that all legislative, administrative and settlement procedures and measures aimed at changing the legal status of this Holy City were null and void and incompatible with international legitimacy and international conventions, charters and norms.

"8.    The participants condemned the exploration and excavation works, in a deliberate attempt of distortion and eradication of Islamic monuments carried out by Israeli occupation authorities in Al-Quds al-Sharif, particularly around the walls of Al-Haram al-Sharif, which would expose the Masjid Al-Aqsa, the Dome of the Rock and other Islamic sanctities and monuments to the dangers of collapse and destruction.  They called upon the international organizations concerned, in particular UNESCO, to take the necessary measures to put an end to these illegal actions.

"9.    The participants called upon the peace-loving nations and the international and regional agencies concerned to launch a campaign for the restoration of the religious, historic, concerning cultural landmarks in Al-Quds al-Sharif, in order to safeguard and protect them against the dangers of eradication, to ensure an adequate housing for the Palestinian population in Al-Quds al-Sharif and support them in their resistance to deliberate demographic and urban changes carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in order to Judaize the Holy City.

"10. The participants called for an information campaign at international level to sensitive world public opinion, invalidate Israeli claims related to Al-Quds, support the stands of the Palestinian negotiator at the forthcoming negotiations on Al-Quds al-Sharif, emphasizing the justice of the Palestinian right to Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the need to restore it to Palestinian sovereignty as capital of the State of Palestine with a view to ensuring peace and security in the region.

"11. The participants affirmed that their participation in the Seminar sought mainly to emphasize the importance of the distinct status of Al-Quds al-Sharif as the cradle of coexistence and tolerance among the divine religions, the need to restore to it the status it had always enjoyed throughout the ages, as the cradle of human civilization and safeguard its historic, religious and cultural character as well as its Arab Islamic identity.

"12. The participants called upon all international and regional States and Organizations to support and consolidate, by all possible means, the stands of the Palestine Liberation Organization and of the Palestinian National Authority, with a view to vesting the Palestinian National Authority with all the powers and responsibilities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds al-Sharif.

"13.   The participants reaffirmed the importance of this seminar as a take-off for other international seminars so as to ensure that the cause of Al-Quds al-Sharif remains the focus of international concern, until it is restored to its legitimate owners.

"14.   The participants proposed that the general secretariats of the League of Arab States and of the Organization of the Islamic Conference convene, in 1996, a round table to be held in the United States, composed of a limited number of world personalities who earnestly sought a just solution to the cause of Al-Quds."

VI.   NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:

      ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION

1. Middle East International, a biweekly publication, is available from P.O. Box 53365, Temple Heights Station, Washington, D.C. 20009, United States.  Issue No. 498 of 14 April 1995 includes an editorial on the League of Arab States' 50 years; analyses on the Gaza explosion of 2 April which killed a Hamas leader and its implications on a PLO/Hamas confrontation; Labour and Likud responses to car bombings; Fatah party's internal conflict; the formation of a Palestinian civil society; and Rabin's leadership style. Included also is a review of the book entitled Beyond the Promised land: Jews and Arabs on the hard road to a new Israel, by Glenn Frankel.  Issue No. 499 of 28 April 1995 includes analyses on: the Rabin-Peres partnership vis-à-vis the implementation of the agreements and negotiations with the Syrian Arab Republic; Arafat's crackdown on Islamic militants in the aftermath of the car bombings in Netzarim and outlook for the West Bank and Gaza; curfews and their consequences on Palestinians in Hebron; Faruq Qaddumi's relations with the PLO leadership; difficulties encountered by the United States Middle East policy; foreign aid and international organizations, including UNRWA, and their changing role in the occupied territories.  Included also is a review of the book entitled Peace in the Middle East: the challenge for Israel, by Efraim Karsh (ed.), which summarizes contributions of Middle East specialists from universities and think-tanks in the United Kingdom and the United States.

2. News from Within, a newsletter from the Alternative Information Centre, P.O. Box 31417, Jerusalem (Fax 9722 253151).  Issue No. 4 of 4 April 1995 is dedicated to International Women's Day.  It includes articles on a round-table discussion held at Bir Zeit University, on the future of the Palestinian women's movement; on exploitation of Arab women workers in the textile industry; on internal problems in the Histadrut; and on segregation of the Israeli population and the population in the occupied territories and its negative effects on the Palestinian economy.   It also includes interviews with Manar Hasan, founder of a Palestinian feminist organization in Israel, on the objectives of her organization; with Tikva Levy, leading activist in the Israel Committee for Education in Oriental Neighbourhoods and Development Towns (Hila), on attitudinal difficulties among Israeli women (Ashkenazi and Mizrahi) and Palestinian women; with Azmi Bishara, lecturer in Philosophy at Bir Zeit University, on the concept of a normalization process between occupier and the occupied.  Also included is an obituary of Matti Peled (1923-1995), Israeli General, peace activist and scholar.

3. Development and Socio-Economic Progress, a quarterly published by the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organization (AAPSO), is available from 89, Abdel Aziz-Al Saoud Str., 11559-61 Manial El-Road, Cairo, Egypt (Fax 202 363 7361).  Issue No. 60 of July-December 1994 includes an article entitled "Arab communities in the Middle East and the Declaration of Principles" by Nouri Abdul Razzak, Secretary-General of AAPSO.  The article analyses the Declaration of Principles, and gives the author's view on its drawbacks and detrimental effects on the welfare of the Palestinians.

4. The Other Front, a weekly bulletin on developments in Israeli society, is available from P.O. Box 19543, Jerusalem.  Issue No. 319 of 26 April 1995 includes an analysis of the concept of post-Zionism wherein Israelis long for the normalization of their history and of relations with their neighbours.  It also includes articles on activities of the right-wing group called the Sword of David; on immigration to Israel of non-Jews from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); on unsatisfactory conditions of foreign workers from Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa in Israel and consequences of their employment for Palestinian workers from the occupied territories; and on activities of a Jewish-Arab NGO.

5. Article 74, is a publication dedicated to article 74 of Protocol 1 of 1977 Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 which deals with the reunion of families dispersed as a result of armed conflict.  It is available from the Alternative Information Centre, P.O. Box 31417 Jerusalem (Fax 02 253151).  Issue No. 12 of April 1995 includes an article on negotiations for the return of the 1967 displaced persons including the final statement of a March 1995 meeting in Amman, which was attended by Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and Egyptian delegates.   These four delegations, which will meet regularly, will constitute the Continuing Committee for the purpose of deciding by agreement the modalities of admission of Palestinians displaced from the West Bank and Gaza in 1967.  Other articles included are on points of controversy such as: definition of a person displaced in 1967, issue of spouses, descendants and other relatives and 1967 refugees from East Jerusalem; on facts and figures of 1967 displaced persons; on the Israeli Interior Ministry's new measure of identifying Jerusalem residents; on restrictions of Jerusalem entry permits for West Bank spouses; on Palestinians applying for Israeli citizenship to enable travel abroad; on the difficulties of Israeli-issued visit permits for Palestinians visiting relatives in Gaza and Jericho; and on a new military order concerning child registration and its implications on Israeli's policy of separating the Palestinian diaspora from Palestinians in the occupied territories.  

6. Palestinian-Israeli Joint Ventures Cons-traints and Prospects", published by the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, is available from CPRS, P.O. Box 132 Nablus, West Bank (Fax 09 380384).  The study examines issues behind joint ventures and the controversies among Palestinians on the issues.  It evaluates various implications of Palestinian-Israeli joint ventures and identifies trends of thought on the subject among Palestinian business leaders and economists.  It also formulates policy guidelines for dealing with the concept from a Palestinian perspective and in a matter protecting Palestinian interests.  

7. Al-Haq, an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists, has published the following study which is available from P.O. Box 1413, Ramallah, West Bank (Fax 972 2 995194).  The study, which is entitled "The human rights of persons with disabilities", provides an outline of international law and of international standards related to disability, together with Jordanian and Israeli laws that specifically affect Palestinians with disabilities, as well as their friends, families and caregivers, and those working with persons with disabilities, and the general "able-bodied" community.  The study is also undertaken to serve as reference for use in future deliberations about the formulation of disability legislation under a Palestinian authority.

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