NGO Action News – 07 December 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
7 December 2018

Middle East

• On 6 December, Al-Haq welcomed the adoption of a resolution by the Chilean Parliament calling on its Government to review all agreements and treaties between Chile and Israel. The resolution also requests the Government to distinguish between goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israeli settlements therein, and the State of Israel, and establish mechanisms to ban the entry of Israeli settlement products into Chile.

• On 5 December, al-Haq and B’Tselem, announced their selection among five laureates of the 2018 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic, endowed by the French Prime Minister. This year’s prize is awarded to organizations that are being harassed or pressured over defending and promoting human rights. The award ceremony will be held on 10 December, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in Paris.

• On 2 December, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel informed that Israel’s state-owned weapons manufacturer was relocating a massive testing facility from the centre of the country to an area in the Naqab (Negev) desert in a move that puts some 1,200 Bedouin homes and other structures at risk of forced displacement. Adalah has filed an objection, demanding that Israeli planning authorities reject the move or find an alternative that does not harm the area’s Bedouin residents.

• On 28 November, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) announced that a few spots are still available for its extended study tour of Israel and Palestine on 18-28 March 2019. The tour provides an opportunity to learn about the current reality in Palestine/Israel within its historical and political context, understand the significance of the latest rapidly unfolding developments including the impact of the Nation-State bill and the growing call for the solution to a one democratic state.

Europe

• On 5 December, Al-Haq welcomed the adoption of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 by the Irish Seanad (Upper House, 30 votes for and 13 votes against) on 28 November. The law aims to ban the importation of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) into Ireland as well as banning services or corporate links to illegal settlements. Al-Haq urged continued support for the Bill at the Dáil (Lower House) and called on all third States to uphold their responsibilities ensuring respect for international law in the OPT.

• On 28 November, BADIL in cooperation with the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) engaged in a lobbying exercise with MPs of the UK Parliament. BADIL informed that the lobbying event reached over 600 parliamentarians from different parties including the Scottish National Party, Green Party, Labour Party, and the Old Party. BADIL’s intervention focused on “strategic solutions to confront the US strategy to cripple UNRWA and the responsibilities of states, particularly the UK, to hold Israel accountable for its systematic and widespread human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people.”

North America

• On 28 November, Amnesty International announced that it was considering legal action against Israeli tech firm NSO Group following an attempted cyberattack on an Amnesty staffer. Two weeks ago, Amnesty International Israel had submitted an urgent request to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, demanding that NSO Group’s defence export licence be revoked but the request was denied.

United Nations

• On 10-13 December, the Chair of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian will participate in a series of meetings in London, organized by the Palestinian Return Centre to discuss the role of the Committee in promoting a peaceful resolution on the question of Palestine.

• On 30 November, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) signed a contribution of US$ 63 million for projects to be implemented in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan. The money will support ongoing projects, including the reconstruction of shelters, new health centres, UNRWA schools and fuel supply in Gaza.