NGO Action News – 09 December 2016

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.

NGO Action News
09 December 2016

• To mark the International Human Rights Defenders Day on 9 December, several organizations including Al-Haq, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) issued a joint statement calling for protection of human rights defenders working on issues related to Palestine.

• To promote understanding of the current situation in Gaza and the impact of the blockade, on 8 December, Gisha-Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement announced a new site featuring a photo visit to Gaza entitled “Gaza Up Close”.

• On 5 December, World Council of Churches (WCC) Associate Secretary-General Isabel Phiri from Malawi was interrogated and deported upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. The only member to be denied entry, Prof. Phiri was part of a WCC delegation travelling to Jerusalem for consultations about its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). According to media, Israeli authorities cited support of BDS and anti-Israeli activities by EAPPI volunteers as reasons for the refusal.

• On 5 December, B’Tselem launched a new report entitled “Expel and Exploit. The Israeli Practice of Taking over Rural Palestinian Land”.

• On 3 December, Addameer and other Palestinian organizations released a joint report providing statistics on arrests carried out by Israeli forces in the OPT during November and setting out concerns regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees. In addition, a new video released by the NGO on the arrest and detention of minors from East Jerusalem can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uDPeeD_RPk.

• On 7 December, the Electronic Intifada reported that, citing freedom of speech, the Dutch government had rejected calls to cease funding organizations supporting BDS.

• On 1 December, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestine Legal and the Friends Committee on National Legislation expressed concern about a new bill (Anti-Semitism Awareness Act) passed in the U.S. Senate, claiming it threatened free speech with regard to criticism of Israeli policies on college campuses.

• On 1 December, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) launched a letter writing campaign calling members to ask their representatives in Congress to tell U.S. President Obama to support a UN Security Council resolution confirming the illegality of settlements.

United Nations

• In December, UN Women released a new report examining socio-political factors impacting the access of Palestinian women to justice in East Jerusalem (“In the Absence of Justice: Embodiment and the Politics of Militarized Dismemberment in Occupied East Jerusalem”).