NGO Action News – 11 December 2025

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. 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.

Middle East

• On 8 December, 7amleh and other NGOs organized in Ramallah the event “Digital Threats and the Protection of Journalists”. This interactive dialogue explored the escalating digital threats facing Palestinian journalists, and ways to strengthen digital safety and professional protection, amid an online environment marked by increasing surveillance and targeting.
• On 6 December, Al-Haq published an article warning of the grave implications of the proposed Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust. According to the NGO, under the Trust, Gaza would be placed under a foreign trusteeship initially administered by the United States through a bilateral agreement with Israel. The article reads that the plan seeks to transform Gaza into a commercial arena for foreign investors, and was conceived without Palestinian participation and predicated on the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
• In December, the Institute for Palestine Studies issued its 215^th edition of the “Journal of Palestine Studies” (Volume 54, Issue 3), featuring articles, essays, interviews and book reviews on the question of Palestine.
• On the occasion of its 25^th anniversary, the Palestine Land Society organized the exhibition “Palestine Maps in 2000 Years History” in Kuwait from 2 to 9 November 2025. According to the NGO, the exhibition showed historic maps of Palestine, with emphasis on the Nakba in 1948, armistice lines, and areas occupied at various periods of history. The exhibition also showcased video recordings of the testimonies of Nakba survivors.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 9 December, Association France Palestine Solidarité published (in French) an article on the violations of the rights of Palestine refugees, granted under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The NGO stated that Palestine refugees of 1948 and 1967 and their descendants, now numbering around 8 million, to which must be added the thousands of displaced persons in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, have the right to return to their homes. The article also discussed the opposition from Israel to UNRWA’s mandate and activities.
• On 7 December, the Palestinian Return Centre submitted a legal and political briefing to Members of the U.K. Parliament and to relevant departments within the Government, examining the implications of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) concerning Gaza. According to the NGO, despite its stated objectives Resolution 2803 failed to provide guarantees for Palestinian self-determination, refugee rights, or accountability for grave violations committed in Gaza. The NGO raised serious concerns that the resolution entrenched externally managed governance arrangements that marginalize Palestinian participation in decisions affecting Gaza’s future.

North America

• On 18 December, New Jewish Narrative will organize the screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary “No Other Land”, followed by a discussion, in Washington, D.C.
• On 9 December, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) organized the webinar “Christians in Gaza, Ecclesiocide, and Kairos Palestine II”. Hilary Rantisi, FMEP Fellow, spoke with Dr. Yousef Kamal AlKhouri, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College, and a Christian Arab Palestinian theologian from Gaza. They discussed the specific situation of the Christian community in Gaza and in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

United Nations

• On 8 December, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement condemning the Israeli unauthorized entry into the UNRWA compound in occupied East Jerusalem. He urged Israel to immediately take all necessary steps to restore, preserve and uphold the inviolability of UNRWA premises and to refrain from taking any further action with regard to UNRWA premises, in line with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law, including those concerning privileges and immunities of the United Nations.
• On 5 December, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, issued a statement welcoming the overwhelming vote by the UN General Assembly to renew UNRWA’s mandate for three years. He added that this vote needed to be translated into a genuine commitment and matching resources to ensure the mandate is fulfilled. In another message, published on 5 December, Lazzarini stated that Gaza now hosted the largest group of child amputees in modern history.