NGO Action News – 12 December 2024

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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.

You may find previous issues of the NGO Action News in Spanish here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in French here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in Arabic here.

Middle East

• On 10 December, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights published the article “Forgotten Victims: Death, Torture, and Enforced Disappearance of Palestinian Detainees from Gaza”. The NGO condemned Israel’s policy of arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as the torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance of Palestinians from Gaza, as part of its ongoing genocide against the civilian population of the Strip.
• On 9 December, Al Mezan issued a press release to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide, observed on the eve of International Human Rights Day. The NGO stated that Palestinians in Gaza have suffered for 430 days of what it considers to be an ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel against more than two million Palestinians, underscoring the international community’s persistent failure to uphold its principles and commitments. Al-Haq also marked International Human Rights Day by calling on states to take measures to protect UNRWA.
• On 8 December, Al-Haq launched a review paper on “Arguments Raised in Amici Curiae Submissions in the Situation in the State of Palestine Before the International Criminal Court: Arrest Warrant Applications August 2024”, on the occasion of the 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This paper analyses and critiques the legal rationales presented by states in their submissions to the Court and their positions related to Palestine.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 10 December, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) marked the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by sharing an open letter with United Nations delegations, urging decisive actions to address the ongoing denial of Palestinian human rights. The letter emphasizes the transformative and preventative power of human rights as a path to a more peaceful, equal, and sustainable future. Highlighting the relevance of human rights in addressing pressing global challenges, PRC called on the international community to uphold its commitment to ensuring justice and dignity for Palestinians. Diakonia published an article on this topic as well.
• On 10 December, Association France Palestine Solidarité released a statement (in French) calling for Israel to respect international law. The organization stated that Palestinians have not been able to enjoy the rights granted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whether they were individual rights or their national rights.
• On 5 December, Amnesty International published the report “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza”. The NGO’s research has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. The report documents how, during its military offensive launched in the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel has unleashed destruction on Palestinians in Gaza continuously and with total impunity. The organization interviewed 212 people, including Palestinian victims and witnesses, local authorities in Gaza, healthcare workers, conducted fieldwork and analyzed an extensive range of visual and digital evidence, including satellite imagery.

North America

• On 8 December, Friends of Sabeel North America published an article arguing that one of the casualties of the current situation in Palestine was international law and the respect, dignity, and effectiveness of international institutions. The NGO added that the case accusing Israel of genocide brought by South Africa at the ICJ and the arrest warrants for Israeli representatives issued by the ICC have brought matters to a head. The article states further that the fight to bring accountability and restraint to Israeli actions was no longer a fight for justice for Palestinians but a fight for international law and order, and for humanity itself.

United Nations

• On 11 December, the General Assembly 10^th Emergency special session adopted 2 resolutions, demanding a Gaza ceasefire and supporting the UNRWA mandate.
• On 11 December, OCHA published the article “Flash Appeal 2025 at a Glance”. The UN and partners estimate that at least US$6.6 billion is required to address the humanitarian needs of 3.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. To be able to implement the full scale of what is urgently needed, Israel must take immediate and effective measures to ensure the essential needs of civilians are met. Assuming humanitarian actors will continue to face a constrained operating environment, the 2025 OPT Flash Appeal calls for US$4 billion of this amount for UN Agencies, INGO, and NGO partners to address some of the most urgent and critical needs of three million of the 3.3 million people identified as requiring assistance. The Appeal will target the entire population of Gaza, estimated at 2.1 million people, and 900,000 people in the West Bank.
• On 10 December, OCHA published the “Gaza Humanitarian Response Update” covering the period 24 November – 7 December 2024, highlighting the priority needs and activities by Clusters and select technical working groups operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). WHO reported that six environmental samples from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah tested positive for poliovirus, while the limited number of functional crossing points and access impediments to collect supplies from them continued to cause shortages in medicines across the Gaza Strip. Food distributions in the North Gaza governorate have also been largely prevented but such blockages persist despite daily requests for access. Furthermore, UNRWA collective shelters continued to be impacted by ongoing hostilities, resulting in deaths, injuries, destruction, and further displacement. Partners also called for the protection of civilian infrastructures, including IDP shelters.
• On 5 December, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published the report “Occupation, fragmentation and poverty in the West Bank”. This study attempts to quantify the impact of the relative share of Area C in Palestinian localities on household welfare, measured by expenditure. The exercise revealed that the greater the share of Area C in a locality, the stronger the negative impact on total household expenditure.