NGO Action News – 13 July 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
13 July 2018

Middle East

• On 13 July, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency& Refugee Rights and Al-Haq welcomed the Bill adopted by the Irish Senate on 11 July to make it illegal to import or sell goods or services originating in an occupied territory. BADIL hailed the decision of the Irish Senate as a positive step towards holding Israel accountable for its ongoing lack of compliance with international law and stated that it should inspire the EU and other states to take similar action.

• On 12 July, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights issued a statement condemning the interception and seizure of a humanitarian boat carrying patients and other Palestinians from Gaza into the Mediterranean. Al Mezan stressed that prolonged blockade and collective punishment measures had only accelerated the rate at which human rights and the humanitarian situation in Gaza were deteriorating. The organization called on the international community to take prompt and effective actions to pressure Israeli authorities to end the blockade.

• On 10 July, Al-Haq issued a legal brief in support of the unilateral action by the Senate of Ireland, a European Union Member State, to prohibit the importation of Israeli settlement goods. Al-Haq argued that while the EU was responsible for the block-wide trade policy and maintenance of the EU customs union, enforcement of that policy was a matter for Member States. A Member State could thus restrict trade from illegal Israeli settlements based on its enforcement role within the EU legal structure.

• On 10 July, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemned the Israeli authorities’ decision to close the Kerem Shalom / Karam Abu Salem crossing and prevent the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip, except for some humanitarian goods including food and medicine. PCHR called on the international community to immediately intervene to pressure Israel to open all crossings to ensure the entry of basic goods.

• On 9 July, the High Court of Justice accepted HaMoked and Ma’an’s position accusing the State of negligence in alleviating severe overcrowding and intolerable conditions at the entrance to a shared building in the Gaza Strip. The Court issued an order, instructing the State to explain why it did not take the necessary steps to solve the problems as well as steps to realize all of the remedies requested in the petition. The Court granted the appellants 60 days to submit a response to the order. 

North America

• On 9 July, Human Rights Watch and the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling presented a statement to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on the report of the State of Palestine’s on its implementations of the provisions of the Convention. The statement noted that while Palestine acceded to CEDAW without any reservations, the current personal status laws that apply to both Muslims and Christians in the West Bank and Gaza include de facto and de jure discrimination against women. The organisations called on the State of Palestine to amend its personal status laws to ensure compliance with CEDAW and urged the Committee to conduct an exceptional review after two years to verify compliance.

United Nations

• On 13 July, the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 called on Israel to reverse its decision to close the Kerem Shalom / Karam Abu Salem commercial crossing into Gaza, stating that “further tightening of an already-punitive and comprehensive blockade on Gaza will only worsen its dire humanitarian crisis.”

• On 11 July, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) considered the report of the State of Palestine. Recognizing the reality of the occupation by Israel and the violations of rights of Palestinian women, the Committee noted that the weakness of Palestinian institutions and the absence of legislative activities since 2007 were a cause of fragility too. The Committee called for urgent redress of the legal fragmentation and unification of the laws and expressed concern over human rights restrictions by the occupying power.

• On 23 July 2018, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold its 390th meeting in Conference Room 3 at United Nations Headquarters, New York. The Committee will receive a briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The meeting is open to the public. A live webcast of the event can be accessed on http://WebTV.un.org on the day of the meeting.