NGO Action News – 15 January 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
15 January 2016

Europe

• In London, on 16 January, Alexandre Goeschmann and Guy Davidi who also directed the award winning film “5 broken cameras” will present and screen their new film “Regarding Palestine” a story of construction workers, whose labour is being used to build the infrastructure of the occupation.

• La Maison des Metallos in Paris on 16 January will hold a discussion on Palestine: “Why the revolt of the post-Oslo generation.” The event is organised by Les Amis de l’ Humanité with PierreBarbancey, reporter for the newspaper L’Humanité, Amir Hassan, a young Palestinian living in Gaza and Éléonore Merza-Bronstein, an Israeli anthropologist, founder of “ De-Colonizer ”.

Middle East

• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights published its weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory covering the period 7 – 13 January 2016.

• On 28 January, The Jerusalem Fund will screen “Salt of the Sea” an award-winning film by one of the younger auteurs of Palestinian cinema, Annamarie Jacir, who is considered the first Palestinian woman to have directed a feature film. On 21 January, “Divine Intervention” will be screened, described by critics as a “black comedy” about the existential absurdity facing Palestinians living in Israel and under the occupation.

Global

• The Salisbury Methodist Church in England from 6 through 31 January will host an exhibition showing everyday life in the village of Bil’in in the occupied West Bank, as seen through the eyes of the children.

• The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church in USA announced that it would divest from 5 Israeli banks as part of the implementation of their human rights guidelines.

• On 19 January, in Dublin, Professor Jeff Halper will launch his new book: “War against the People: Israel, the Palestinians and Global Pacification”. The event is hosted by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign as part of the End the Irish Arms Trade with Israel campaign.

United Nations

• According to OCHA bulletin by the end of 2015, 136 Palestinian deaths and nearly 14,000 injuries had been recorded in the West Bank and Israel in the context of attacks and clashes, the largest yearly figure since OCHA began its records in 2005.

• The Security Council will hold an open debate on the Middle East including the Palestinian question on 26 January. The meeting will be webcast.

• On 27 January, The Palestinian Rights Committee will hold its first meeting of the year. During the meeting the programme of work for 2016 will be adopted and the elections of the bureau will be held. The UN Secretary-General will speak. The meeting will be webcast.

• OCHA published its bi-weekly report covering incidents and significant developments that occurred throughout the occupied Palestinian territory from 29 December through 11 January.

• The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on 14 January launched an emergency appeal amounting to $817 million for the occupied Palestinian Territory and Syria.