NGO Action News – 15 September 2017

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 September 2017

Global

• Resources to join the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel (17 to 24 September) with educational activities, prayer and action for a just peace can be found on the websites of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Pax Christi International.

• On 13 September, Human Rights Watch released a report “Israeli Banks Supporting Settlements”, challenging arguments by Israeli banks that domestic law obliges them to provide services that help support settlements, and calling on them to cease settlement-related activities.

Middle East

• On 17 September, Gisha-Legal Center for Freedom of Movement issued a new factsheet “Graphing 10 Years of Closure and the Impact of Israel’s Policy on the Gaza Strip”, concluding that “elements of the closure policy are actually viewed by Israel not as necessary for security but rather as bargaining chips.”

• On 14 September, Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights updated its database of discriminatory Israeli legislation.

• After ten years of litigation, on 13 September, Adalah and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) welcomed a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court, which established that the Jerusalem residency of four Palestinian parliamentarians could not be revoked by the Interior Minister on grounds of a “breach of loyalty”.

North America

• On 17 November, the Jerusalem Fund in Washington, D.C. will hold its Palestine Center Annual Conference “The Palestinian Struggle: Adversity on all Fronts”.

• From 12 to 22 October, The Freedom Theatre production “The Siege”, an artistic reflection on the 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, will be performed at the New York University (NYU) Skirball Center.

• To mark International Day of Peace, Palestinian children supported by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and the Rebuilding Alliance are speaking on 19 September about their vision for peace at a special Congressional Briefing (#ICareAboutPeace) in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the office of US Senator Bernie Sanders.

• On 14 September, Al Shabaka-The Palestinian Policy Network published a policy memo “China’s New Plan for Israel-Palestine”.

• On 11 September, Susan Akram, Clinical Professor of Law at Boston University, published an article “Thirteen Years Later, the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Wall” in Palestine Square, the blog of the Institute for Palestine Studies.

• The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has launched a new advocacy campaign “A Cry for Home”, which includes fact sheets on detention, house demolitions and settlements as well as short videos featuring personal stories of Palestinians and Israelis who explain what homes means to them.

Australia

• On 7 October, the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) will host a reception to celebrate the world premiere of the Gaza documentary “From under the Rubble” at the Adelaide Film Festival.

United Nations

• The report on UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Assistance to the Palestinian People was released on 12 September “Developments in the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

• UN Women posted an article on the visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 29 August to the One Stop Centre in Ramallah, a facility supported by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF to provide services to female survivors of gender-based violence.