NGO Action News – 16 November 2023

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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 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 20 November, the Institute for Palestine Studies will hold a webinar titled “The role of the United Nations in the War on Gaza” (in Arabic) which will feature a discussion with Ghassan Salame, former Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
• On 15 November, Al-Mezan shared a briefing note prepared by the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council, providing background on the current aggression in Gaza and suggesting that senior Israeli government and military leaders may be carrying out genocidal acts against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
• On 15 November, Adalah– The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel published a report containing data on interrogations, arrests and indictments of Palestinian citizens of Israel over the last month from 7 October to 7 November 2023.
• On 14 November, BADIL – Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights and the Global Palestinian Refugee and IDP Network issued a joint statement saying that UN agencies have failed to protect Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and that it is not enough to merely express “outrage” without taking practical measures to halt Palestinian suffering.
• On 14 November, 7amleh –Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media published an article noting that it had documented more than one million instances of hate speech and incitement against Palestinians on Hebrew-language social media platforms since 7 October.
• On 13 November, B’Tselem published an article highlighting that since the war in Gaza began, Israel has also increased its efforts to drive Palestinian shepherding communities out of South Hebron Hills. The same day, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel announced it had sent legal correspondence to the Israeli Defense Forces with regard to “a slew of serious incidents” in the South Hebron Hills committed by reserve soldiers.
• On 10 November, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies issued a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying that it was “more urgent than ever.” The statement also called for the liberation of all civilian hostages held in Gaza.
• On 9 November, Peace Now published a special report titled “The Third Front: Settler Violence in Gaza War’s Shadow and the Impact on Area C,” which documents a rise in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October.

Asia and Europe

• On 15 November, Law for Palestine sent letters to the foreign ministers of several countries, warning them of the potential legal consequences for complicity in the crime of genocide committed by the State of Israel against the Palestinian people.
• On 14 November, the Association Belgo-Palestinienne reported (in French) that some 50,000 people marched in Brussels on 11 November to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. The peaceful demonstration was organized by a broad coalition of civil society organizations, trade unions, and NGOs.
• On 14 November, Association France Palestine Solidarité reported (in French) that tens of thousands of people had demonstrated in Paris on 4 and 11 November to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
• On 13 November, Palestinian human rights organizations Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued a joint statement welcoming the introduction of a bill in the Belgian Parliament proposing a ban on trade with settlements in occupied territories.
• On 12 November, the Palestinian Return Centre published a press release expressing alarm over Israel’s air and ground bombardment of UN facilities in the Gaza Strip, and calling on the international community to help ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected.
• On 11 November, the Norwegian Refugee Council issued a press statement expressing outrage over attacks on hospitals in Gaza, noting that medical facilities and personnel have special protection under international humanitarian law.
• On 10 November, Amnesty International said its petition demanding a ceasefire to end civilian suffering in Gaza has been signed by over one million people from around the world.

North America

• On 14 November, Human Rights Watch published an article highlighting how Israel’s attacks on medical facilities and personnel are decimating the healthcare system in Gaza and should be investigated as war crimes. It also called on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the International Criminal Court to investigate these attacks.
• On 14 November, Americans for Peace Now issued a call for action, urging people to call their members of Congress to address increasing settler violence in the West Bank which threatens further destabilization amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
• On 13 November, the Center for Constitutional Rights, on behalf of Palestinian human rights organizations—including Al-Haq and Defense for Children International-Palestine—and Palestinians in Gaza and the United States filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against President Biden and other high-level US government officials for their complicity and failure to prevent the Israeli government’s unfolding genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
• On 13 November, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) published an article noting actions taken by universities to censor and/or suspend student chapters of JVP and Students for Justice in Palestine for organizing sit-ins and demonstrations.
• On 10 November, The Jerusalem Fund shared the recordings of three panel discussions from its 2023 Annual Conference, titled “Nakba at 75,” “Oslo at 30,” and “U.S. Policy on Palestine.”

United Nations

• On 21 November, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold a Committee Meeting on Unity and Solidarity. The Permanent Observer of Palestine and the Director of UNRWA Representative Office in New York will brief the Committee on the current situation in the Middle East.
• On 16 November, OHCHR shared a statement by UN Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups calling on the international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
• On 15 November, the Security Council adopted resolution 2712 (2023) calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors through the Gaza Strip to facilitate the provision of essential goods and services.
• On 15 November, UNRWA issued a statement highlighting the continued urgent need for fuel in the Gaza Strip. The same day, OHCHR also expressed concern over the imminent depletion of fuel supplies, noting that fuel underpins the provision of all humanitarian services in Gaza.
• On 15 November, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell made a statement about her visit to Gaza where she met with children, their families and UNICEF staff. In her remarks, she described the situation as “devastating.”
• On 14 November, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General made a statement saying that the Secretary-General was deeply disturbed by the situation in Gaza hospitals, and calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
• On 13 November, OCHA published an infographic providing data on the numbers and types of aid trucks crossing from Egypt into Gaza since the start of the conflict on 7 October 2023. The same day, UNICEF also published an infographic highlighting the impact of the war on education in the Gaza Strip.
• On 12 November, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO Regional Directors issued a joint statement calling for urgent international action to end the ongoing attacks on hospitals in Gaza.
• On 11 November, UNDP issued a statement expressing deep distress over reports that the UN compound in Gaza City had been shelled. While UN staff had vacated the premises in October, several hundred people had sought refuge in the compound.
• On 10 November, WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus provided a briefing on the health situation in Gaza at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
• On 10 November, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called on Arab States at an extraordinary summit meeting in Riyadh to increase support for the Palestinian People amid the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
• On 9 November, the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee approved six draft resolutions relating to the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine question. Further details as well as links to the resolutions can be found here. The same day, the General Assembly’s Second Committee also approved three resolutions, including one demanding that Israel cease exploitation of natural resources in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
• On 9 November, UNDP and ESCWA released a joint rapid assessment report titled “The Gaza War: Expected Socio-Economic Impacts on the State of Palestine” which compiles data and employs various analytical tools to simulate the impacts of the war under different scenarios.