NGO Action News – 18 January 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 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 17 January, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel published a list of actions it has taken regarding the suppression of protests during wartime. The actions relate to dispersal of protests and demonstrations, unnecessary license requirements, and the refusal to allow demonstrations that have already been approved. 

• On 14 January, Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued a press release marking the 100th day of Israel’s military campaign against Gaza. They called on the international community to do more to protect the Palestinian people, noting that the daily death rate in Gaza was higher than any other twenty-first-century armed conflict.    

• On 11 January, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al Mezan, and Al-Haq issued a joint statement condemning the killing and targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. arguing that it warrants investigation as a war crime. 

• On 11 January, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies issued a statement welcoming the International Court of Justice hearing on provisional measures under the Genocide Convention following South Africa’s application instituting proceedings against Israel on 29 December 2023, and Israel’s acceptance to appear before the court. The statement considers the ICJ hearing an opportunity to prevent further Israeli atrocities in Gaza. 

• On 10 January, Al-Shabaka published a collection of articles and studies titled “What’s Required to Revive the PLO?” which focus on issues related to reviving the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and future political scenarios for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. 

• On 9 January, Peace Now published an article noting that settlers established a new outpost near Beit ‘Awwa (west of Hebron), and that Israeli soldiers blocked the roads for Palestinians. The municipality of Beit ‘Awwa, along with a group of residents and Peace Now, submitted a petition to the Supreme Court demanding the opening of the road and removal of the blockade on the residents. The court will hear the case on 29 January. 

Asia and Europe 

• On 21 January, the Association Belgo-Palestinienne and other civil society organizations will hold a demonstration in Brussels titled “Justice for Palestine” to call on the government of Belgium to—among other things—take the lead in imposing a comprehensive international military embargo on Israel, and support the proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice. 

• On 16 January, the Palestinian Return Center said it had sent a letter to Member States of the UN Human Rights Council, urging them to support South Africa in its application to the International Court of Justice invoking the Genocide Convention against Israel.   

• On 16 January, Agence Média Palestine published an article (in French) noting that South Africa’s complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice was not only a challenge against Israel, but also an attempt to challenge the hegemony of the imperial West, including the West’s claim to moral superiority. 

• On 10 January, the Norwegian Refugee Council issued a statement titled “100 days of hell in Gaza” detailing the grave humanitarian crisis faced by civilians in Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing military offensive. 

North America 

• On 23 January, The Jerusalem Fund will hold an event titled “Digital Rights Under Siege: Combating Online Censorship of Palestinians,” featuring a discussion with Nadim Nashif, Executive Director of 7amleh- The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media.

• On 18 January, Americans for Peace Now is holding a webinar on how Palestinians envision the future of Gaza. The webinar will feature a discussion with Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute whose most recent article “A Palestinian Revival: How to Build a New Political Order After Israel’s Assault on Gaza” was published in Foreign Affairs.

• On 17 January, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights published an article condemning the US Senate’s move to stop a resolution calling for basic oversight of US military funding to Israel. The article suggested the Senate’s action would “go down in history as enabling genocide.”     

• On 11 January, Jewish Voice for Peace published an article titled “Why Israel’s war on Gaza is textbook genocide” and urged readers to sign a petition in support of South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice and telling US President Biden to end US support for Israeli atrocities. 

United Nations 

• On 16 January, several UN human rights experts including Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, issued a joint press release noting that 100 days into the war, Israel was destroying Gaza’s food system and weaponizing food.  

• On 15 January, WFP, UNICEF and WHO issued a joint press release highlighting a growing risk of famine and disease in Gaza and urging a change in the flow of humanitarian aid involving the opening of new entry routes, more trucks being allowed per day, greater safety guarantees for those accessing and distributing aid, and fewer restrictions of movement of humanitarian workers. 

• On 15 January, Secretary-General António Guterres gave a statement noting that more than 100 days since the 7 October attacks by Hamas, the hostages had still not been released and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “beyond words.” He reiterated his call for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the need to ensure that sufficient aid arrives to those who need it.