NGO Action News – 18 June 2014

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
18 June 2014

ASIA

• Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Thailand is holding a meeting on 19 June 2014 in Bangkok at 7.00pm (Grand President Executive Serviced Apartments, 8th floor, Tower 2) to discuss activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the benchmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the OPT. For more information please contact: palestinesolidaritythailand@gmail.com.

EUROPE

• Caabu is organizing on 26 June 2014 a Members’ event with Nawal Sleimah, founder and director of Women in Hebron, a Palestinian women’s traditional embroidery cooperative. Ms. Sleimah will speak about the role that women in Hebron are playing in strengthening communities through embroidery.

• Le Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient (CPJPO) is organizing its last cine-club session before the summer break with the documentary Bridge over the Wadi by Barak Heymann (2008) focusing on a the experience of a bi-national Israeli-Palestinian school.

• La Coordination des Appels pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient is organizing a bike tour for Palestine in Paris on 21 June 2014.

• Gate48 and Palestine Link are organizing a debate in Amsterdam on 25 June 2014 addressing a recent multi-experts report on Palestinian children in military detention (Dutch only).

• The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) is hosting in Cork Une Vie Suspendue – A Suspended Life, an exhibition by Algerian-Belgian photographer Asmaa Sebafeaturing 21 portraits of former Palestinian women detainees in Israeli jails. IPSC is also organizing a youth journey for justice to the West Bank on 2-10 August 2014.

• Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is organizing the event Cycle for MAP to raise money to support Palestinians, on 7 September 2014.

• Palestina Solidariteit (Belgium) is proposing an international summer camp to explore Palestinian past and present, on 1-10 August 2014.

• Trócaire presents on 19-29 June 2014 in Dublin an exhibition and multi-media installation featuring photographs and testimonies from Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers who served in the OPT. The organization is also hosting the seminar event The role of photography in conflict situations on 25 June with Yehuda Shaul (Breaking the Silence), Dearbhla Glynn (Documentary filmmaker), Anthony Haughey (Artist, lecturer, photographer) and Eilish Dillon (Lecturer, researcher & member of Dóchas). For more information or to RSVP please contact: nguiheen@trocaire.ie.

ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

• Addameer – Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association issued a press release on 12 June 2014 focusing on the Palestinian detainees and prisoners on hunger strike since 24 April 2014.

• The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) posted on 12 June 2014 an update entitled East Jerusalem Water Crisis Persists While Government Authorities Trade Blame.

• B’Tselem published on 12 June 2014 a statement confirming that a live bullet was the cause of the death of the Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli forces on 15 May during clashes in the West Bank town of Beitunia.

• Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement published on 16 June 2014 The Gaza Cheat Sheet • Real Data on the Gaza Closure.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a press release on 17 June 2014 stating that it was intensifying its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance. The ICRC also called on all concerned parties to fully comply with international humanitarian law, in particular by allowing medical personnel to carry out their activities in safety.

• The Israeli Committee Against House Demolition (ICAHD) rebuilding camp will take place 3-18 August 2014 near Jerusalem.

• OneVoice International Tal Harris (OneVoice Israel) and Samer Makhlouf (OneVoice Palestine) were awarded the 2014 IIE Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle Easton 9 June 2014 from The Institute of International Education. OneVoice also announced the launch of IMPACT—Informing and Mobilizing Political Actors, Communities, and Thinkers. IMPACT will concentrate on American “grasstop” actors in influential communities and among thought leaders and policy makers to foster and ensure effective US diplomacy to end the conflict.

• The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) released its latest Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory covering the period 5 to 11 June 2014.

NORTH AMERICA

• American Muslims for Palestine, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Jewish Voice for Peace, National Lawyers Guild – Palestine Subcommittee and US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation posted on 4 June 2014 the video testimonies of their recent congressional briefing Examining Israel’s discrimination against US Citizens held in Washington on 21 May. Yousef Munayyer (The Jerusalem Fund), Sandra Tamari (St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee), Donna Nevel (community psychologist, educator, and writer) and Nour Joudah (Georgetown University) took part in a panel discussion.

• The American Task Force on Palestine will host its Annual Gala on 18 November 2014 in Washington to honour the achievements of Palestinian Americans.

• The Center for Palestine Studies (CPS) at Columbia University presents the first annual Palestinian Film Festival in Santiago, Chile at the Cineteca Nacional (Centro Cultural La Moneda). This weeklong festival, which runs 23-29 June 2014, will feature iconic works from Palestinian cinema. For more information and the full programme please click here.

• Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) held a Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem on 8 June 2014 as Pope Francis prayed with President Mahmoud Abbas and President Shimon Peres in Rome.

• Go Palestine is now accepting applications for its 2014 Summer Camp for Diaspora Palestinian youth and friends aged 14-17 years old.

• The Presbyterian Church (USA) is now discussing at its biennial General Assembly held in Detroit on 14-21 June 2014 a series of resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including divestment from three US companies that profit from Israeli abuses of Palestinian human rights: Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions. ItsIsrael/Palestine Mission Network announced in a statement on 17 June that an overture endorsing selective divestment from the three mentioned US companies has been passed by a vote of 45-20 by the 221st GA Middle East Issues Committee.

• The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation will be holding its Annual National Organizers Conference in San Diego, CA, on 19-21September 2014. Confirmed speakers include Ali Abunimah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, and Marjorie Cohn, former President of the National Lawyers Guild.

• The US United Methodist Church has instructed on 12 June 2014 the manager of its US$ 20 billion pension fund to sell immediately all shares in G4S, a private supplier of security services and equipment for Israeli prisons.

• We Divest Campaign is calling for a National Week of Actions on 6-13 July 2014 to celebrate BDS victories. The campaign will also host a Summer BDS Camp 10-14 August in North Carolina. Click here for more information.

GLOBAL

• Fifa and Coca-Cola produced a story about Ahlam, a young female football player in Ramallah, Palestine. The film is part of a global campaign to invite passionate football fans from different parts of the world to the world cup.

• More than 30 Palestinian coalitions and organizations, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the benchmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the OPT, are calling on people all across the world to join efforts and make July 2014 the month Against the Apartheid Wall.#STOPIMPUNITY.

UNITED NATIONS

• The International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has a Twitter account and official hashtag #2014forPalestine. Share the word and let us know about your International Year plans at 2014forPalestine@un.org!

• OCHA OPT issued its Protection of Civilians Weekly Report covering the period 27 May-2 June 2014.

• UNRWA is still mobilizing until 28 July for its #giveforfood campaign to help the over 1 million Palestine refugees who are unable to afford even their minimum food requirements. Please click here to support the campaign.