NGO Action News – 23 February 2018

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
23 February 2018

Middle East

• On 20 February, the Palestine-Israel Journal published an issue focusing on “Jerusalem: The Key to Peace”.

• On 19 February, Gisha released the report “10 Years / 10 Judgements”, presenting an analysis of ten key judgments concerning the rights of Gaza residents and the role courts played in shaping Israel’s policy.

• The Palestinian Museum announced on 18 February the commencement of its first Digital Archive project. The latter seeks to create an open-access platform documenting Palestinian history from 1800 to present. The project has been developed in partnership with UCLA and is sponsored by the Arcadia Fund.

• On 18 February, Ir Amin and Peace Now reported the construction of a new checkpoint in the area of Al-Walaja isolating completely a Palestinian village and blocking its residents from access to a local spring while improving connections with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank outside Jerusalem.

• On 14 February, OneVoice published the annual report of Zimam, its partner organization in Palestine.

North America 

•  On 22 February, Evangelical Christians in the United States expressed deep concern about US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

• On 22 February, Lila Abu-Lughod, Professor of Social Science at Columbia University, delivered the Clifford Geertz Commemorative Lecture at Princeton University under the theme “Settler Colonialism Observed: Palestine’s Alter-natives”.

• On 18 February, Al-Shabaka published a policy memo on the latest developments of Jerusalem’s geopolitical reality by examining bills submitted to the Knesset, analyzing their implications and providing recommendations to Palestinians and the international community.

Latin America 

• Chile’s Fundación Palestina Belen 2000 is calling on friends to participate in the Santiago Marathon on 8 April, running for Palestinian children.

Asia

• On 12 February, several Indian women’s organizations representing well over ten million members signed a letter calling for the immediate release of 17-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi.

United Nations

• On 20 February, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer expressed utmost concern about a December 2017 ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court exempting security agents from criminal investigation despite their undisputed use of coercive “pressure techniques” against a Palestinian detainee.

• On 22 February, in relation to his January report on a database of business enterprises involved in specific settlement-related activities, 33 international, regional and Palestinian organizations sent a Joint Open Letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, setting out follow-up recommendations.

• To support Gaza’s collapsing health system, with consequences for 1.27 million people, WHO and health partners urgently require US$ 11.2 million to fill priority health needs for three months.