NGO Action News – 23 May 2024

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United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People  

NGO Action News  

23 May 2024 

Middle East 

• Several organizations reacted to the announcement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he had filed applications for arrest warrants against representatives of the Israeli government and representatives of Hamas. Among many other organisations, Al Haq, Palestinian Center for Human Rights Gaza, al Mezan, Addameer, B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Americans for Peace Now, Amnesty International, Diakonia and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network reported on this issue.  

• On 22 May, Al Haq published an article commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. Al Haq illustrated the continuation of the Nakba through the experiences lived by children residing in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, following the recent increase in extensive military operations in the north of the West Bank. Al Haq stated that at least 472 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between 7 October 2023 and 20 May 2024, of whom 118 were children. 

• On 22 May, Peace Now informed that the Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced the cancellation of the order prohibiting Israelis from entering areas in the northern West Bank from which Israel withdrew after the adoption of the 2005 disengagement law. According to Peace Now, this decision is the first step towards potentially establishing future settlements in these areas. 

• On 16 May, Gisha informed that the volume of aid to Gaza plummeted in recent days as Israel’s Rafah offensive continued. To address this issue, Gisha, ACRI, along with Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Hamoked sent a letter to Israeli authorities asking them to take immediate action against all parties involved in the blocking of aid trucks in transit to Gaza. In the letter, the organizations warned in particular against the prolonged hindrance to aid access caused by groups and individuals who had been blocking trucks, vandalizing and looting their contents. 

Asia and Europe 

• On 16 May, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) held a panel discussion entitled “Ongoing Nakba at 76: Palestinians Demand Right of Return” focusing on the significance of the Nakba of 1948 and its ongoing manifestations, 76 years on. The speakers discussed in particular the historical roots of the Palestinian Nakba, making references to the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of individuals from their residences.  

• On 15 May, Amnesty International published an article calling on Israel to uphold the Palestinians’ right to return following the mass forced displacement of civilian population in Gaza. Amnesty International stated that more than 150,000 Palestinians had been forcibly displaced from Rafah recently as Israel intensified its ground and air operations in the area putting thousands of lives at risk and blocking off crucial humanitarian aid. The article also informed that most of those who fled had already been displaced multiple times during this seven-month offensive on the Gaza Strip.  

North America 

• On 22 May, J Street issued a statement following the recognition of the State of Palestine by three European nations – Norway, Spain and Ireland. J Street considered this recognition an important step on the road to meaningful conflict resolution.  Americans for Peace Now published a statement on this issue as well, considering the acknowledgement of the existence of a Palestinian people deserving of a sovereign state as a step in the right direction. 

United Nations 

• On 21 May, Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council. Wennesland stated that more aid was needed to meet the enormous scale of the needs in Gaza and that there was no substitute for the full and increased operation of existing land crossings. He also warned that the failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a large-scale military operation in Rafah could exacerbate the risk of escalating regional tensions. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, OCHA, also briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Rafah and called on all parties, as a matter of urgency, to make genuine progress towards a ceasefire, for the release of all remaining hostages, and for the Security Council and all Member States to use their influence to bring this humanitarian catastrophe to an end. 

• On 17 May, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) organized the commemorative event “1948 – 2024: The Ongoing Palestinian Nakba”. The event, organized as a panel discussion examined the historical context of the 1948 events and the ongoing process of the Nakba over the past 76 years, culminating in the current war on Gaza. It also presented testimony on the current conflict and highlight international obligations and responsibilities. The video recording of the event is available in several languages on the Committee YouTube account.