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
24 March 2017
Global
- Under the theme “Passover: Free Israelis and Palestinians from the Occupation”, on 10 and 11 April, the Israel-Diaspora Partnership to Save Israel and Stop the Occupation (SISO) will conduct public Passover rituals linking the Exodus from Egypt with the need to end the occupation.
- In relation to UN Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) on settlements, on 23 March, Amnesty International referred to the upcoming UN Secretary-General’s report to the Council as a “key opportunity to highlight Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement activity and its impact on Palestinians”.
- On 22 and 23 March, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) organized a training course for female staff of the Al Aman Shelter for Women in Gaza, focusing on skills and strategies to deal with violence against women.
- On 22 March, Oxfam International issued a briefing paper with the title “Treading Water: The Worsening Water Crisis and the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism”.
Middle East
- From 8 to 11 May, Al-Haq is organizing an Applied International Law Orientation Course for international diplomats which will discuss legal frameworks applicable to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and will include field visits. The deadline for applications is 30 April 2017.
- On 22 March, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) published a position paper with regard to the withdrawal of the report issued by the UN Economic and Social Commission on Western Asia (ESCWA) entitled “Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid”.
- On 22 March, the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement issued a statement informing that Omar Barghouti, one of its founders, had been arrested and questioned by the Israel Tax Authority on grounds of alleged tax evasion, and that a travel ban had been imposed on him.
Europe
- In collaboration with other organizations, on 5 April, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) is hosting a seminar entitled “Palestine: The Threshold from Occupation to Annexation”.
- On 25 March, British medical journal The Lancet carried an article about the 8th Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance (LPHA) Annual Conference held at Birzeit University on 15 and 16 March.
North America
- From 4 to 6 June, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is organizing in Washington, D.C. an advocacy event under the theme “50 Years too Long – A Pathway to Peace in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.
- On 30 April, American Friends of the Parents Circle – Families Forum are inviting organizations and individuals to join virtually the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony (“Sharing the Pain. Building Hope”) in Tel Aviv.
- On 28 March, CMEP held a live webinar (“Gaza – Searching for Light”) on Gaza electricity shortages with Tania Hary, Executive Director of Gisha-Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement, and Omar Shaban, Director of PalThink for Strategic Studies.
- The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights is sponsoring a petition for the release of Issa Amro, Coordinator of Youth against Settlements, a grassroots initiative based in Hebron.
United Nations
- On 24 March, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov briefed the Security Council on behalf of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334.
- On 20 March, Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, submitted to the Human Rights Council a report (A/HRC/34/70) with a special focus on the role and challenges faced by human rights defenders.
- On 17 March, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People hosted Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, for an interactive briefing on the margins of the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The event was moderated by Prof. Anne-Marie Goetz of New York University. Archived video can be viewed at:
http://www.unmultimedia.org/avlibrary/asset/1851/1851185/.
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Document Type: NGO Action News
Document Sources: Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Churches for Middle East Peace, Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), Division for Palestinian Rights (DPR), Oxfam, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC), Security Council, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the OPT, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
Subject: NGOs/Civil Society
Publication Date: 24/03/2017
Document Sources: Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Churches for Middle East Peace, Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), Division for Palestinian Rights (DPR), Oxfam, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC), Security Council, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the OPT, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
Subject: NGOs/Civil Society
Publication Date: 24/03/2017