NGO Action News – 29 January 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
29 January 2014

AFRICA

• The Free Marwan Barghouthi and all Palestinian prisoners international campaign announced on its Facebook page on 27 January 2014 that Dr. Theo Ben-Gurirab, former President of the United Nations General Assembly, and honorary President of the International Parliamentary Union, joined the International High Level Committee of the campaign.

ASIA

• The Palestine Solidarity Campaign – Thailand will hold its Annual General Meeting at 7.30 p.m. on 6 February 2014 at the Grand President Executive Serviced Apartments in Bangkok. For more information please contact: palestinesolidaritythailand@gmail.com.

EUROPE

• L’Association belgo-palestinienne is organizing a civilian observers mission in the West Bank during the second week of April 2014. A first preparatory meeting will take place at the CNCD in Brussels on 5 February 2014. A training session is also scheduled on 22 February 2014. For more information please contact: abp.eccp@skynet.be,communication.abp@gmail.com.

• Le Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient and Pax Christi-Luxembourg are hosting the exhibition La Nakba – La Catastrophe designed by the associationFlüchtlingskinder im Libanon from 24 January to 14 February 2014.

• Medical Aid for Palestinians published on 9 January 2014 a summary of the year 2013.

• Le Mur a Des Oreilles – Conversations For Palestine posted on 22 January 2014 a new podcast featuring a conversation with Nadia Farkh (Association belgo-palestinienne) andKasia Lemanska (CNCD-11.11.11).

• The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is convening its Annual General Meeting on 4 February 2014 in Newcastle.

• L’Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique is organizing on 31 January 2014 a conference-debate with Véronique De Keyser, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and President of the Group of Socialists and Democrats. Ms. De Keyser will discuss Palestine-La Trahison Européenne, a book she co-authored with Stéphane Hessel.

ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

• Al-Shabaka-The Palestinian Policy Network published a new policy brief on 14 January 2014 entitled The Palestinian Capitalists That Have Gone Too Far.

• The Alternative Information Center (AIC) held its most recent AICafé on 28 January 2014 to discuss the situation in Yarmouk refugee camp, as well as the broader impact of the conflict in Syria on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian refugees. Husam Arafat, Palestinian lawyer and long-time political activist, took part in the discussions.

• The BDS Movement issued a statement on 21 January 2014 under the title UN Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People begins with boycott success. The coalition also updated on 10 January 2014 its round-up of 2013 BDS successes.

• B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories and HaMoked published on 20 January 2014 the report So near and yet so far: Implications of Israeli-imposed seclusion of the Gaza Strip on Palestinians’ right to family life.

• Defence for Children International Palestine issued on 23 January 2014 its new violations bulletin covering the month of December 2013.

• The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions published its most recent newsletter on 17 January 2014 including an opinion piece by its co-founder and Director, Jeff Halper.

• The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) released on 23 January 2014 its weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territorycovering the period 16 to 22 January 2014.

• The YWCA-YMCA Joint Advocacy Initiative and the Alternative Tourism Group will organize their 7th Olive Planting Program from 8 to 17 February 2014. Besides olive planting, the programme features introductory presentations about the current situation in Palestine and the effects of the Separation Wall, tours in the old city of Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, as well as Ramallah, in addition to cultural events and social gatherings.

NORTH AMERICA

• Adalah-NY – The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel launched on 14 January 2014 a petition to show solidarity with the American Studies Association’s decision to endorse academic boycott against Israeli academic institutions.

• The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) hosted a briefing on Palestinian refugees in Syria and the crisis at Yarmouk refugee camp on 22 January 2014. Panelists included Christopher McGrath (UNRWA), Andrew J. Tabler (Washington Institute for Near East Policy), and Hussein Ibish (ATFP).

• The Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat is still mobilizing for Freedom Weeks until 30 January 2014, a call to action to free all Palestinian political prisoners and to end the Palestinian Authority security coordination with Israel. Posters and materials are available here.

• The Canada Palestine Association (CAP) and the Voice of Palestine issued a joint statement on 22 January 2014 to denounce the behavior of the Canadian security forces accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Nativity church in Bethlehem.

• The Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University seeks applicants for a residential Fellowship in “Palestine & Law” for the 2014-2015 academic year. Interested applicants should propose a course of research and scholarship relating to a range of domestic, regional or international legal issues concerning Palestinians and/or Palestine. The deadline for application is 3 February 2014. Please click here for more information.

• Code Pink – Women For Peace updated the actions of its Boycott SodaStream! initiative which now features a letter campaign asking Scarlett Johansson to end her PR contract with SodaStream, a factory operating in the Israeli settlement of “Ma’ale Adumim”.

• Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is calling on its supporters to protect the Cremisan Valley near Bethlehem against the construction of the Separation Wall. CMEP is alsocampaigning against the expansion of Israeli settlements activities.

• The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) published on 21 January 2014 a new fact sheet entitled Occupation Profiteering: The SodaStream Model for Success, in reaction to the current controversy surrounding actress Scarlett Johansson’s endorsement deal with SodaStream, a factory operating in the Israeli settlement of “Ma’ale Adumim”.

• Jadaliyya published on 24 January 2014 an open letter to Scarlett Johansson and Oxfam, concerning the actress’ involvement with SodaStream.

• Jasiri X released on 28 January 2014 a new song entitled Checkpoint and inspired by his recent trip to Israel and Palestine.

• The Palestine Awareness Coalition organized on 24 January 2014 the event The Historical Context of the Palestinian Maps: Fact and Fiction featuring Dr. Hani Faris (University of British Columbia).

• The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation launched on 21 January 2014 the campaign Scarlett Johansson: Don’t Be the Face of Occupation! inviting its supporters to share social media graphics, sign a petition, etc.

• The Voice of Palestine presented on 26 January 2014 a new interview with Bruce Katz, President of the Palestinian and Jewish Unity, to talk about his organization’s recent statement entitled The Indecency of the Harper Government’s Support for Israel.

GLOBAL

• The Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) will launch its 10th edition on 24 February 2014. To organize an activity or to support the initiative, please contact iawinfo@apartheidweek.orgor follow IAW on Facebook.

• The Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP) organized at Sciences Po Paris on 25 January 2014 an event to discuss the conclusions and recommendations of the Tribunal. Panelists included Véronique de Keyser (MEP), Ilan Pappé (University of Exeter), Miguel Angel Estrella (Argentina Ambassador to UNESCO), Jean-Guy Greilsamer (BDS France),Taoufik Tahani (Association France Palestine Solidarité), Pierre Galand, Frank Barat and Brahim Senouci (RToP).

UNITED NATIONS

• The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People launched the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (hashtag: #2014forPalestine) at the opening of its 2014 session on 16 January 2014. The webcast of the event is available here. For more information about the International Year please contact: 2014forPalestine@un.org.

• OCHA oPt released a its December 2013 Humanitarian Bulletin on 21 January 2014. The update covers the period from 1 to 31 December 2013.

• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) ended on 21 January 2014 a social media campaign which reached more than 11 million people to demand access to Yarmouk refugee camp and all vulnerable civilians in Syria. The campaign was supported by several International/local NGOs and UN agencies from all across the world.

• The Working Group of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People organized under the umbrella of the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People a screening of the documentary Where Should The Birds Fly, about the situation in the Gaza Strip at the UN Secretariat on 20 January 2014. A conversation between the director Fida Qishta, and the author-journalist Laila El-Haddad followed the event.