NGO Action News – 5 December 2024

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This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. 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.

You may find previous issues of the NGO Action News in Spanish here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in French here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in Arabic here.

Middle East

• On 3 December, B’Tselem published the report “Unleashed: Abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers in the centre of Hebron”. The document focusses on recurring instances of severe abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers throughout the summer of 2024. The NGO had gathered 25 testimonies from Palestinians describing acts of violence and humiliation directed by Israeli soldiers at Palestinian women, men, teenagers and children.
• On 3 December, Al Mezan marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by highlighting the severe challenges for persons with disabilities in Gaza as they face compounded difficulties in accessing healthcare, mobility aids, and basic services. In addition, according to the NGO it is estimated that since 7 October 2023, Israeli attacks have left 20,000 Palestinians disabled, including 5,000 cases of permanent disabilities.
• On 30 November, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued a press release condemning an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle belonging to the NGO World Central Kitchen in Khan Younis, which claimed the lives of five Palestinians. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights urged the international community and United Nations agencies to exert immediate and effective efforts to ensure the delivery of food, medicine, and clean drinking water to the population through mechanisms that guarantee safety and dignity.
• On 29 November, Al-Haq marked the International Solidarity Day with the Palestinian People by highlighting the serious deterioration of the situation in Gaza where 44,330 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023. The NGO called on all Third States and the international community to implement General Assembly resolutions and ICJ Advisory Opinions, and to fulfil their obligations under the Genocide Convention, as well as to use all legal avenues available to hold Israel accountable. Addameer also published an article on this topic, calling for the immediate release of all Palestinian political prisoners, and the complete dismantlement of the Israeli military court system.
• On 29 November, the Cairo Institutes for Human Rights Studies informed that “Don’t Buy into Occupation”, a coalition of 28 European and Palestinian organizations, had released its 2024 report, on inter alia the involvement of over 800 European financial institutions in companies aiding and abetting the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 2 December, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor published a press release informing that for the past two months nearly 70,000 Palestinians had been left without access to food or medicine, as Israeli forces continued to target them throughout the northern Gaza Strip. According to the release, this ongoing situation has resulted in numerous deaths and forced displacements, and those who remain besieged are experiencing severe famine, as they have run out of all types of food and lack access to clean water.
• On 26 November, the Palestinian Return Centre organized the panel discussion “Defending Palestinian Rights: Humanitarian and Legal Perspectives” at the UK Parliament, attracting a diverse audience of activists, academics, diplomats, and several MPs. The discussion featured a panel of researchers and experts addressing the challenges facing Palestinians from legal, humanitarian, and political perspectives.
• On 26 November, Law for Palestine published a new legal compendium on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024. This document provides an overview of the major themes covered in the Advisory Opinion as well as declarations, joint declarations, separate opinions, and the dissenting opinion by judges of the ICJ, sorted by thematic area, paragraph number, and relevant text.

North America

• On 27 November, the Foundation for Middle East Peace published a webinar discussion with Eyal Weizman about his work as founder and director of the NGO Forensic Architecture and the recently released “Cartography of Genocide” – an interactive platform that maps Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and use of mass evacuation orders destroying civilian life. Along with the platform, Eyal Weizman also discussed Forensic Architecture’s recently released 827-page report documenting Israeli war crimes.

United Nations

• From 4 December 2024 to 10 January 2025, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People-organised photo exhibit, titled “Gaza, Palestine: A Crisis of Humanity, A Cry for Justice”, will be displayed in the Visitors’ Lobby of the General Assembly building, at UN Headquarters in New York.
• On 2 December, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, delivered remarks on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres at the Cairo ministerial conference to enhance the humanitarian response in Gaza. The Secretary-General called on parties to uphold their responsibility to allow and facilitate the rapid, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, adding that United Nations premises must remain inviolable at all times and stressing that UNRWA is an irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians. He further called for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as for an end to the unlawful occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and for a two-State solution, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions. Several other UN representatives presented remarks during this even as well, including the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, and the Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director.