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. Translations of the NGO Action News in other languages will be available in due course.

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.

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

NGO Action News

09 May 2024

Middle East 

• On 7 May, 7amleh expressed its strong condemnation of the Israeli government’s decision to ban the Al Jazeera news channel, close the network’s local offices, confiscate all its equipment and block access to its online platforms through Internet service providers. 7amleh stated that this decision constitutes a severe violation of fundamental human rights and press freedom. ACRI also published an article on legal proceedings in relation to the sanctions against Al Jazeera. 
• On 6 May, Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued an open letter urging the international community to immediately intervene to stop an Israeli military operation on Rafah. The organizations also called for international pressure for the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and for ensuring the unhindered provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation supplies, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza. In addition, B’Tselem issued a press release calling on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the war and reach a deal to free the hostages. 
• On 6 May, Gisha published an article calling for an immediate ceasefire following the announcement by Israeli authorities of the evacuation of civilians from eastern Rafah.
  The Kerem Shalom Crossing, from where the vast majority of aid enters Gaza, and the Rafah Crossing with Egypt are in the evacuation zone and are closed to the entry of goods. Gisha stated that Israeli authorities appear not to have a credible plan in place to protect civilians, that there are no actual safe areas to go to and no way to meet humanitarian needs in these areas, rendering the evacuation illegal. 
• On 6 May, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported on the number of monitored and documented crimes and violations committed by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers against the Palestinian civilians in April 2024. PCHR informed that Israeli attacks during the reporting period in the West Bank resulted in the killing of 35 Palestinians, including 18 civilians, and 1 Turkish national; amongst them were 4 children and 3 women. The rest were members of Palestinian armed groups. 3 Palestinians were killed by settlers.
• On 3 May, Addameer, Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and PCHR expressed deep dismay at the news of the death of 50-year-old orthopedic surgeon and Head of Orthopedics at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza Adnan Al-Bursh, while he was being held in Israeli custody. The organizations called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to ensure full transparency over the treatment of Palestinian detainees, as well as to establish an independent, international presence of human rights observers to monitor detention conditions. 

 Asia and Europe 

• On 8 May, European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) published a statement demanding that the EU protect Palestinian civilians, especially health workers and medical staff, and use all the tools it has at its disposal, including military and economic sanctions on Israel, and the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement for grave violations of its Article 2, in line with ICJ-mandated provisional measures. 
• On 7 May, Amnesty International called on the Israeli military to guarantee civilians’ safety as a ground operation gets underway in eastern Rafah. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns, stated that all states must pressure Israel to immediately halt its ground operations in Rafah and ensure unfettered access for humanitarian aid. Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), also stated that the forced evacuation order in Rafah was unlawful.
• On 2 May, the Palestinian Return Centre held a May Day panel discussion entitled “British & Irish Trade Unions on Palestine” focusing on the historic solidarity between trade unions and the Palestinian struggle. Speakers called for clear commitments from the international community to halt what they considered a genocide in Gaza and reiterated calls for a ceasefire and for the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid. 

North America 

• On 8 May, Human Rights Watch published a questions and answers document addressing the international legal framework applicable to violence and the use of force in the West Bank. Issues addressed in this report include what international law applies to the West Bank and the responsibilities of authorities regarding violence committed by people in their territory.
• On 3 May, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) published the podcast “Why Palestine Is Part of (& Central To) the Movement for Climate Justice”. FMEP Non-resident Fellow Rania Batrice spoke to Mary Annaïse Heglar, a climate justice writer and essayist. They discussed the intersection of the movement for Palestinian liberation and the movement for climate justice, and why and how the two converge around people’s relationship to the land.
• On 3 May, J Street issued a press release to welcome a letter to President Biden, led by U.S. military veterans Rep. Jason Crow and Rep. Chris Deluzio, and joined by 86 fellow Members of the House of Representatives, calling on President Biden to enforce existing U.S. law and the administration’s own policies that require countries receiving US security assistance to not block or restrict U.S.-backed humanitarian aid.
• On 2 April, NRC USA published a letter addressed by dozens of US-based organizations urging U.S. President Biden’s administration to use all of its influence to prevent a Rafah operation from occurring, to avoid further catastrophic loss of civilian lives, and urgently work toward a sustained ceasefire. 

United Nations  

• On 17 May, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will organize the commemorative event “1948 – 2024: The Ongoing Palestinian Nakba”, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The event, organized as a panel discussion will examine 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 will also present testimony on the current conflict and highlight international obligations and responsibilities. The event will take place in person at the UN ECOSOC Chamber in New York and will also be broadcasted live on UN Web TV. Attendees who do not hold a UNHQ Grounds Pass will have to pre-register for this event by 13 May. 
• On 7 May, Secretary-General António Guterres in remarks to the press called on the Israeli and Hamas authorities to show the political courage and spare no effort to secure an agreement, emphasizing that an assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare. He also appealed to all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy. SG Guterres added that the international community has a shared responsibility to promote a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in life-saving aid.
• On 2 May, WHO published the report “Public Health Situation Analysis:  Hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territory”. According to WHO, the current war stands out as unprecedented in the scale of death, destruction, and human suffering it has inflicted, with repercussions that will echo for generations to come. The still unfolding and intensifying military operations, along with the almost complete siege on Gaza, have created a catastrophic humanitarian situation. WHO reported that, since 7 October, 474 Palestinians including 116 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and about 5,000 were injured.