NGO Action News – 9 November 2023

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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 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 9 November, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights announced that they had filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders for crimes against humanity, including the crime of genocide.
• On 8 November, Al-Haq, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights, and more than 100 other civil society organizations from around the world signed a letter calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel and demanded that States that have provided and continue to provide arms and other military assistance to Israel end their complicity in international crimes.
• On 8 November, BADIL – Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights issued a press release calling on the United Nations member states and agencies to take urgent action to stop Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
• On 7 November, B’Tselem issued a statement calling on Israel to not bomb a-Shifaa Hospital in Gaza, noting that such an attack would result in unbearable harm to civilians and constitute a war crime.
• On 7 November, 7amleh – The Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media published a call by the Palestinian Coalition for Digital Rights denouncing Meta Corporation for the continued dehumanization of Palestinians and the silencing of the Palestinian voices on its digital platforms.
• On 7 November, Al-Shabaka published an article titled “Genocide in Gaza: Global Culpability and Ways Forward” in which several analysts discuss events since 7 October within the context of ongoing Israeli settler colonialism and Palestinian resistance.
• On 6 November, Adalah – The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court demanding the cancellation of a directive issued by the Police Commissioner prohibiting demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
• On 6 November, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) published its response to a letter written by dozens of Israeli physicians that had urged the military to destroy the “hornet nests and the hospitals shielding them” in the Gaza Strip. PHR expressed outrage over the letter and called on the medical community to withstand this dark period without allowing its core values to be destroyed.

Asia and Europe

• On 9 November, Association France Palestine Solidarité published an article (in French) noting an increase in targeted attacks against Palestinian journalists in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem.
• On 9 November, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network published polling data collected by YouGov between 2-6 November indicating that 53% of Australians wanted an immediate ceasefire in Gaza compared to just 26% who did not.
• On 8 November, Amnesty International published an article noting a spike in arbitrary detention of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank. The article also documents cases of torture and degrading treatment of the Palestinian detainees.
• On 6 November, Agence Média Palestine shared a declaration (in French) by a network of librarians, archivists and other information workers calling on the public to learn about the history and root causes of current events in Gaza. The network, Librarians and Archivists with Palestine also shared a list of resources for further information and deeper study.
• On 6 November, Palestinian human rights groups, including Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights—with the support of the Australian Centre for International Justice—announced that they had launched legal action in the Federal Court of Australia, seeking access to review all permits allowing the export of arms and weapons to Israel granted by the Minister for Defense since 7 October 2023.
• On 3 November, the Norwegian Refugee Council and other international NGOs issued a joint statement highlighting the urgent water, sanitation and hygiene needs in Gaza, and calling for an immediate ceasefire to ensure delivery of essential goods to the population, half of whom are children.

North America

• On 10 November, Columbia University Center for Palestinian Studies will hold the first of a series of four weekly teach-in events titled “What is Settler Colonialism?” The event will be held in-person and on Zoom, and the first discussion will focus on Politics and Space.
• On 10 November, The Jerusalem Fund and The Palestine Center will hold their annual conference titled “One Palestine: The Struggle against Apartheid.” The event will be held virtually.
• On 6 November, Human Rights Watch called on allies of Israel and backers of Palestinian armed groups to suspend the transfer of weapons to the warring parties as they could risk complicity in grave abuses amounting to war crimes.
• On 6 November, Jewish Voice for Peace staged a protest at the Statue of Liberty in New York City to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Several hundred people attended.
• On 3 November, Churches for Middle East Peace issued a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and pressing the Biden Administration to do more to provide life-sustaining relief to the population.

United Nations

• On 9 November, UNRWA launched an expanded flash appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory in response to the unprecedented devastation in the Gaza Strip and increasing needs in the West Bank. It is requesting US$ 481 million to address critical needs until the end of this year.
• On 9 November, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths gave a statement at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza which was convened by French President Emmanuel Macron.
• On 7 November, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General issued a statement marking one month since the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
• On 6 November, ILO issued a bulletin on the impact of the current conflict on the labour market and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, noting that over 60 per cent of employment has been lost in Gaza due to the ongoing hostilities.
• On 6 November, the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee debated Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories. Delegates voiced alarm at the rising death toll in Gaza and said that the two-State solution remained the best hope for Middle East Peace.
• On 6 November, Secretary-General António Guterres gave remarks at a press conference, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and expressing dismay that Gaza was “becoming a graveyard for children.”
• On 5 November, WFP issued an urgent plea for safe, expanded humanitarian access to Gaza as critical food supplies reach dangerously low levels.
• On 3 November, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement expressing horror over the reported attack on an ambulance convoy in Gaza.
• On 3 November, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNRWA and WHO issued a joint statement highlighting that women, children, and new-borns are disproportionately bearing the burden of the conflict in Gaza.