11 January 2019

Middle East

• On 9 January, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights office in Gaza, Gisha- Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, and Adalah- The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel wrote a petition to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Military Advocate General and the Attorney General to demand urgently that Israel refrain from conducting aerial spraying of herbicides inside and near the Gaza Strip, due to the severe damage to crops and the risk to the health of Gaza residents. In the letter, the NGOs emphasized that the spraying was a highly destructive measure, infringing on fundamental human rights and violating both Israeli and international law.
• On 4 January, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a report to denounce casualties caused by Israeli forces during on the 41st “Friday of the Great March of Return” in the Gaza Strip. PCHR denounced the increased targeting of medical personnel by teargas, including ambulances transferring the wounded.
• On 3 January, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) published their report on “December 2018 Demolition and Displacement.” ICHAD provided the full list of demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (including East Jerusalem). In Silwan, it was reported that at least 180 Palestinian families were facing risk of forced eviction due to cases brought against them by settlers or settler associations.
• On 31 December 2018, Addameer- Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association and the Palestinian Prisoners Club issued a joint annual report on Palestinians’ arrest cases for the year of 2018. The report highlights the fact that Palestinians residing in Jerusalem were the most targeted by Israel, in addition to an increased targeting of children and youth, who usually received conditional releases, including fines, bails and house arrests. In the report, the two organizations reviewed the main Israeli occupation policies used throughout 2018. The latter consisted of excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings; collective punishment with raids of Kobar and Shewekeh villages; and home demolition in Al-Am’ary refugee camp.

North America

• On 10 January, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights called to oppose the Senate’s first bill of the new Congress, introduced by Senator Marco Rubio. The Combating BDS Act calls upon states and cities to enact laws allowing the denial of government contracts to people who boycott for Palestinian Rights. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights reminded that in response to lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, similar laws have already been declared unconstitutional by federal judges in some states.
• On 10 January, Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network published a number of articles, including one on “Palestinian Authority losing millions annually due to Israeli restrictions”. In the latter, Al-Shabaka policy analyst Sam Bahour examined how the Palestinian government loses around USD 350 million a year due to Israel’s restrictions and violations of signed agreements. Among these violations, there are Israel’s collection of taxes and deduction of Israeli businesses’ income accrued in Area C; leakages resulting from fees on fuel purchases and from indirect imports, passenger exit taxes, etc.

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.