13 August 2020

Middle East

• On 13 August, Gisha – Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement issued the report “Crossings and Coronavirus Update: Collective Punishment in a Pandemic” following Israel’s announcement that it would begin restricting entrance of fuel to the Gaza Strip, including fuel needed to run Gaza’s only power plant, in response to incendiary objects being launched from Gaza into Israel. Gisha condemned “these acts of blatant collective punishment, which have absolutely no connection to concrete security needs.” It also demanded that the Israeli authorities immediately remove restrictions on movement of people to and from Gaza imposed under the guise of the pandemic.

• On 11 August, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a press release denouncing the closure of the Gaza Strip’s only commercial crossing Karam Abu Salem and warning of its consequences on the lives of 2 million Palestinians suffering from a serious deterioration of their humanitarian and social conditions caused by the Israeli blockade.

• On 10 August, HaMoked – Centre for the Defence of the Individual issued a press release informing that the Israeli High Court of Justice had accepted its petition and cancelled a punitive order for the demolition of a Palestinian man’s house in Ya’bad in the occupied West Bank.

• On 9 August, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) issued the press release “Prevent Expulsion of Palestinian from Hebron Hills” on the situation of Palestinian residents in eight villages in the southern occupied West Bank, who had been in danger of eviction for two decades due to the declaration of the area as “Firing Zone 918”, and whose fate will be decided soon by the Israeli High Court of Justice. ACRI warned that the establishment of a firing zone in a populated area of the Occupied Palestinian Territory violated international humanitarian law, and the attempts to forcibly dislocate residents is a serious violation of the laws of military occupation.

Europe

• On 7 August, Amnesty International issued the statement “Release Human Rights Defender Mahmoud Nawajaa” calling for the Israeli authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release the General Coordinator of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement Mahmoud Nawajaa. Amnesty warned that an escalation of acts of intimidation by the Israeli government had created an increasingly dangerous environment for human rights defenders and other voices who criticize Israel’s continuing military occupation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

North America

• On 12 August, Americans for Peace Now (APN) called the public to urge their respective US Representatives to sign Congressman Speier’s letter addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on the ongoing attempts of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to evict the Sumarin family from their home in East Jerusalem.

• On 6 August, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) organized the webinar “Talking About Israel-Palestine? You Need to Know More About Jordan”, featuring experts Merissa Khurma and Ghaith Al-Omari in conversation with Lara Friedman (FMEP). The webinar focused on how understanding the internal and social dynamics of Jordan helps any analysis of Jordan’s policies and behaviour vis-à-vis issues beyond its borders, including Israel’s threat of annexation of the West Bank.

United Nations

• On 27 August, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will hold Part 2 of the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem on “Annexation in Practice – Palestinian Youth in Jerusalem”. In the event, which will be livestreamed on UN Web TV from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. NY time, Palestinian, Israeli and international experts will highlight the lived reality of young Palestinians in East Jerusalem under Israeli occupation and discuss ways to support Palestinian youth-based civil society while they grapple with daily challenges under the Israeli occupation.

• On 12 August, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick issued a statement on the occasion of International Youth Day, under the global theme “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. He stated that while some positive steps had been seen to better engage and empower young people in Palestine, the reality remained dire as the physical and social barriers seemed to increase on a daily basis and as Palestinian youth, which comprised more than 30 per cent of their population, continued to struggle with high unemployment rates, low levels of political representation and inadequate access to opportunities that youth in other parts of the world take for granted.

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.