NGO Action News – 2 September 2021

Civil Society and the Question of Palestine

Middle East

  • On 2 September, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Procedures on the critical need to immediately release nine-month pregnant Palestinian woman Anhar Al-Deek from Israeli prison, where according to PHROC she “continues to suffer from inhuman living conditions, deliberate medical neglect – notably including lacking prenatal care – deteriorating health conditions, and high-risk pregnancy.”
  • On 31 August, Al-Haq informed that a coalition of 120 CSOs from around the world, joined by an equal number of individuals, had sent an open letter to the States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on the need to “impose a comprehensive two-way arms embargo on Israel” because the latter was using arms and military equipment “for the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights against Palestinian civilians”.
  • On 27 August, Al Mezan issued the press release “Israel continues to withhold the bodies of seven Palestinians who died in custody, among hundreds of Palestinian bodies held and denied proper burial” with which the NGO marked the National Day for the Recovery of Palestinian and other Arab War Victims’ Bodies and the Disclosure of the Fate of the Missing. In the statement, Al Mezan “strongly condemns Israel’s routine violation of Palestinian rights and stresses that its policy of withholding Palestinian bodies for use as leverage in political negotiations is an inhumane act that violates international legal standards and should be investigated by the International Criminal Court.”

North America

  • On 9 September, the Foundation for Middle East Peace will hold the event “Palestinian Protests and the Future of the Palestinian Struggle” with Hanan Ashrawi (Palestinian leader, legislator, activist, and scholar) and Fadi Quran (Avaaz), co-moderated by Khaled Elgindy (Middle East Institute) & Lara Friedman (FMEP).
  • On 7 September, The Jerusalem Fund will organise the event “Taking Direct Action For Palestine” with Huda Ammori, an activist of Palestinian & Iraqi descent, to talk about the work of the Palestine Action network, in particular against Elbit, Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer.
  • On 30 August,  Americans  for Peace Now (APN) issued a press release welcoming IsraeliPalestinian re-engagement, stating that “a resumption of high-level dialogue and measures that address the dwindling power of the Palestinian government and which accommodate Palestinian human rights – however slightly – should not be taken lightly.” The NGO further urged both sides and all stakeholders in the conflict “to use the Israeli-Palestinian reengagement to generate diplomatic momentum toward meaningful peace negotiations.”

United Nations

  • On 30 August, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, briefed the Security Council on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. In his statement, Mr. Wennesland urged the parties to the conflict and the international community that “no positive, hopeful step should be wasted” in order to restart the peace process and called for serious political efforts to return to meaningful negotiations that will address all final status issues, achieve a negotiated end to the occupation, and the vision of two States living side-by-side. He also voiced his concern over “the dire financial situation facing the Palestinian Authority and its ability to withstand the ongoing fiscal and health crises” and asked both sides, Israel and Palestine, to “abide by the signed agreements and avoid unilateral actions that change the reality on the ground and undermine the horizon toward a two-State solution.”

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.

 

2021-09-10T11:15:26-04:00

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