31 August 2018

Middle East

• On 30 August, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) published its weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory. PCHR stated that Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against Palestinian peaceful protestors in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank killing, two Palestinian civilians and wounding 253 others.

• On 27 August, Gisha, Al Mezan, Adalah, and Physicians for Human Rights Israel welcomed the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to allow five critically-ill women to exit the Gaza Strip for medical care following a petition filed on 29 July 2018. The Court ruled that the Israeli Security Cabinet’s 2017 decision to deny Gaza patients access to medical treatment as means of leverage over Hamas was ineffective and illegal. Israel had denied the women’s applications for exit permits on the grounds that they were “first-degree relatives of Hamas members.”

• On 26 August, Al Mezan Center For Human Rights condemned the violence and harassment against fishermen after Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen sailing off the coast of Beit Lahia town in the North Gaza district. The warships seized one boat and detained two fishermen on board. Since the start of 2018, Al Mezan has documented 233 attacks on fishermen of which 232 were with live fire killing one fisherman and injuring 15 others.

• On 26 August, Hamoked reported that the Appeals Tribunal issued a principled judgement ordering the Ministry of Interior to extend permits of Palestinians in family unification procedure who had followed the Ministry’s guidelines, even if the position of security officials was still pending. The ruling follows a petition by a resident of East Jerusalem whose permit was not renewed on grounds that the security officials had not yet given their position leaving the man with no legal status and at risk of deportation.

Europe 

• On 29 August, London based-Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) denounced the remarks of the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on the Palestinian right to return and on the number of refugees recognized by UNRWA. While recently addressing the think-thank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Amb. Nikki Haley questioned the accuracy of the refugee figures and their right to return. 

North America

• On 27 August, Mercy Corps issued a statement urging the US Administration to urgently reverse its decision to cut life-saving programmes that benefit Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Mercy Corps stated that punishing Palestinian civilians by suddenly cutting food assistance, access to clean water, health services and opportunities to work, risked exacerbating the political challenges and that humanitarian aid should never be used as a political bargaining chip.

United Nations 

• This week, the fundraising branch UNRWA U.S., a non-profit organization supporting the humanitarian and human development work of UNRWA through fundraising, education and advocacy, announced it is organizing Gaza 5K walks and runs on 22 September 2018, in Washington D.C., and on 17 November 17 in Houston, Texas, to show solidarity with Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip and raise funds for UNRWA’s emergency assistance, including Community Mental Health Programme counselors.

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.