Middle East

• On 30 January, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) informed that the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the Israeli authorities for the past 10 months have banned the import of new medical radiology devices for the Gaza Strip hospitals, including stationary and mobile x-ray machines and medical devices despite their importance in diagnosing diseases and treating patients. PCHR called upon the international community and the WHO to pressure Israel and compel it to comply with its obligations, and to allow the entry of medical supplies into the Gaza Strip, especially radiology devices.

• On 28 January, Ir Amim published a position paper informing that a decisive Supreme Court hearing will be held on 30 March 2022 on the al-Walajeh residents’ 2018 principal appeal, which is presently protecting the 38 homes from demolition. Ir Amin stressed that the residents of the northern part of al-Walajeh, a traditional Palestinian agricultural village located on the southern perimeter of East Jerusalem are under acute threat of being forcibly uprooted from where they have lived and cultivated the land for decades. A court injunction, currently preventing the demolition of 38 homes, could be lifted at the end of March, subjecting residents to wide-scale displacement.

• On 27 January, Gisha published the summary of recommendations made by participants of the fifth Gaza Policy Forum held in October 2021. Gisha informed that fifty Israeli, Palestinian and foreign stakeholders discussed the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism and Israel’s dual-use policy for Gaza, including for goods requiring a special coordination before being allowed to enter Gaza. Gisha added that the majority of items on Israel’s dual-use list, particularly the Gaza-specific section, are vital for civilian needs, such as construction, civilian infrastructure, as well as industry and the health sector.

• On 26 January, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies informed that it has joined 60 NGOs, trade unions and other civil society groups based in Europe and the United States in condemning the decision of the Dutch government to terminate funding for the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC). In a joint letter sent to Dutch Foreign Minister, the 60 organizations urged the Dutch government to resume funding for the UAWC, stressing that an investigation launched by the previous government found no evidence that UAWC is in any way linked to terrorism. On 27 January, the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine published an article on this issue as well.

• On 25 January, B’Tselem published an article informing it documented 45 incidents of settler violence against Palestinian harvesters and their property during the 2021 olive harvest season which lasted from early October to the end of November. According to B’Tselem, Israeli Security Forces did not prevent these incidents during which settlers physically assaulted farmers, stole crops, vandalized trees and damaged personal or agricultural property.

Europe

• On 1 February, Amnesty International released a new report “Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: cruel system of domination and crime against humanity”. Amnesty International informed that the report provides new evidence of the institutionalized nature of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, and of how Israeli laws and policies are designed specifically to deprive Palestinians of their rights through territorial fragmentation, segregation and control, dispossession of land and property, and denial of economic and social rights. The organization provided additional information on this report in a Q&A published on the same day. Several organizations issued statements following this report including B’Tselem, Jewish Voice For Peace, J Street, Americans for Peace Now, Association Belgo-Palestinienne, and Association France Palestine Solidarité.

• On 1 February, the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine published an article informing that an inter-parliamentary task force of legislators from Europe and North America met to discuss various legislative options that lawmakers can pursue to end the import of goods produced in illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian Territory, including by Israeli settlers This was the third meeting of the multi-partisan “Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Promote Palestinian Human Rights,” a trans-Atlantic initiative which brings together North American and European lawmakers to provide a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and joint strategies to promote Palestinian human rights. 

North America

• On 10 February, the Foundation for Middle East Peace will co-organise with Churches for Middle East Peace, the Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace the first discussion of a virtual four-parts educational series, Gaza 101, which aim is to hear from Gazans who will present a broader picture of Gaza’s humanity and reveal real solutions by digging into the topics of culture, history, politics, and the economics of Gaza. The first discussion is entitled Culture of Gaza and the speakers will be Omar Ghraieb, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Oxfam International and Alaa Hammouda, Rotary Peace Fellow.

• On 2 February, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published an article highlighting the increased risk of harm for children with disabilities during armed conflict and crises. Documenting the impact of armed conflict and crises on children with disabilities in several zones, including in the Gaza Strip in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, HRW emphasised that children with disabilities are often at greater risk during attacks, including risk of abandonment. HRW further urged the United Nations and governments around the world to urgently ensure protection and assistance for children with disabilities in these circumstances.

United Nations

• On 1 February, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) published a new report “West Bank demolitions and displacement | November – December 2021”. According to OCHA, 2021 witnessed a five-year-high in the number of structures demolished or seized, and in the number of people displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, representing a six and 20 per cent increase in the number of structures demolished and people displaced respectively, compared with 2020. In Area C, there was an increase in the structures seized without, or with very short, prior notice, utilizing various military orders, effectively preventing people from objecting in advance. 

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.