7 January 2021

Middle East

• On 6 January, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Al Dameer. Al-Haq and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights expressed their joint concern that significant time has passed since the opening of the second preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in Palestine, and since the closing of that preliminary examination when the Office of the Prosecutor determined “that all the statutory criteria under the Rome Statute for the opening of an investigation had been met.” The organizations asserted that it was imperative to immediately open a formal investigation.

• On 6 January, Gisha – Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement issued the press release “Israel’s Obligation to Gaza in a Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Reality” to highlight Israel’s obligation to protect the health and safety of all people under its control, including by ensuring that the Covid-19 vaccine is available in the West Bank and Gaza. While this would require close cooperation with Palestinian authorities and the international community, their involvement does not absolve Israel from its ultimate responsibility toward Palestinians living under occupation.

• On 6 January, Peace Now informed that Israeli authorities agreed to allocate NIS 14 million (US$ 4.4 million) to complete the planning and start working on the “Ma’ale Adumim Fabric of Life Road”, which is expected in turn to enable construction in the E1 area in the occupied West Bank. Peace Now denounced the planned road as it “will allow Israel to cut the West Bank in two, build E1 and expand the separation barrier and close the door on the possibility of developing a sustainable Palestinian state.”

• On 5 January, Al-Haq issued the report “Special Focus: Yitzhar Settler Violence is on the Rise”, which presents selected cases from July to October 2020 indicating the severity of violent attacks by Israeli settlers as well as the gravity of the damage inflicted on Palestinian rights and livelihoods while underlining how these cases further exemplify Israel’s institutionalised and systematic impunity.

• On 5 January, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a press release denouncing the shortage of Phenylketonuria (PKU) testing material in the Gaza Strip, as per a recent announcement of the Ministry of Health. The test is critical for the wellbeing of new-born children. PCHR stressed that Israel holds the primary responsibility for providing medical supplies to the Gaza Strip population in accordance with Articles 55 and 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

• On 4 January, B’Tselem issued the report “2020 in the Occupied Territories: Heinous Killings, Settler Violence and a Home Demolitions Spike”. The report documents the number of fatalities over the course of 2020 by the Israeli security forces, as well as the increase in home demolitions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, reflecting an occupation system that works primarily to demolish structures instead of planning to reflect Palestinian population’s present and future needs. B’Tselem also reported that in 2020, Israeli security forces invaded Palestinian villages and towns at least 3,000 times and Palestinian homes at least 2,480 times and set up at least 3,524 flying checkpoints in addition to the regular ones.

• On 31 December, HaMoked – Centre for the Defence of the Individual, together with Adalah, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel and others, petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice to demand that, as long as the Covid-19 pandemic continues all Palestinian inmates be classified as “security” prisoners or detainees, adults and minors alike, and be allowed to maintain regular phone contact with their families.

• On 31 December, Ir Amim informed that together with the Sheikh Jarrah community organization in occupied East Jerusalem it filed a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice against the Israeli office of the “General Custodian”, within the Ministry of Justice, managing assets in East Jerusalem. The petition concerns the General Custodian’s absence of written and published procedures regarding the management of these assets and the issue of facilitating evictions of Palestinians in favour of Israeli settler groups with no accountability or transparency.

Europe

• On 6 January, Amnesty International issued the press release “Denying Covid-19 Vaccines to Palestinians Exposes Israel’s Institutionalized Discrimination” demanding Israel to stop ignoring its international obligations as an occupying Power and to immediately act to ensure that vaccines are equally and fairly provided to Palestinians living under its occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. As the Palestinian authorities in both places cannot independently fund vaccines and their distribution among the Palestinian population, Amnesty said they depend on global cooperation mechanisms such as COVAX, which still has not begun distributing vaccines, and therefore urged Israel to provide full financial support to ensure the vaccine is distributed to the Palestinian population under occupation.

North America

• On 7 and 11 January, Americans for Peace Now will host President of the US Middle Peace Project Daniel Levy for the webinar “A New US Approach to Israeli-Palestinian Peace” and political correspondent Tal Schneider for the webinar “What to Expect from the New Round of Israeli Elections”.

• On 11 January, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) will hold the webinar “Raided and Razed: West Bank Education under Attack” with human rights attorney Netta Amar-Schiff, Middle East Institute’s Khaled Elgindy and NRC’s Priscilla Washington, in conversation with FMEP’s Sarah Anne Minkin. The webinar will discuss the new research from NRC on the impact of occupation on Palestinian education in the West Bank and a “deluge of attacks” perpetrated by Israeli forces, settlers and settlement guards over the last 30 months, particularly in Area C.

• On 5 January, J Street stated, in a press release, that Israel has a legal and moral obligation to work with Palestinian authorities to ensure that all residents of the territory it rules over receive necessary medical services, in accordance with Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. J Street urged both the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority to coordinate to ensure the acquisition and provision of vaccines to the entire population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

 

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.