The Civil Society and the Question of Palestine
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13 January 2015
Americas
- The??held a book talk on ¡°Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom¡± with Dr. Steven Salaita, Author and Professor, at the Palestine Centre in Washington D.C. on 8 January. The video of the event is available?.
Europe
- Doctors Without Borders is organising an??dedicated to the daily life in the State of Palestine at the Maison des Metallos cultural centre in Paris until 17 January.
- Le Comit¨¦ pour une paix juste au Proche Orient based in Luxemburg published an??for January.
- To commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Israeli ¡°Operation Cast Lead¡± in Gaza, and to highlight Israeli¡¯s illegal siege of Gaza, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) organised a??for the people of Gaza.
- Several dozen prominent legal experts have??to the EU and its Member States urging them to comply with their fundamental legal obligations resulting from the duty of non-recognition and non-assistance to Israeli settlements and their economic activity and therefore to impose an import ban on settlement products. These legal experts warn that the -policy of labelling is a wholly inadequate measure as it fails to recognise the obligations of third states under international law.
Middle East
- On 22 December 2015, the??raised??over the two death sentences issued in Gaza in one week and over continuing application of the death penalty.
- The??published its weekly??on Israeli violations of human rights (10-16 December 2015).
- On Human Rights Day,??¨CThe Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel?published??made by the Israeli Supreme Court this year, on petitions filed by Adalah and other partner organizations.
- On Human Rights Day,??released a??recalling that in 2015 Israeli occupation continued to carry out mass arrests of Palestinians and subject them to abuse. 118 Palestinians including 25 children had been killed by IDF in the past two months, Addameer said.
- On 9 December, the Gaza-based??published a statement condemning ¡°in the strongest terms the Israeli trial of Khalidah Jarrar, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and one of the most prominent defenders of human rights and political prisoners. PCHR calls upon the international community and organizations to pressure the Israeli authorities to immediately release Khalidah Jarrar and allow her to perform her parliamentary and political duties.
- In light of the mass detention of Palestinians taking place and the significant arrest campaign which began in October 2015,??published on 20 December 2015 a?, covering the events of November 2015. Collective punishment of Palestinians continues, with mass arrests taking place, and ill treatment in the hands of prison guards within the prisons¡¯ walls, Addameer wrote. Additionally, the practice of administrative detention of Palestinians without charge or trial continues to escalate.
- The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem published a video on the cost of the?.
United Nations
- On 4 January, the ±¬ÁÏÍø Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono??He ¡°expressed deep regret that, throughout his mandate, Israel failed to grant him access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.¡± The Independent expert will present his last report to the 31st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2016.
- On 31 December, OCHA OPT published its??on protection of civilians, highlighting that between 14 Palestinians, including two children and one woman (15, 17, and 40 years old), and two Israeli men were killed in the context of 11 Palestinian attacks and alleged attacks, including seven stabbings or attempted stabbings, and five ramming incidents.
- Preliminary analysis of data collected by OCHA indicates that 170 Palestinians and 26 Israelis were killed during 2015 (as of 28 December) in attacks and clashes in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, according to a??published by OCHA.
- ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA published the??saying that ¡°the year 2015 remained overshadowed by the aftermath of the devastating 2014 conflict, an initially slow reconstruction process and the related ongoing displacement crisis.¡±
- On 16 December, the Security Council held a meeting on the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. Record of the meeting can be found?.
- On 14-15 December 2015, the ±¬ÁÏÍø Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation organised an International Conference on Jerusalem in Jakarta. It was followed by a ±¬ÁÏÍø Civil Society Forum on the Question of Palestine on 16 December, with the participation of Palestinian, Indonesian international and regional civil society organizations. Additional information can be found?.
- On 9 December 2015, the General Assembly adopted 8 resolutions on Israeli-Palestinian issues, on: