NGO Action News
20 April 2018
Middle East
· On 20 April, B’Tselem published findings of their investigation on the firing of teargas by the Israeli military during the Gaza protests, at encampments of families including women and children and despite the peaceful nature of the protests.
· On 19 and 20 April, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights published its weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the OPT.
· On 18 April, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Adalah and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel filed a pre-petition motion to the Attorney-General demanding Israel to allow a critically wounded man to leave Gaza for life-saving care. Following these NGOs’ legal intervention, the man has been authorized to leave for the West Bank.
· On 16 April, Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel submitted two reports to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) detailing Israeli violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These reports have been submitted ahead of the HRC session in July to decide on a list of issues for Israel to answer at the upcoming review.
· On 15 April, Addameer released its report for March 2018 on trends of arrests and detentions conducted by Israeli forces. The report is drafted jointly with the Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights.
· On 15 April, four human rights organizations – the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Yesh Din, Gisha and HaMoked – filed an urgent petition with the High Court of Justice in Israel, demanding it to order the military to revoke the rules of engagement permitting live fire at Palestinian protesters along Gaza border as they do not pose a “mortal threat.”
· On 13 April, B’Tselem issued a position paper on the unlawful shooting of unarmed demonstrators in Gaza, in light of the continuing protests. The paper analyzes the illegality of open-fire orders issued to soldiers and explains how reasons given by Israelis, such as thousands of Palestinians crossing the fence, fo not justify permission for the use of live ammunition on civilians.
· On 13 April, Amnesty International called for an “immediate end to the excessive and lethal force” used against Palestinian protestors in Gaza. Magdalena Mughrabi, the NGO’s Deputy Director/ MENA, stated that for the previous two weeks, “the world has watched in horror as Israeli forces unleashed excessive, deadly force against protesters, including children.”
Europe
· On 18 April, The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) organized a meeting in the UK Houses of Parliament, hosted by Labor MP David Drew, to discuss the recent US funding cuts on UNRWA. The speakers included Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesperson, and Karma Nabulsi, a Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford.
North America
· On 18 April, Jewish Voice for Peace published a video inviting Jewish people to reflect on learning about the Nakba, in commemoration of Israeli Independence Day, and on the importance of social justice and the Palestinians’ right to return.
· On 16 April, the Columbia University Palestine Centre screened an award-winning film by Mai Masri “3000 Nights”, which tells the true story of a newlywed Palestinian schoolteacher who is falsely arrested and incarcerated in an Israeli prison where she gives birth to her child.
United Nations
· On 19 April, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jamie McGoldrick, called for the protection of Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza and urgent funding to meet critical humanitarian needs generated by the rise in Palestinian casualties since 30 March. He said it was critical for the Israeli authorities to “exercise the utmost restraint in the use of force for law enforcement operations, in line with their obligations under international law.”
· On 17 April, UN human rights experts condemned the continued use of firearms, including live ammunition, by Israeli security forces against unarmed Palestinian protesters and observers for a third straight week near the fence between Gaza and Israel. The UN and its independent human rights experts, along with the International Criminal Court, “have expressed grave concern” about the use of force and “called for the violence to stop.”
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