NGO Action News – 14 December 2023

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This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. 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.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in Spanish here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in French here.

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in Arabic here.

Middle East

• On 12 December, B’Tselem and other Israeli human rights and civil society organizations sent a letter to U.S. President Biden, asking him to influence Israel to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
• On 11 December, Al-Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, issued a press release demanding an end to the enforced disappearance of Palestinian detainees and an immediate halt to the torture and abuse against hundreds of arbitrarily detained Palestinians from Gaza. The statement came after the organizations received harrowing testimonies from released Palestinian detainees.
• On 10 December, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel submitted legal correspondence to the Chief Military Prosecutor and filed a Freedom of Information request asking for information on the use of the “Hasbara” system that uses artificial intelligence to generate attack targets in the Gaza Strip.
• On 10 December, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies published a message marking the 75^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The message lamented the setback caused by countries that ratified the Universal Declaration who have given their support to Israel to launch a potential war of genocide in Gaza. BADIL – Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights issued a similar statement, noting that the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights coincides with 75 years of the ongoing Nakba, and Israel’s attempt to cause another mass displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “under the complicit eyes of the international community.”

Asia and Europe

• On 15 December, Association France Palestine Solidarité and other organizations are organizing a meeting of solidarity with the Palestinian People (in French) that will include round table discussions with journalists, members of civil society, union leaders and activists.
• On 13 December, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) issued a press release welcoming Australia’s backing of a UN General Assembly resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that this shift in position was testament to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who marched, rallied, and chanted to demand an immediate ceasefire. APAN said it would now push for its full and immediate implementation.
• On 13 December, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies held an online event titled “Trouble at the Gate: Egypt’s Gaza Dilemma,” which featured a discussion with several Middle East scholars and researchers.
• On 11 December, Agence Média Palestine published an article (in French) noting that more than 100 French parliamentarians had written a letter to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne demanding the safety of journalists in Gaza, as they do not enjoy any special protection from Israel’s targeted attacks against them.
• On 9 December, the Palestinian Return Centre issued a press release expressing deep concern over emerging reports of potential rape and sexual assaults that might have been committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
• On 7 December, Amnesty International published the findings of its investigation into the deadly Israeli attack on a group of seven journalists in south Lebanon on 13 October. According to its analysis of over 100 videos and photographs, weapons fragments from the site, and witness interviews, the Israeli strikes appear to have been a direct attack on civilians and should be investigated as a war crime.

North America

• On 14 December, The People’s Forum will hold an event titled “Gaza: Genocide and Resistance” which will feature an exchange with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi who will discuss the current struggle for Palestinian liberation, its history and context, as well as future possibilities.
• On 12 December, Human Rights Watch published a letter it had sent, alongside a group of civil society groups based in the United Kingdom, to the UK Government calling for an immediate halt to UK arms transfers to the government of Israel. The letter warned that failure to do so puts the UK Government at risk of being complicit in serious violations of international law, including attacks that may amount to war crimes.
• On 8 December, Churches for Middle East Peace held a webinar titled “Complicity and its Consequences: A Conversation Examining U.S. Government Involvement in Ongoing Violence in Gaza and the West Bank.” The discussion featured several legal and policy experts, including Josh Paul, former U.S. State Department Official, and Craig Mokhiber, former Director of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• On 8 December, J Street issued a statement welcoming the announcement by a group of Senators in the US Government that they would introduce an amendment to the emergency supplemental appropriations bill to ensure that any additional military assistance provided under the legislation comply with international law and existing US law. J Street plans to lobby in support of this amendment and urged all Senators to cosponsor it. Americans for Peace Now also issued a statement welcoming the proposed amendment.

United Nations

• On 13 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ms. Lynn Hastings, gave a virtual press briefing stressing the need for a ceasefire and highlighting that Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible for protecting the Palestinian civilian population. She also provided an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
• On 12 December, the General Assembly adopted a resolution by an overwhelming majority of 153 Member States demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and insisting that parties to the conflict comply with international law. The resolution also called for the release of all hostages and ensuring humanitarian access. A recording of the session is available here.
• On 12 December, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a panel discussion titled “2023 War on Gaza: The Responsibility to Prevent Genocide,” which featured Mr. Jehad Abusalim, Executive Director of The Jerusalem Fund; Dr. Raz Segal, Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Endowed Professor in the Study of Modern Genocide at Stockton University; Ms. Hannah Bruinsma, Legal Advisor at Law for Palestine; and Ms. Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.
• On 12 December, WHO issued a press release following a joint high-risk mission with OCHA and the Palestine Red Crescent Society to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. WHO described difficulties encountered during the mission and reiterated its call for the protection of health care and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
• On 8 December, the Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza after Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the Charter. The Secretary-General gave remarks urging the Council to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, as “the eyes of the world—and the eyes of history—are watching.” However, a resolution put forward by the United Arab Emirates calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire was vetoed by the United States.
• On 7 December, several civil society organizations including Al-Haq and the International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH participated in a discussion titled “Impunity and the Recurrence of Atrocity Crimes: Delayed Justice in the situation in the State of Palestine,” organized as a side event at the 22^nd Session of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court.