NGO Action News – 29 February 2024

Middle East

• On 26 February, Al-Haq and other Palestinian human rights organizations issued a brief noting that in the month since the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on provisional measures, Israel has continued its genocidal military campaign on Gaza. The brief outlines key violations of the ICJ provisional measures over the past month. A few days earlier, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies published an article, also noting that Israel and its allies have disregarded the ICJ’s ruling.
• On 26 February, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association published an article noting the tendency of Israeli occupation authorities to target and re-arrest released prisoners after every prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian political parties, disregarding the guarantees agreed upon with the parties overseeing the exchange agreements.
• On 22 February, BADIL – Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights published an article titled “Empty Words of Concern will not prevent Israel’s Ongoing Genocidal Assault on Rafah,” which notes that despite voicing words of concern for the situation in Gaza, countries such as the USA, the EU and its member States, UK, Canada, Australia continue to arm and support Israel.
• On 22 February, HaMoked, Gisha, and other human rights organizations petitioned the High Court in Israel to repeal the ban on Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners and to provide the Red Cross with details regarding all Palestinian prisoners.
• On 22 February, Gisha published an article highlighting rampant hunger and danger of starvation in northern Gaza, and warning Israel that it must meet its obligation to provide for all the needs of the civilian population in the Strip.
• On 20 February, Al-Shabaka held a roundtable titled “The West Bank: Settler Colonial Spillover of the Gaza Genocide,” featuring a discussion with academics from Birzeit University on the situation in the West Bank since 7 October 2023. Part of the discussion is also available as a podcast.
• On 19 February, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel published a position paper titled “The Destruction of Gaza’s Healthcare Infrastructure amid Israel’s Military Offensive,” which examines the severity of Israel’s military assault on Gaza and its lethal repercussions.

Asia and Europe

• Agence Média Palestine announced (in French) that from 8-17 March, the 22^nd International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) will take place in Geneva. This year, the FIFDH will highlight “Palestinian Views and Voices” through a program composed of seven Palestinian films, and a debate on 10 March entitled “How do you represent your country, victim of the occupation for decades and Gaza devastated by war, when the bombs keep falling?”
• On 26 February, the Association France Palestine Solidarité issued a press release (in French) highlighting the inhumane conditions that Palestinian political prisoners face in Israeli prisons, where they are often tortured. At least 10 Palestinian political prisoners have died in Israeli jails over the last five months.
• On 26 February, Amnesty International published a press release noting that Israel was defying the ICJ’s ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. The order to provide aid was one of six provisional measures ordered by the Court on 26 January and Israel was given one month to report back on its compliance.
• On 23 February, a group of German lawyers representing families of two Gazans filed a criminal complaint against German Government officials for the crime of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing Israel with weapons. Law for Palestine and other civil society organizations are supporting the plaintiffs under the Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative.

North America

• On 4 March, The Jerusalem Fund will hold an event in Washington DC titled “Total War Between River and Sea: The Dynamics of the Gaza War in the West Bank and Within the Green Line,” which will feature a discussion with Palestinian organizer and movement advocate, Soheir Asaad, on the current state of the structure of resistance within various Palestinian communities, their capacity for unity, and attempts to undermine them.
• On 28 February, Human Rights Watch and other international organizations issued a joint statement requesting an explanation from the UK government for why it refuses to suspend arms transfers to Israel despite the risk that UK-licensed equipment might be used to carry out or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.
• On 23 February, J Street issued a press release welcoming US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s clear statement that “new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” and are “inconsistent with international law.”
• On 22 February, Jewish Voice for Peace issued a press release on the demonstration by thousands of Jews and allies, including rabbis and descendants of Holocaust survivors, at the AIPAC headquarters in New York City, protesting the organization’s involvement in US politics and its attempts to sway members of Congress to oppose a ceasefire in Gaza.

Latin America

• The Asociación Palestina Guatemalteca announced (in Spanish) a caravan planned for 8 March for the Guatemalan people to demand an end to the genocide in Palestine.
• In Mexico, the Plataforma Común por Palestina announced (in Spanish) two events on 1 March in support of the Palestinian people: a panel discussion at a university in Mexico City, and a peaceful demonstration in Merida, Yucatan.
• On 24 February, the Red de Solidaridad con Palestina/Costa Rica organized two demonstrations (in Spanish) in and around the capital city, calling on the international community to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, as well as an end to the occupation and ongoing genocide.
• On 20 February, the Comité Panameño de Solidaridad con Palestina and other local organizations held a demonstration (in Spanish) in Panama City to reject the genocide against the Palestinian people and speak out against forced evictions.

United Nations

• On 13 March, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will hold a virtual event titled “War on Gaza: Impact on Palestinian Women and Children” on the margin of the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68). Information about the programme and access to the event will be available shortly.
• On 28 February, the Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People issued a statement reaffirming its unwavering support for UNRWA and its indispensable mission, and expressing concerns about the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and the hindrances to UNRWA’s mandate implementation. On 22 February, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini had sent a letter to the President of the General Assembly, informing that the Agency had reached its breaking point, and that its ability to fulfil its mandate was seriously threatened.
• On 27 February, the Security Council was briefed by officials from OCHA, FAO and WFP who each warned of imminent famine in Gaza unless immediate action was taken to avert a humanitarian disaster. Many Council members alleged the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
• On 27 February, the Division for Palestinian Rights published, on behalf of the CEIRPP, a brief animated video on the UN Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL), the world’s largest online repository of documents on the question of Palestine. Meanwhile, the CEIRPP’s animated video on the History of the Question of Palestine is now available in Italian, Portuguese, and Swahili, in addition to the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish)
• On 26 February, as a way to counteract growing misinformation and disinformation about its staff and operations, UNRWA issued a press release titled “UNRWA: Claims versus Facts.” The press release lists some of the most frequent allegations made against it in the media, and outlines UNRWA’s positions—based on objective, ascertainable facts, data, and firsthand information.
• On 26 February, Secretary-General António Guterres delivered remarks to the Human Rights Council at the opening of its 55th regular session. He repeated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
• From 19-26 February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held public hearings in the advisory proceedings on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Upon concluding the hearings, the ICJ issued a press release. Verbatim records of the hearings are available here.
• On 23 February, OHCHR issued a press release noting the warning made by UN Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council that any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel for use in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.