Representatives of civil society concerned with the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict met in Cape Town today to explore the role of civil society in supporting a peaceful solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the meeting, a number of speakers described the similarities and differences between the Palestinian and South African struggles and urged the conference to call for a boycott of products from Jewish settlements. International isolation, internal resistance, underground movement and armed resistance, pillars of the South African struggle, should be kept in mind when talking about a platform for a solution to the Palestinian question. Read more about Speakers at Capetown meeting compare situation in Palestine with South African apartheid
On seven occasions, over a period of two years, the Israeli government has sent planes to the Negev to spray the crops of Bedouin farmers with toxic chemicals. Some 7,500 acres of Bedouin fields have been destroyed since February 2002. The last such incident occurred as recently as March 2004, at Qtamat and Abeida villages, ruining some 750 acres of crops shortly before the harvest. Today, the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA) publishes “By All Means Possible: Destruction by the State of Crops of Bedouin Citizens in the Naqab (Negev) by Aerial Spraying with Chemicals”, the first detailed report into the crop destruction, investigating both the legality of the government’s actions and the dangers posed to the local inhabitants’ health. Read more about Israel's poisonous aerial spraying of Negev crops illegal, endangers health of Bedouin villagers
Yakin Ertuerk, the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on violence against women has found: “While the persistent situation of conflict has an adverse impact on the daily lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike, the burden by far falls on the Palestinian people, who have been living under occupation for too long. This has generated an atmosphere of legitimized violence as a method of conflict resolution. As a consequence, an integrated system of violence which disproportionately singles out women in both the public and private spheres has emerged.” Read more about UN expert: Occupation, rights violations main source of violence against Palestinian women
The actress and human rights activist Vanessa Redgrave has made an appeal to the international community to increase its emergency humanitarian assistance to Palestinians suffering in the occupied Palestinian territory and to the Government of Israel to ease its movement restrictions on UN agencies. Ms Redgrave is making her first ever visit to Palestine, after nearly 30 years of campaigning for peace and justice in the Middle East, as a guest of UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and as a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF, the UN’s children’s agency. Read more about Vanessa Redgrave makes humanitarian appeal for Gaza and the West Bank
Ramallah/Gaza City, 28 June 2004 - UNICEF launched a major measles immunization campaign in the West Bank and Gaza Strip today, aimed at providing more than 540,000 children aged 9-59 months with a safe injection of measles vaccine and a doses of Vitamin A. The three-week long campaign is led by the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Palestinian Authority, UNICEF and UNRWA - with financial support from the Japanese Government, USAID and a contribution from the Micronutrient Initiative. Read more about UN launches major immunization campaign
PCHR remains gravely concerned about the living conditions of Palestinian civilians, who have been made homeless, following the destruction of their homes by Israeli occupying forces. These civilians have resorted to temporary refugee centers, living under extremely difficult conditions. Rafah is suffering from a humanitarian crisis following the destruction of hundreds of houses and the civilian infrastructure of the town by Israeli occupying forces. PCHR calls upon the international community to provide immediate assistance to ensure that homeless civilians find shelter and live in stability and security. Read more about PCHR Calls Upon International Governments and Organizations to Provide Aid for Homeless Civilians in Rafah
PCHR has submitted a letter to the Speaker and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), calling for amendments to the Electoral Law of Local Councils (5) of 1996. In this letter, PCHR expressed its appreciation for the efforts made by the PLC in the past years to promote local government, including the approval of the Electoral Law of Local Councils (5) of 1996 and the Law of Local Councils (1) of 1996, and the efforts made to hold local elections. However, PCHR pointed out that these efforts have not been completed, as councils appointed by the executive have continued to manage local councils in the Palestinian communities since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority 10 years ago. Read more about PCHR calls for Amendments to the Electoral Law of Local Councils
They may be the world’s longest-suffering refugees, but the Palestinian families sitting in the sweltering heat of the dusty football field at Haifa Sports Club in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday had no idea that it was World Refugee Day. “I hope this occasion of World Refugee Day can serve as a bridge for us to help us go home,” Huda Naif Sahaa, 43, told IRIN. “I’ve never heard of this World Refugee Day, but I want to know more about it if it helps us.” Some 35 families are still living in tents at the sports club. Already, 140 families have been relocated, according to the office of UNHCR. The refugee agency is assisting 450 Palestinian families in Baghdad by subsidising rents, providing medical care and other relief items. Read more about Palestinian refugees in Iraq still waiting to be moved
The number of Palestinians dependent on humanitarian assistance is growing. Almost 40% of the population - or about 1.4 million people - are facing particular hardship and are food insecure. They rely on assistance, mostly food, to supplement their incomes. Of these, around 600,000 people are depending almost entirely on outside aid. The delivery of assistance is currently being affected by funding shortages. The average level of funding requirements met is 26.4% for the 2004 CAP mid-year review. UNRWA, with 27.9% of funding requirements met, is particularly exposed to this under-funding situation, given the importance of its role and contribution to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the occupied Palestinian territories. Read more about Major shortage of funds for humanitarian assistance in occupied Palestine
The United Nations and the international community will not abandon the estimated four million Palestinian refugees scattered across the Middle East - that was the vow today from participants at the conclusion of a two-day conference in Geneva about tackling the Palestinians’ humanitarian needs. During the meeting of countries and international organizations, delegates pledged to donate $10.5 million to help the Palestinians, with several other countries or regional groups also promising to give financial aid in the future. They also agreed that special attention should be given to the needs and concerns of Palestinian children. Read more about UN and individual countries pledge to never abandon the Palestinian refugees
