“For decades, efforts to bring about a two-state solution in historic Palestine have failed to provide justice and peace for the Palestinian and Israeli Jewish peoples, or to offer a genuine process leading towards them.” So begins a statement calling for a one-state solution signed by among others prominent Palestinian and Israeli scholars and activists. The statement, issued to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the UN Partition Resolution sets out principles for “a just, and thus enduring, peace in a single state.” Read more about The One State Declaration
The following letter was sent on 26 November 2007 to key negotiating parties including the President of the Palestinian National Authority, the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and EU and UN Officials: As Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations, we the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the lack of a clearly articulated legal framework for the upcoming diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to be held at Annapolis on 27 November. Read more about Rights orgs: Uphold international law at Annapolis
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) urges the Football Association (FA), the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to take appropriate measures to suspend the national Israeli football team from all international fixtures until the state of Israel entirely complies with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions to end Israeli occupation. This should include a suspension of the Israeli team from the current Euro 2008 qualifiers. Read more about Open letter: Suspend Israel from Euro 2008 competition
Israeli, Palestinian and European human rights organizations today issued a joint declaration calling on Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, and Egypt, to immediately open Gaza’s borders to passenger traffic, irrespective of their political agenda concerning Hamas. The organizations jointly stated that residents of the Strip must not be used as pawns in the struggle for control in Gaza. Read more about Rights groups: Rafah border crossing must be opened
Forty-five-year-old Waleed Salman Abu Dalfa died yesterday, 15 July 2007, while being held in custody at the former Intelligence Headquarters in the al-Mashtal area east of Gaza City. The facility, which was recently converted into a detention centre, is currently run and supervised by Hamas’ military wing — Ezadin al-Qassam Brigades. According to investigations carried out by Al Mezan, Al-Haq and Al Dameer, Waleed and his brother, Khalil, were arrested at their home in Gaza City on Monday, 9 July 2007. Read more about Death of detainee prompts calls for investigation
Dear Rolling Stones: The Palestinian arts community received in disbelief media reports of your upcoming performance in Israel, at a time when Israel continues unabated with its colonial and apartheid designs to further dispossess, oppress, and ultimately ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland. We strongly urge you to cancel your plans to perform in Israel until the time comes when it ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and respects fundamental human rights. Read more about Open Letter to Rolling Stones: Boycott Israeli Apartheid
Persistent violations of medical ethics have accompanied Israel’s occupation. The Israeli Defence Force has systematically flouted the fourth Geneva convention guaranteeing a civilian population unfettered access to medical services and immunity for medical staff. Ambulances are fired on (hundreds of cases) and their personnel killed. Desperately ill people, and newborn babies, die at checkpoints because soldiers bar the way to hospital. The public-health infrastructure, including water and electricity supplies, is wilfully bombed, and the passage of essential medicines like anti-cancerdrugs and kidney dialysis fluids blocked. Read more about UK Physicians call for boycott of Israeli Medical Association
We, the undersigned, Palestinian Medical and Health institutions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, call on world medical and health institutions to immediately end cooperation with, and refrain from participation in, any form of collaboration or joint activities with the IMA; advocate for the condemnation of the IMA; support Palestinian medical and health institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as a condition for such support. IMA’s medical ethics record on torture has been well documented and the institution has never denounced or seriously confronted the Israeli government’s use of torture. Read more about Call for boycott against the Israel Medical Association
Dear Secretary-General Ban,
As Palestinian organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, we welcome your decision to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) at this early stage in your tenure as UN Secretary-General. After 40 years of belligerent occupation, the current reality in the OPT is one of systematic violations of international human rights law, as well as serious breaches of international humanitarian law, which in many instances amount to war crimes. Read more about To Ban Ki-Moon: 40 years of occupation
The undersigned Palestinian human rights NGOs express their grave concern over the deterioration in the internal security situation, which has mounted to the peak in the past few days due to the political tension between Hamas and Fatah movements resulted from the failure of the two movements to agree on the formation of a national unity government. Tension between the two movements has escalated since Thursday, 14 December 2006, in light of mutual accusations for responsibility for the failure to reach an agreement on the formation of a national unity government. Read more about Palestinian Human Rights Groups Call for National Dialogue