The latest crackdown on Palestinians in ‘48, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and Gaza clearly demonstrates Israel’s institutionalized policy aimed at maintaining its settler colonial and apartheid regime over the Palestinian people as a whole.

Palestinians have been resisting forced displacement, dispossession, and ethnic cleansing in various cities and neighborhoods since 1948. Today, families in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and in Silwan are fighting to save their homes from being stolen by the occupation and Israeli settlers. In Sheik Jarrah and Silwan, around 7,850 Palestinians remain under threat of forced displacement from their homes and land. Forcible transfer of the occupied population is prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Nahalat Shimon International, a settler organization based in the United States, filed lawsuits to seize the homes of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah using inherently discriminatory laws, such as the Legal and Administrative Matter Laws and the Absentee Property Law of 1950, to forcibly displace Palestinians and confiscate their land or property and transfer their land to Israeli settlers with the support of the Israeli authorities and the judicial system.

Israeli forces systematically deploy disproportionate and unlawful force to disperse protesters during violent raids on Al Aqsa mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulcher and carry out attacks on peaceful protestors in Sheikh Jarrah and other neighborhoods around Jerusalem. After 30 days of repression, 1,000 Palestinians were injured and more than 600 Palestinians were arrested in Jerusalem alone. The total number of arrests is 2650 including Jerusalem, 1948 territories and the West Bank.

We call on the Council to adopt the resolution establishing the Commission of Inquiry addressing the root causes of Israel’s settler colonialism and apartheid as a first step to accountability and justice.

Signatories:

• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy- MIFTAH
• Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling
• Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
• Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)
• The Community Action Center
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

On 22 April 2021, representatives of 28 Palestinian families constituting approximately 500 Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and 191 endorsing organisations, sent a letter to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling to urgently include the imminent forced displacement of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah as part of the open investigation within the Situation in the State of Palestine. Specifically, the families called on her Office to include as part of the investigation the related war crimes and crimes against humanity, including forcible transfer, appropriation of property, persecution, apartheid, and other inhumane acts causing great suffering or serious injury to inter alia mental health arising from their forced evictions.

The letter outlines that following the ruling of Israeli courts in favour of eviction lawsuits undertaken by a settler organisation, 87 Palestinians in the neighbourhood are at imminent risk of forced eviction including four families by 2 May 2021 and three other families by 1 August 2021.

Outlining how the current forced evictions would constitute their second or third forced displacement, the Sheikh Jarrah families highlighted their forcible displacement from their homes in Palestinian towns, cities, and villages, during the Nakba, and their ongoing denial of their inalienable right to return to their homes and properties since 1948. They further underscored the coercive environment they are subject to in Jerusalem, which is designed to transform the city’s demographic composition to secure Israeli-Jewish control over Jerusalem and drive ongoing Palestinian displacement.

The Sheikh Jarrah families continue to endure a lengthy, exhausting, and unaffordable legal battle since 1972 in order to confront the eviction lawsuits brought against them by a settler organization before Israeli courts, which unlawfully apply Israeli discriminatory domestic law to the occupied territory. The families are now pursuing accountability before the ICC.

In their letter, the Sheikh Jarrah families called on the Office of the Prosecutor to publicly condemn the imminent forced evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and urgently investigate this case within the Situation of Palestine and intervene to forestall the displacement of these Palestinian families from their homes. The families are supported in their call by 191 organisations, including Palestinian, Israeli, regional and international human rights organisations; Palestinian coalitions representing over 140 Palestinian civil society organisations; solidarity groups for Palestine; faith-based groups; indigenous groups; racial justice groups; and student groups, including Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, American Muslim Bar Association, the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Arab Organization for Human Rights, B’Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Grassroots Jerusalem, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), ICAHD (The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions), Jewish Voice for Peace, the National Lawyers Guild, Norwegian People’s Aid, Pax Christi International, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Palestinian NGOs Network, Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC), The Red Nation, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and War on Want.

To access the letter and the list of endorsing organisations, please click here.

No to the undermining of the Basic Law and Rights System

We, the undersigned civil society institutions and coalitions, express our rejection of any tampering with the legal system on the eve of elections. We consider this a means of manipulation that could undercut these elections and limit spaces for civic action, impacting the freedom of opinion, organization, gathering and expression. It is tantamount to a coup against the Palestinian Basic Law and the Declaration of Independence, both of which constitute a social contract between the various components of the Palestinian people until a constitution for the State of Palestine is written.

We call on President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government to cancel all laws by decree that infringe on public freedoms and the separation of authorities, particularly the Law by Decree, No. 7 of 2021, which confines and stymies the work of civil society institutions and undermines their role in defending the interests of our people and supporting their steadfastness in the face of ethnic cleansing and forced expulsion, in addition to adopting projects that support Palestinian resolve against Israeli annexation plans and encroachment.

We also express our rejection of the Law by Decree, No. 40 of 2020, which infringes on the principle of separation between the authorities and attaches the judicial authority to the executive authority and all laws by decree that limit the independence and freedom of union work.

We, as civil society, have exhausted all means of dialogue with the government to persuade it to renege on the aforementioned laws by decree, with no meaningful response. In particular, the implementation of the Law by Decree No. 7 of 2021 by the Ministry of Interior and any relevant ministry will render all civil society institutions vulnerable to the arbitrariness of the executive authority. It also exposes its executive teams and boards of directors to legal accountability in accordance with this law by decree that runs contradictory to the Basic Law. Therefore, we declare our boycott of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs conference, to be held on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 under the auspices of Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and suspend our participation in joint activities with the government henceforth until the law by decree is cancelled. We also announce as of the start of this week, we will escalate our activities to overturn this law by decree.

We support the mainstreaming of principles of accountability and good governance in all sectors, in accordance with the law and far removed from arbitrariness, the silencing of voices, stifling of freedoms and destruction of civil society institutions. This is so the system of accountability and integrity is capable of operating with efficiency in the defense of our people’s interests, dignity and status among civilized nations. We call on all components of the executive authority to respect the Basic Law and international obligations of the State of Palestine, for which we seek a respectable standing among counties that honor public freedoms.

*The National campaign for the protection of civic action is comprised of a broad-based alliance of civil society coalitions that reject the Law by Decree No. 7 of 2021.

Call signed by over 40 women leaders Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Parliamentary leaders, Nobel Peace Laureates, Senior UN officials and Human Rights figures.

As the UN Charter marks its 75th anniversary, the most protracted conflict in the world is taking a most dangerous turn with the announcement of Israel’s plan to annex large and vital parts of Palestinian territory on the basis of the Trump Middle East plan which contradicts the internationally agreed parameters for peace and international law. Such a move would unravel half a century of efforts for peace in the region and the vision of two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, based on the pre-1967 borders, with far-reaching consequences.

It is in this context, and on this 20th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, that Israeli and Palestinian women reminded the world why it was so important to hear and heed the voices of women in situations of conflict. We have received urgent appeals against annexation sent by both Palestinian and Israeli women. Their strong appeals, while separate and distinct, have in common a sense of shared humanity, and a common rejection of subjugation and discrimination, oppression and violence.

Both appeals are grounded in international law and in the landmark resolution 1325 which calls for protection of civilians, notably women and girls, the critical importance of women’s voices and meaningful participation in conflict resolution and peace negotiations, in ensuring durable peace and building a just and hopeful future for both peoples based on respect for international law and accountability.

Their voices resonate as they stress that annexation is an existential threat to Palestinians, to Israelis, to regional stability and to an already fragile global order. We must not leave their appeal unanswered as they ask for our “support and engagement in a global partnership to save the prospect for a just, equal, and lasting resolution to the conflict”, for the well-being of present and future generations. They remind us that we have “the power of our collective will to challenge aggression, coercion, and violence and to end impunity and injustice so freedom and peace can prevail”.

Annexation is a breach of international law and the UN Charter, and of UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. It contravenes the fundamental international norm banning the acquisition of territory by force and aims at perpetuating the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise, entrenching occupation instead of ending it. It will severely jeopardize the prospect of regional peace, security and stability with grave implications for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, but also for Jordan and the wider region. It will fragment Palestinian land and effectively consecrate Palestinian enclaves under permanent Israeli military control.

The dignity and rights of the Palestinian people, the ability of Israel to be an integral and accepted part of the region, regional peace, security and prosperity and the wider international rules-based order are at stake. Annexation cannot go unchallenged, and strong international engagement is more needed than ever, including through effective measures to deter illegal unilateral actions, and achieve just and lasting peace. We support the Palestinian and Israeli women’s call against unilateral annexation and back their efforts to prevent its disastrous consequences. It was conceived almost entirely by men without any reference to the diverse perspectives of women. We must be guided by the humanity and resolve of courageous women who have suffered greatly from the conflict and yet refuse to be blinded by hate. Their words envision the future the region needs and deserves.

To Read the full text as PDF

It has come to the attention of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH, that it is being targeted by extreme pro-Israeli hasbara groups and individuals who are propagating unfounded accusations and fabrications. We strongly condemn and reject these libelous allegations, which are nothing short of contemptible, against an organization that has been dedicated to global dialogue, good governance and democracy in Palestine for over 20 years. The example used as “evidence” of what is being called MIFTAH’s support for anti-Semitism was the result of a misstep by a junior staffer who inadvertently posted an outside article in Arabic on the organization’s website back in 2013 without having it reviewed. Once MIFTAH’s senior management became aware of the offensive article, they immediately removed it and issued an apology despite the fact that a disclaimer on its website clearly states that articles posted from other sources do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organization. Nonetheless, a widespread smear campaign instigated and obsessively pursued by vicious hate-filled groups continued against MIFTAH and its founders. This hackneyed campaign is now being rehashed in an orchestrated manner with clear malicious intent.

MIFTAH is and has always been a respected organization both in Palestine and abroad and is known for its contributions to good governance, the empowerment of women and youth, to maintaining open, inclusive and democratic dialogue and to the exchange of ideas. We will not tolerate any attempts at the misrepresentation and defamation of MIFTAH’s good name.

Please find below the statement released by MIFTAH’s senior management on April 1, 2013:

Apology
Date posted: April 01, 2013
By MIFTAH

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH would like to apologize for the recent and brief publication on our website of an article penned by Nawaf Al Zaru that discusses Jewish blood libel during Passover.

It has become clear to us after investigating this incident that the article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff member. The said staffer has been reprimanded and all our staff has been informed as to the disgusting and repulsive phenomena of blood libel or accusation, including its use against Jews. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, as founder, has nothing to do with the day to day management at MIFTAH and was no way involved in this incident.

We express our sincerest regret for offense caused by the oversight that resulted in said publication. We are whole-heartedly committed to fighting racism, hatemongering, discrimination and persecution of any kind wherever it should exist, and especially in our own society.

http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=25956&CategoryId=2

The Israeli government’s decision to ban Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from visiting Palestine is an affront to the American people and their representatives. It is an assault on the Palestinian people’s right to reach out to decision- makers and other actors from around the world. As a sponsor of this trip, MIFTAH worked hard to organize a well-rounded visit for Congresswomen Tlaib, Omar, and Palskett, in order to facilitate their engagement with Palestinian civil society and to provide them with an opportunity to see the reality of occupation for themselves. This is their right and duty as members of Congress, who oversee US policies and actions that affect Palestine, Israel, and countries worldwide.

Like all prolific human rights abusers, Israel wants to impose a blackout on the reality in occupied Palestine and prevent Congresswomen Tlaib, Omar from having direct contact with the Palestinian people, who are subject to Israel’s cruel regime of colonization, oppression, and land grab. Meanwhile, Israel has welcomed AIPAC-organized and funded visits of nearly 80 members of Congress to the region this week. This ban is a clear case of discrimination and hostility based on political views and ethnic background, deserving of moral indignation and unequivocal condemnation in Palestine and the United States.

On March, 6, MIFTAH organized its 2018 conference in Ramallah and Gaza – via videoconference – entitled: “Implications of Regional and International Developments on the Future of the Palestinian Cause Palestinian Scenarios- Women and Youth Visions”. The conference was held within the context of the developments in the Palestinian arena following the changes in international and Arab positions, the American monopoly over the peace process, the impasse in the reconciliation process and the hindered means to strengthen the internal front due to the continued political division and the defunct PLC.

Various societal sectors attended the conference, women and youth foremost. Representatives from the various political factions and PLO institutions also attended, in order to discuss and propose alternatives for confronting the crises and existential challenges today. These challenges call for creating the initiative of a national gathering where women and youth have a central role in producing conclusions and recommendations that determine future directions for the Palestinian cause.

The conference topics were discussed in three sessions: The first broached the nature of regional and international changes and their impacts on the Palestinian situation and available options. It also discussed visions for the proposed political options. The other two sessions addressed the visions of women and youth in confronting political challenges and the deadlock in efforts to achieve national reconciliation and end the division.

The participants concluded that confronting internal challenges and regional and international developments, especially the positions of the current US administration, require thinking outside of the perimeters of current Palestinian political action. This could be achieved by launching a national effort in which the various Palestinian sectors contribute, wherever they are located, with women and youth movements at the forefront. It also includes building alliances with international congregations, international civil society organizations and members of parliament that support the Palestinian cause, with the goal of supporting the Palestinian right to establish an independent state, the right to self-determination and the demand to implement all international resolutions pertaining to Palestinian rights.

The options and alternatives proposed by Palestinian women and youth leaders reflected their pioneer and historic role in active participation in the national liberation struggle and in preserving the unity of the Palestinian people and their right to resist the occupation.

The conference confirmed the need to develop a unified strategy for the struggle with the participation of all political and societal forces in confronting the current challenges and in adopting all national options. This means not confining these options between the two approaches of negotiations and armed resistance but through adopting new forms of struggle that can rise to challenges of this period. It also reaffirmed the validity of boycotting as a national option and a means of resistance at all official and popular levels.

The conference called for the revival and reform of the PLO as a safety net for the Palestinians, through the resumption of meetings of the PNC’s preparatory committee and follow-up of what was agreed on in its meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in January 2017. It also called for setting a time limit of no longer than the end of 2018 to hold presidential, legislative and PNC elections, for strengthening political pluralism and building a democratic political system that embraces the rule of law and separation of authorities and which includes public liberties; it stressed on the principles of integrity and transparency in the management of public affairs, reaffirmed the need to restore youth bodies and their roles, namely the General Union of Palestine Students [GUPS] and reconsider the structure and tasks of the Higher Council for Sports and Youth. Lastly, it called on youth federations to hold their conferences with the inclusion of women and youth representation in their administrative boards.

The participants also stressed on the need to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue to discuss the Palestinian Central Council decisions and to set mechanisms for implementing them.

They focused on the need to regain national unity as a priority and a key component for continuing the battle to end the occupation, to lift the siege off the Gaza Strip, remove the obstacles to reconciliation efforts and address the issues pertaining to the everyday and humanitarian needs of our people in Gaza. This, they said, requires all parties to sit at the table to discuss and address these issues with a sense of national responsibility.

The women’s movement confirmed the need to form committees with the task of monitoring the reconciliation committees and declare clear positions on the understandings that result from the reconciliation meetings. They also proposed that a blacklist is drawn of up parties obstructing the reconciliation.

Finally, the participants confirmed the need to take the necessary measures to connect with Palestinian public opinion in the homeland and the diaspora, strengthen the relationship with Palestinian communities and guarantee that they play an effective role in networking and interacting with the communities in which they live, in order to contribute to pressuring their governments to support the Palestinian position and disseminate the Palestinian narrative.

We stand here today, as a women’s movement and as civil society, to voice our message that a national dialogue must begin. We need a dialogue that unites Palestinians from every spectrum, with civil society and youth and women’s movements to preserve the Palestinian national project. Our national project is threatened with dangers and challenges due to the lack of a political horizon and the escalating crimes of the Israeli occupation – its summary executions of our youth and its ongoing racist plans to uproot us. Such dangers and challenges necessitate that we must unite all of our forces and efforts to confront this threat to the fate of our people and its national cause.

This is why we are here today. This gathering, which is broadly supported by our people, seeks to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation through the full and immediate implementation of the Prisoners’ Document (for national conciliation), and the Cairo Agreement, according to the Shati’ Statement and all of its stipulations. This includes setting a date for presidential, legislative and Palestinian National Council (PNC) elections.

We reaffirm that our priority is first regaining national unity as a basis for continuing the battle to end the occupation; for our quest for achieving a social contract based on the concept of citizenry; for endorsing women’s rights to political participation; for fully ending all measures and practices that harm the Palestinian social fabric including police summonses and political arrests and to take responsibility for ending these measures, the repercussions of which threaten to shatter our national front and counteract its path towards freedom and independence.

We also reaffirm that the interests of the homeland and achieving true national unity that ends all division-based disputes, must come first. Our civil and security institutions must be united and the democratic process and political pluralism in Palestinian society must be safeguarded through democratic transition and through the participation of all citizens in the election process.

As women, we appeal to the media to adopt a national and responsible discourse which calls for national unity. We also reaffirm the role of the local media in promoting values of tolerance, freedom of opinion and expression and the denunciation of fragmentation, discrimination and factionalism.

As women, we call for a national dialogue which includes all political factions, movements and social forces and reaffirm our participation as women, comprising 45% of national reconciliation committees. We call for the formulation of an operational framework for the articles of the Cairo Agreement and the Shati’ Statement that is binding and confined to a declared timeframe.

It is time this political division ends…It is time all our efforts come together to achieve unity and to continue our path towards freedom and independence, to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and to reiterate our people’s right to self-determination.

Upon initiative from civil society organizations, the 'Women's Call: One Country, One People, One Flag' conference demanding the immediate restoration of national unity and popular action to end the political division”, was held simultaneously in Ramallah and Gaza on Monday, June 25, 2015. The conference was held in light of the continued political division, which has lasted for over eight years, and the popular fear that this will turn into a complete separation, thus threatening the Palestinian national project. Furthermore, there is the dead end of political prospects and the escalating crimes of the Israeli occupation and its racist plans to uproot the Palestinians, all which require consolidated national efforts to confront the dangers facing the fate of the Palestinian people and its national cause.

This conference is a confirmation of the importance of the Palestinian women movement participation in political and social life and the embodiment of their historical and pioneer role in actively participating in the national liberation struggle against Israeli colonization of the occupied Palestinian territory. It is a reaffirmation of Palestinian women’s humanitarian and civic role in line with international agreements to which the state of Palestine in bound, including the CEDAW Agreement of 1979.

The conference included four panels discussion, where the participants discussed the dangers of the continued division on Palestinian society and on its national struggle against the Israeli occupation. They also reconfirmed the unity of the PLO’s representation of the Palestinian people everywhere. They stressed on the need for a structural framework to organize dialogue among all factions, in order to confront these challenges and to unify national efforts to continue the battle for national liberation and freedom from the Israeli occupation.

The conference particularly focused on the impact of the division on Palestinian women and the most pressing challenges and hindrances to their efforts to end this division. The participants stressed on women’s ability and readiness to create pressure, and advocate on the rivaling parties in order to seriously move forward in implementing the reconciliation agreement without further delay. They also called for reviving the committees for ending the division, including the social reconciliation committee and involving women in all of them.

Following the participants’ presentations and discussions, the conference closed with the following recommendations:

• Achieving Palestinian national reconciliation through the complete and immediate implementation of the Cairo Agreement in accordance with the Shati’ Declaration. Also, setting a date for presidential, legislative and PNC elections.
• Restoration of national unity as a priority and basis for continuing the struggle to end the occupation; also considering it the shorter path to reconstructing the Gaza Strip and breaking the Israeli siege, which requires enabling the national unity government to operate in the Gaza Strip and assume its responsibilities and duties; also to remove the obstacles facing the government‘s efforts in taking its responsibilities, and to address the employees issue according to the Cairo agreement.
• Seeking to achieve a social contract based on the concept of citizenship; ratifying women’s rights in political participation based on the declaration of independence and declaration for Palestinian women’s rights, approved by all parties in the women’s movement in Palestine.
• Halting all actions that harm the social fabric, including summons, political arrests, torture and the closure of associations and unions.
• An initiative from the women’s movement including all of its popular and civil organizations , to organize and support a peaceful, popular movement entitled: “Women are capable of restoring unity, reorganizing the Palestinian internal system ( house) and ensuring and securing freedoms”.
• Investing in the prisoners’ lobbying role and forming a national body of key figures to contribute to social lobbying towards ending the division.
• The General Union of Palestinian Women is to formulate a plan to mobilize Palestinian women and educate them on civic peace in order to develop peaceful action in confronting the division.
• Demanding from women’s and rights groups to provide legal support to protect women from all forms of violence and targeting, which women are subjected to because of their activities.
• Ensuring that the interests of the homeland prevail; achieving real national unity that will end all current disputes on the backdrop of the division; unifying civil and security institutions.
• Reaffirming the necessity of political pluralism in society; the participation of everyone, first and foremost Palestinian women in the construction and development process so that everyone can live in freedom and dignity according to the law and in a manner befitting of the people’s struggle and sacrifices.
• Ending the negative media exchanges and adopting a responsible media discourse that calls for national unity; reaffirming the role of the local media in promoting the values of tolerance and freedom of opinion and expression; forming a lobbying public opinion to end the division and investing in interactive methods for change and expression of national and social issues; renouncing factionalism, discrimination and fragmentation.
• Women’s groups and civil society institutions are called on to organize a campaign to influence figures or institutions that feed into the culture of division and intolerance.
• Spreading the concepts of tolerance and civic peace in school curricula; training the education sector on introducing concepts of reconciliation and tolerance in the educational process to create generations who believe in pluralism and acceptance of the other.
• A call for forming a national dialogue forum that includes all political factions and organizations and social forces in addition to the women’s movement.
• The organizers will form a committee as a result of the conference to follow up on the implementation of its recommendations.