A Joint Palestinian Movement of NGOs, Grassroots Organizations, and Concerned Individuals
What is the Apartheid Wall?
Contrary to worldwide news reports, the Apartheid Wall (also referred to as the "fence" or "security fence") which Israel is currently building in the northeast of the West Bank, as well as in the Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas, will not mark the 1967 border, also known as the Green Line. Rather, amidst some of the most fertile land in Palestine, this latest unilateral offensive will be a further exercise in Israel's annexation of lands, destruction of agriculture and property, and violation of human rights.
The first phase of the Wall, in the northern West Bank, is to be some 115km long and 8 meters high and is to include electric fences, trenches, cameras, sensors, and security patrols. The Wall in its entirety is to cover at least 350km, roughly encircling the West Bank. In this first phase, 23 villages will loose parts or all of their lands, where village lands will be on one side of the Wall, and the residential areas on another. In this first phase, approximately 90,000 dunums will be lost, totaling close to 2% of the West Bank. At least 11 villages will be isolated between the Wall and the Green Line-sandwiched--with even further restriction to movement than those of the past two years. Baqa Al Sharqiya, for example, will be totally cut off from the rest of the West Bank. Qalqiliya will almost be completely encircled by the Wall.
It cannot be emphasized enough the fertility of the land that has been confiscated and is being destroyed, also taking into consideration the continued poverty due to forcible closure by Israel on the Palestinians, translating into the fact that people's sustenance and survival depends on these lands. Approximately 30 groundwater wells will be out of bounds, having been separated by the Wall from the villages depending on them, meaning even further Israeli control over Palestinian water resources. Fallamiah, for example, is to loose its main source of water.
The reference in the international media to a "fence" being placed to separate the "two sides" should be seen more as a cynical, unrepresentative use of terms than any real reflection of the Wall itself, both in its massive physical structure and its implications on the lives of tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of people. The separation rhetoric, which should remind everyone of the Afrikaans word for separation--"Apartheid"--is not a reflection of real geographic or a historic physical divide between two peoples, but rather is reference to Israel's continued campaign of forcible, unilateral separation and expulsion plans that disregard national or economic sovereignty for Palestinians. The Wall just furthers the "bantustanization" of the West Bank into hundreds of small, dependent entities that cannot sustain themselves and that are more akin to small, disconnected open-air prisons surrounded by Israeli military checkpoints and settlements, than anything else.
About the Campaign
The Apartheid Wall Campaign was born out of an October 2, 2002 meeting of the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON) General Assembly, where it was decided that the Network and its members must make the Wall a priority of their work, and stating clearly that successful efforts on behalf of the Wall must be joint and widespread, both in local efforts, and in international advocacy.
The Campaign itself sees its aim as two fold: on the one hand, to work and mobilize against the Wall and its immediate and expected consequences to environment and human rights; and on the other hand, to shed light on the expanding stranglehold of the Occupation, marked by checkpoints, closures, siege, settlements, and the Wall. The larger context is the underlying motivation behind the Campaign.
Amidst the tragedy, the Campaign is an important sign and direction of coordination among NGOs and between the NGOs sector and other local and national actors. The Campaign looks to integrate local needs and efforts with information collection and international advocacy.
Who is Organizing the Campaign?
The Campaign is run by a volunteer Coordinating Committee (CC) composed of the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ), LAW, the Land Research Center (LRC), Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG), and the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) all of whom are PENGON members. The CC is headed by PENGON, the Campaign Coordinator and the Campaign Center.
Following the first two CC meetings, three subcommittees for the Campaign have been formed. These subcommittees are: International Advocacy and Media, Research and Information Collection, and Social Mobilization. Each of these subcommittees has met and the next, immediate step of each is to establish an emergency work plan for the coming months.
Several public meetings have also been held in the north, in the areas affected by the Wall, and consequently local councils, farmers unions, and other grassroots organizations have formally joined the Campaign. These meetings were extremely successful both in the numbers of attendees as well as in the interest in the Campaign that they produced. In addition, the first and second Emergency Centers for the Campaign have already been established in Jayous and Sharawiyeh where information collection, meetings among the communities and with local and international solidarity groups, projects and social mobilization coordination, and public and legal services are to take place in relation to the Wall. The third Emergency Center is soon to be established in Jenin.
The CC members have volunteered staff and other resources to the Campaign, including partial funding of the Emergency Centers. The Campaign is overwhelmingly a volunteer effort.
What You Can Do to Help?
Although the Campaign is at an early stage, the construction and destruction revolving around the Wall is expected to move full-force in the coming months, and if successful, it could be completed within 6 months to a year. Therefore, the Campaign needs to move quickly, and in just one month has managed to create a respectable infrastructure, widespread interest, and organizational commitments.
For the Campaign to be a success, various forms of support are important. The Campaign is looking to donor/international organizations to help in the following areas:
International Advocacy, Lobbying, and Media-pressuring the Israeli government and mobilizing own governments to speak out and take the necessary steps against the Wall and the Occupation; vocalizing and acting in opposition to the destruction of projects funded by the international organizations that have been destroyed or deterred by the Wall; mobilizing own contacts to support the Campaign, including the targeting of public opinion in own country; disseminating Campaign information, reports, and fact sheets; providing and/or funding international volunteers as well as translators for publications; supporting and providing exposure for the Campaign website; provide funds for the making of a short film on the Wall and the Campaign; provide funds for press packets and presentation material; arrange for meetings between various media and the Campaign; arrange for meetings with own public relations staff to advise and support Campaign advocacy.
Information Collection and Documentation-The need for accurate, detailed information concerning the Wall is important in order to best create awareness locally and internationally around the Wall, to be best equipped for immediate and long-term consequences of the Wall, and to be the main address of information concerning the Wall. Continuous study of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the Wall, as well as the documentation of case studies, needs to be done in an organized manner. We are looking for funds to support this work.
Emergency Centers-The Emergency Centers are an address in which those affected by the Wall can assemble, where international and local solidarity groups as well as media can visit and be met, and where documentation takes place. They are partially funded and supported by Palestinian NGOs. They are the bridge between the efforts of the NGOs and the local, grassroots mobilization and needs. The Centers need financial support for various activities.
We ask that you join us for a tour in the north about the Wall and the Campaign.
How to Contact the Campaign
You can reach the Campaign by contacting PENGON at 02-6565890/87, 052-285610, fax: 02-5857688, info@pengon.org. The Campaign website will be up by the end of the month, and can be visited at www.stopthewall.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Also, the Campaign's Report #1 on the Wall and the Campaign will be ready mid-November, so please contact us for a copy.
My Rights, Our Power: A Joint Campaign Launched in Palestine to Raise Awareness on Women’s Fundamental Human Rights
Date posted: March 09, 2019
By UN Women
1_March 2019, Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Women’s Day (8 March), a week-long joint campaign “My Rights, Our Power” was launched today in Palestine to raise awareness on women’s fundamental human rights. The joint effort, with participation from over 30 national and international partners from civil society organizations, media outlets, and international development agencies, targets youth, women, and men in various geographic areas in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza to promote women’s human rights in Palestine.
The campaign comes at a crucial moment when the anticipated adoption of the Family Protection Bill is at a standstill, raising concerns among national and international stakeholders about the consequences of such delay on safeguarding women’s fundamental human rights in Palestine. According to the Palestine report of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), nearly one in five Palestinian men (17 percent) surveyed said they had perpetrated act of physical intimate partner violence against female partners, while 21 per cent of women surveyed reported having experienced such violence.
“Family violence, usually committed by a family member who has social or economic power over others in the family, causes enormous pain and suffering to all members of the family, especially the women and children,” said a spokesperson from civil society, which has vigorously initiated the development of the Family Protection Bill (FPB), and has strongly pushed its adoption since 2004.
“The violation of women’s human rights manifests in various levels and should be also understood from economic, cultural, and social aspects,” the spokesperson added, highlighting the lack of opportunities and freedom of choice, as well as limited access to justice and services that women in Palestine still experience.
The joint campaign aims to raise awareness of the general public, especially youth, women, and men on women’s fundamental rights in line with international standards and embedded in the Family Protection Bill draft endorsed by the previous Cabinet at the end of December 2018. Five key messages, addressing women’s right to a life free of violence, right to achieve justice and seek help in case of violation of such life, as well as the right to equal opportunities and right to make one’s own choices, will be distributed through various channels such as radio, social media, helpline (121), outreach activities, and on-site events. The closing event of the joint campaign will take place on 8 March in Jerusalem and will celebrate women’s achievements using TED-style talks, followed by art performances.
“My Rights, Our Power” joint campaign is part of the global International Women’s Day 2019 campaign under the theme of “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure, echoing the theme of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 63) taking place in New York on 11-22 March 2019.
The participating organizations of the “My Rights, Our Power” are (in alphabetical order): 17 Palestinian women’s organizations represented by Al-Muntada (coalition), British Consulate-General, Business Women Forum, CARE International, Consulate General of Sweden, Consulate General of Belgium, EUPOL COPPS, EU Representative Office, FAO, General Union of Palestinian Women, Government of Japan, CowaterSogema/GROW Project, International Labour Organization, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Ma’an TV, MIFTAH, Netherlands Representative Office, Nisaa FM, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association, Representative Office of Canada, Representative Office of Denmark, SAWA, Sawasya II, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Sports for Life, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Representative Office of Norway, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UN Women, Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling, Women’s Studies Center.
For more information, please contact Eunjin Jeong at UN Women via eunjin.jeong@unwomen.org or 059 2321 308, Majd Beltaji at UNESCO via m.beltaji@unesco.org or 059 4501 506.
