Executive Summary:
This paper highlights one of the occupation’s main projects for the Judaization and Israelization of East Jerusalem. This project is called the “City Center Plan”, which aims to forcibly transfer Jerusalemite Palestinians from their city. The project is linked to a number of other colonial projects aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem, displacing its Palestinian residents, and changing its geographic and demographic character. The “City Center” project also aims to cripple economic activities in the center of East Jerusalem (especially the area of the Old City and Salah Eddin Street), as well as attempting to transform the area into settler enterprises, which are planned to be created soon in the framework of the “City Center” and “Silicon Wadi” projects. For this purpose, Israel is planning to demolish the industrial area of Wadi al-Joz in Jerusalem and open Israeli Hi-Tech companies in its place, as well as completely changing the infrastructure and traffic in the area around the Old City.
Facts about the City Center Plan
The City Center Plan encompasses an area of approximately 689 dunums in the area of Bab al-Zahra and Wadi al-Joz, and it extends from Sultan Suleiman Street and the Old City Walls from the south to Uthman ibn Affan Street from the north, and from Wadi al-Joz Street from the east to the longitudinal road on the seam between East and West Jerusalem (known as “Road No. 1”). This area is among the most sensitive and economically vibrant ones in occupied East Jerusalem. It also represents the “heart” of the city and its main center, and it includes Salah Eddin, al-Zahra, Al-Rashid, and al-Masoudi streets.
The Plan aims to Judaize the landmarks of Jerusalem, thus affecting all spheres of residential, economic and social life in the city. Therefore, it does not meet the needs of the population in any field of development, contrary to what is claimed by the Jerusalem Municipality. Rather, it only serves the strategic Israeli policies of Judaizing Jerusalem and changing its landmarks, in order to seize more lands and maintain a Jewish settler majority alongside a weakened Palestinian minority. According to this Plan, all developmental projects in Jerusalem should be at a distance of 75 meters from the Old City walls, thus reducing the opportunities of development and construction and significantly reducing the percentage of Arabs in East Jerusalem’s City Center. The main concern of this Plan is to support Jewish settler presence and improve their neighborhoods. For example, it aims to expand illegal settlements at the expense of the lands and areas inhabited by indigenous Jerusalemites. The Plan gives Jerusalemite Palestinians an opportunity to build only 76 housing units in the next thirty years, which is greatly disproportionate with the natural population growth that requires more than 2,000 housing units annually in Jerusalem.
This Plan is one of the most dangerous schemes targeting Jerusalem. It is also closely linked to the “Jerusalem 2020 Master Plan” and the “Jerusalem 2050 Plan” that aim to support settlements. The Plan also comes in parallel with the “Silicon Wadi” Plan in Wadi al-Joz, whose goal is to eliminate the industrial area in Wadi al-Joz and replace it with an area designated for hotels, offices and Israeli Hi-Tech companies within a large settlement enterprise that targets the occupied city.
Objectives of this Dangerous Plan:
- Judaize Jerusalem and Israelize all components of its Palestinians residents, as well as erasing the city’s Arab character.
- Expand Israeli settlement plans in general, while aiming to encircle the city and isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings in the south, north and east.
- Fragment Jerusalemite Palestinian neighborhoods and separate them from each other with settlements and the Annexation and Expansion Wall. The Plan also seeks to practically destroy a whole neighborhood in order to build an economic settlement project on its ruins, as well as strengthening Israel’s economic stranglehold on indigenous Jerusalemites.
The Negative Effects of this Plan on Jerusalemite Palestinians:
- The City Center Plan does not correspond with the natural population growth. Therefore, it will force many Palestinian residents to look for housing outside Jerusalem.
- The Plan will expand the Jerusalem Municipality’s control and authority over the areas classified as “public facilities”, as well as changing the city’s landmarks.
- The Islamic Awqaf-owned schools are classified by the Municipality as “residential buildings”. Therefore, the Municipality can technically refrain from giving them licenses, which would mean the end of Palestinian education in Jerusalem after Israel’s closure of the [Palestinian] Directorate of Education in Jerusalem.
- Changing the names of Jerusalem’s streets in a way that weakens the connection of Jerusalemite Palestinians to their city. This also affects the cultural identity of Jerusalem, as seen in the stairs of Damascus Gate, which are now called “Hadar and Hadas” by the occupation authorities.
- Separate the Old City of Jerusalem from its cultural surrounding.
- Israel created a settler transportation line that is linked to the Israeli infrastructure and light rail, whereas this line extends all the way to the aerial cable cars.
- Israel restricts the development of East Jerusalem’s city center.
- The occupation has not organized the Jerusalem neighborhoods for more than 50 years (i.e. since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967).
- Israel aims to weaken the commercial center of East Jerusalem in order to force Jerusalemites to consider West Jerusalem as the main commercial center.
- The occupation categorizes 146 buildings as historical ones, thus placing them under the “historic preservation” category.
- Israel conducted changes to the historical park in the Damascus Gate area.
- Changing the historical monuments in the Old City in general and Damascus Gate area in particular, and restricting the merchants of Musrara area by closing down parking lots in order to weaken the commercial activities therein.
The Main Israeli Violations against Jerusalemites Palestinians through this Plan:
It must be emphasized that East Jerusalem is an occupied city according to international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. This Convention stipulates that the occupying power shall not conduct any changes in the occupied areas, except if that serves the occupied population. We will now list some of the Israeli violations against Jerusalemites through this Plan, which harms their interest and well-being:
- An occupying power must secure and protect education and health without trying to interfere in them.
- Israel aims to change the city’s landmarks without any benefit to the local inhabitants and without any consultation with them.
- Violation of the right to housing.
- Violation of the right to education after deeming some Awqaf and Palestinian Authority schools as “public facilities”.
- Israel makes it almost impossible to establish additional hotels in East Jerusalem.
- Constant attempts to weaken the economic movement in Salah Eddin Street and inside the Old City.
- Failure to take into account the needs and population growth of Jerusalemite Palestinians.
- Israel attempts to erase the heritage and culture of the Palestinian people, as well as changing the names of Jerusalemite streets and archaeological and historic sites.
- The occupation aims to control the largest possible land area, while minimizing the number of Palestinian residents therein.
- Crippling the Palestinian economic activities in the center of East Jerusalem and shifting the tourism sector towards Israeli settler enterprises.
Recommendations:
At the National Level:
- Raise the budget of the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs.
- Increase financial support/funding to maintain Palestinian education in Jerusalem.
- NGOs and political parties must raise societal awareness on settler-colonial plans and projects.
- Enhance support for Palestinian civil society organizations.
- Provide direct support to Jerusalemite merchants in and around the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Conduct more awareness campaigns by NGOs and legal organizations regarding the submission of objections/lawsuits against settlement plans.
At the International Level:
- Activate the role of the international community through lobbying and advocacy campaigns.
- Develop mechanisms to attract the support of international organizations.
- File lawsuits against the occupation in the international arena, especially the International Criminal Court (ICC), since the settler project aims to forcefully displace indigenous Jerusalemites.
- Call upon UNESCO to consider the Old City of Jerusalem as a world heritage center that must be protected from the dangers of the occupation.
- Resort to state parties in the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure the enforcement of this Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem.
This Policy Paper was prepared as part of the “Youth as Human Right Defenders” project funded by the European Union The content of this document does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the study lies entirely with MIFTAH.
ورقة سياسات حول مخطط مركز المدينة
تاريخ النشر: 07/07/2021
بقلم: مفتاح
ملخص تنفيذي:
تستعرض هذه الورقة أحد أبرز مشاريع الاحتلال لتهويد وأسرلة مدينة القدس، والذي يهدف بشكل مباشر إلى التهجير القسري للفلسطينيين، وهو ما يُعرَف بمشروع "مخطط مركز المدينة"، والذي يرتبط بدوره بمجموعة من المشاريع الاستعمارية الأخرى الهادفة إلى تهويد مدينة القدس، وتهجير سكانها الفلسطينيين منها وتغيير طابعها الجغرافي والديمغرافي، إضافةً إلى إنهاء الحركة الاقتصادية في "مركز المدينة" المتمثل بمنطقة البلدة القديمة وشارع صلاح الدين ومحيطهما، ومحاولة تحويل الحركة الاقتصادية بالكامل إلى المنشآت التجارية الاستيطانية المخطط افتتاحها (في مشروع مركز المدينة وواد السيلكون)، حيث يستدعي تحقيق ذلك هدم المنطقة الصناعية في حي واد الجوز في القدس وافتتاح بدلاً منها مشاريع High Tech من قبل الشركات الإسرائيلية، وتغيير البنية التحتية وحركة السير في المنطقة المحيطة بالبلدة القديمة بشكل كامل.
ما هو المخطط:
يمتد مخطط مشروع مركز المدينة على مساحة تقارب 689 دونم على منطقة باب الساهرة وواد الجوز، حيث يمتد من شارع السلطان سليمان (وأسوار البلدة القديمة) جنوباً لغاية شارع عثمان بن عفان شمالاً، ومن شارع وادي الجوز شرقاً لغاية الشارع الطولي الفاصل بين القدس الغربية والشرقية المعروف ب (شارع رقم 1)، وهي أكثر المناطق حساسيةً في القدس وتعتبر العصب الحيوي والاقتصادي لمدينة القدس المحتلة، وهي تمثل أيضاً قلب المدينة ومركزها الرئيسي مثل شارع صلاح الدين، وشارع الزهراء، وشارع الرشيد وشارع المسعودي.
ويأتي المخطط في سياق تهويد معالم مدينة القدس، وما يرتبط بذلك من آثار سلبية على جميع مناحي الحياة السكنية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية بشكل لا يلبي احتياجات السكان في أي مجال من مجالات التطوير كما تدّعي بلدية الاحتلال، وإنما يخدم فقط السياسات الاستراتيجية للاحتلال بتهويد مدينة القدس وتغيير معالمها، بما يشمل الاستيلاء على الأرض والحفاظ على أغلبية يهودية استيطانية، مقابل أقلية فلسطينية في القدس. وحسب المخطط فإنّ أية مشاريع تطوير في المدينة يجب أن تبتعد مسافة 75م عن سور البلدة القديمة وهذا يقلل من فرص التطوير والبناء، ويحد من نسبة السكان العرب في مركز المدينة. حيث يهتم المخطط بأوضاع المستوطنين اليهود لتطوير وجودهم وأحيائهم فهو سيعمل على زيادة وتوسيع المستوطنات غير الشرعية على حساب الأراضي والمناطق التي يقطنها المقدسيين، وايضاً يعطي المخطط فرصة للمقدسيين لبناء 76 وحدة سكنية فقط خلال ثلاثين عاماً وهذا لا يتناسب مع الزيادة الطبيعية للنمو السكاني التي تحتاج إلى أكثر من 2000 شقة سكنية سنوياً في القدس.
وهذا المخطط هو من أخطر المخططات التي تستهدف مدينة القدس، وهو يرتبط بشكل وثيق بمخطط القدس 2020 ومخطط القدس 2050 الاستيطانيين، كما أنه يأتي بشكل موازي مع مخطط وادي الجوز الذي يطلق عليه الاحتلال اسم "وادي السيلكون" الذي يهدف إلى إزالة المنطقة الصناعية في واد الجوز واستبدالها بمنطقة مهيّأة لبناء فنادق، ومكاتب، ومراكز خاصة بشركات الهايتك الإسرائيلية ضمن مشروع استيطاني اقتصادي ضخم يستهدف العاصمة المحتلة.
الأهداف الخطيرة للمخطط:
- تهويد المدينة وأسرلة كل مكونات الوجود الفلسطيني فيها وتغيير طابعها العربي.
- توسيع رقعة المخططات الاستيطانية بشكل عام وهذا المخطط بشكل خاص يعمل على تطويق المدينة وعزلها عن محيطها الفلسطيني في الجنوب والشمال والشرق، وتقطيع أوصال المدينة.
- العمل على تفتيت الأحياء المقدسية وفصلها عن بعضها البعض بالمستوطنات وجدار الضم والتوسع، إضافة إلى هدم حي كامل عملياً من أجل بناء مستوطنة اقتصادية على أنقاضه، وزيادة الخناق الاقتصادي على المقدسيين.
أهم الآثار السلبية على المقدسيين جراء هذا المخطط:
- المخطط لا يتلاءم مع الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان وبالتالي إجبار عدد كبير من السكان للبحث عن سكن خارج القدس.
- مدى صلاحية البلدية على المناطق التي صنفت أنها مرافق عامة في السيطرة عليها وتغيير معالمها.
- مدارس الأوقاف مصنفة لدى البلدية على أنها مباني سكنية، وبالتالي يمكن للبلدية عدم إعطاءها تراخيص، وهذا يعني إنهاء التعليم الفلسطيني في القدس، استكمالاً لإغلاق سلطات الاحتلال لمديرية التربية والتعليم في القدس.
- تغيير اسماء شوارع المدينة ليفقد المواطن المقدسي ارتباطه بالمكان وهذا يعني إضعاف هوية المكان الحضارية كما حدث في مدرج باب العامود حيث قامت سلطات الاحتلال بتغيير اسمه الى " هدار وهداس".
- فصل البلدة القديمة عن محيطها الثقافي.
- خط مواصلات استيطاني يرتبط بالبنية التحتية وسكة القطار، وصولاً إلى التلفريك الهوائي.
- محاولة تقييد تطوير مركز المدينة في القدس الشرقية.
- الاحتلال لم يقم بتنظيم الأحياء المقدسية منذ أكثر من 50 عاماً (منذ احتلال القدس عام 1967).
- محاولة قتل المركز التجاري في القدس الشرقية لإجبار المقدسي ودفعه الى اعتبار القدس الغربية هي المركز التجاري.
- اعتبار 146 مبنى مباني تاريخية ووضعها تحت بند الحفظ التاريخي.
- تغيير المنتزه التاريخي في منطقة باب العامود.
- تغيير المعالم التاريخية في البلدة القديمة بشكل عام ومنطقة باب العامود بشكل خاص والتضييق على تجار منطقة المصرارة من خلال سحب مواقف السيارات لإضعاف الحركة التجارية فيها.
أهم الانتهاكات التي يمارسها الاحتلال على المقدسيين من خلال هذا المخطط:
يجب التأكيد على أن القدس الشرقية هي مدينة محتلة وفقاً للقانون الدولي واتفاقية جنيف الرابعة والتي تنص على أنه لا يحق لدولة الاحتلال القيام بأي تغيير على المنطقة المحتلة إلا إذا كان يخدم السكان تحت الاحتلال، ولذلك نسرد بعض هذه الانتهاكات التي مارسها الاحتلال على المقدسيين من خلال هذا المخطط بشكل يضر بمصالحهم:
- الدولة المحتلة يجب أن تأمن التعليم والصحة وحمايتها دون محاولة التدخل فيها.
- القيام بمحاولة تغيير معالم المدينة دون استفادة المواطنين ودون استشارتهم بهذا المخطط.
- انتهاك الحق بالسكن.
- انتهاك الحق في التعليم بعد اعتبار بعض مدارس الأوقاف والسلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية مرافق عامة.
- لا يوجد زيادات فنادق في مركز المدينة الشرقي.
- محاولة إضعاف الحركة الاقتصادية داخل شارع صلاح الدين وداخل البلدة القديمة.
- عدم أخذ احتياجات السكان ونموهم السكاني بعين الاعتبار.
- العمل على مسح تراث وثقافة الشعب الفلسطيني، وتغيير أسماء الشوارع والمعالم الأثرية والتاريخية.
- العمل على السيطرة على أكبر مساحة أرض، ووجود أقل عدد من السكان الفلسطينيين.
- شل الحركة الاقتصادية الفلسطينية في مركز مدينة القدس، وتحويل الحركة السياحية باتجاه المشاريع الاستيطانية الاقتصادية.
التوصيات:
على المستوى الوطني:
- رفع موازنة وزارة شؤون القدس.
- زيادة الدعم المالي للحفاظ على التعليم في مدينة القدس.
- رفع الوعي المجتمعي وتنشيطه ضد المخططات الاستيطانية من خلال المؤسسات الأهلية والأحزاب السياسية.
- محاولة دعم مؤسسات المجتمع المدني الفلسطيني.
- يجب دعم التجار المقدسيين بشكل مباشر داخل البلدة القديمة ومحيطها.
- زيادة حملات التوعية من قبل المؤسسات الأهلية والقانونية حول تقديم الاعتراضات على المخططات الاستيطانية.
على المستوى الدولي:
- تفعيل دور المجتمع الدولي من خلال حملات الضغط والمناصرة.
- تطوير آليات استقطاب مؤسسات المجتمع الدولي.
- رفع قضايا على الاحتلال في المحافل الدولية، خاصة المحكمة الجنائية الدولية، كون هذا المشروع يأتي في سياق التهجير القسري للمقدسيين.
- التوجه الى اليونسكو باعتبار البلدة القديمة في القدس ضمن التراث العالمي الواجب حمايتها من تهديدات الاحتلال.
- التوجه الى الدول الأطراف في اتفاقية جنيف الرابعة لضمان تطبيقها على الأراضي المحتلة بما فيها مدينة القدس.
تأتي هذه الورقة ضمن أنشطة مشروع "الشباب الفلسطيني كمدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان" ، و أن الاتحاد الأوروبي غير مسؤول عما ورد بها من معلومات.
Healthcare Restricted: Female Cancer Patients in Gaza
Date posted: June 07, 2023
By MIFTAH
Background:
The Israeli-imposed siege and the frequent aggressions targeting medical facilities in Gaza have debilitated the health sector and its capacity to provide proper medical services. This is exacerbated in cases of chronic diseases, which gives rise to a need to leave the Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, or elsewhere. However, Israel imposes a strict and discriminatory permit regime, which has a disproportionate impact on medical patients given their conditions, and it is not unusual for these permits to be significantly delayed or ultimately refused by Israel.
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) collected questionnaires from 102 women diagnosed with cancer in the Gaza Strip to assess the quality of the treatment, availability of equipment, accessibility, and referral process.
The full report is accessible here.
Conclusion and recommendations:
The 16-year-long Israeli-imposed blockade and closure on Gaza have had detrimental impacts on the health sector in the besieged Strip. Specifically, the siege has compromised the ability of the healthcare sector to deliver proper medical services due to the absence of crucial medication, equipment, and supplies under flimsy security pretexts. Ultimately, frequent aggressions and targeting of health facilities and the Israeli-imposed siege on Gaza compromise the availability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services available to Palestinians in Gaza.
MIFTAH urges the international community to:
- Put an end to Israel’s impunity and hold it accountable for its persistent crimes, including the crime against humanity of apartheid, through the adoption of effective and concrete measures;
- Exert pressure to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and allow for the free movement of people and goods;
- Ensure the urgent implementation of UNSCR 1325 to provide immediate protection for Palestinian women and to put an end to Israel’s impunity;
- Support the UN Special Rapporteur in the oPt, the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, the ICC investigation and the UN Commission of Inquiry.
The summary factsheet is accessible here.
Financial indicators for the Family Protection Bill
Date posted: May 17, 2023
By MIFTAH
The legislation of the family protection bill is aimed at the protection of the family itself as an institution, and to guarantee its preservation. Palestinian legislators are aware of the importance of this bill, which is why all ministries and official institutions committed to developing its relevant programs, policies and plans, each according to their field of expertise. Their goal is to contribute to the promotion of a culture that combats domestic violence and encourages the response of public policies to this objective, through education, health, legislation and the media. Another objective is to track the bill’s impact and periodically assess it in cooperation with other civil societies. This paper focuses on some of the financial indicators pertaining to this bill.
All family members in Palestine are subjected to violence, including children, minors, women and men. However, married women remain the sector most vulnerable to domestic violence according to a 2019 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics survey. It said 29.4% of married women had been subjected to at least one type of violence by their husbands as opposed to 13% of men who had been subjected to violence by their wives, by their own confession. A total of 44.7% of individuals who have never been married have been subjected toviolence;7.6% of the elderly and 44.2% of children(12-17yearsold) were the victims of violence at the hands of one of their parents. Although a high percentage of women have been victims of violence from their spouse, a considerable percentage of these women, around 60.3% preferred to stay silent about the assault. Only a small percentage of women asked for help through official avenues; 2.9% went to a defence lawyer to file a lawsuit against their husbands, 1.3% went to the police or a family protection unit and 1.4% went to the centres for mental, social and legal aid.
Financial indicators for the Family Protection Bill
| Article of Bill/Law by Decree | Relevant party | Estimated cost |
| Article(4) specialization of Ministry of Social Development: The Ministry, in cooperation with government and civil society organizations, provide the following services to victims of domestic violence: 1.Protection and fulfilment of needs of the victim; economically and socially empowering her and reintegrating her in society in order to preserve the family fabric, while ensuring not to equate the victim with the perpetrator. 2.Appointing protection counsellors in all directorates and qualifying them to deal with domestic violence cases 3.Providingsocial, psychological and legal experts to provide victim support 4.Ensuringthe provision of social, psychological, health and legal services to domestic violence victims in coordination with relevant parties. 5.Preparing rehabilitation programs for perpetrators of domestic violence crimes 6.Coordination and cooperation with government and civil society organizations to provide the necessary training for the enforcers of this law by decree. Preparing the necessary preventative plans and programs against domestic violence |
Ministry of Social Development | ILS12 million over 3 years on average of ILS4 million year, based on a study prepared by the Ministry of Social Development |
| Article 6: Family and Minors Protection Police: In accordance with the provisions of this bill/law by decree, a family and minor protection police will be established, with branches set up in all districts of the homeland. It’s specializations are the following: 1.Goingtothe place of the domestic violence incident when the informer states that the violence has occurred, is about to occur is ongoing; or in case of violation of a restraining order, even if the informer is not the victim 2.Providingfree 24-hourhotlinestohelp victims |
Palestinian police and Family and Minors Protection Department
Reform and Rehabilitation Centres Department |
ILS7.3 million/year (the study is based on the number of those working in the family and minors protection department and their mean salary)
ILS1.3 million/year (the study is based on the number of those working in reform and rehabilitation enters, which includes special sections for women boarders) |
| Article7: Family Protection Prosecution 1.In accordance with the provision of this bill/law by decree, a prosecution’s office will be established to follow up on domestic violence cases in all districts and will operate under the supervision of the Attorney General in accordance with penal measures in force. 2. This family protection prosecution office will promptly investigate domestic violence incidents while also preserving the privacy and dignity of the victim |
Family Protection Prosecution | ILS1.7 million, based on the number of relevant prosecution agents and their mean salaries |
| Article10: parties qualified to issue restraining orders 1.Restrainingorders will be issued by the following parties of their own accord: a. Family Protection Prosecution b. The presiding judge |
Presiding judges | ILS1.9 million, based on the number of judges and their mean salaries |
| Total expected estimated cost | ILS16.2 million |
The table above shows that the estimated and main additional cost of the Ministry of Social Development to be around ILS4 million a year, considering that the other parties (police, prosecution and courts) are currently carrying out their roles without fully allocating specialized departments for protection from violence. However, if these parties do allot specialized departments for protection from violence, overall costs will reach approximately ILS16.2 million. Nonetheless, even if this cost is incurred, it still only comprises a small part of public expenditures, approximately 0.1%. Overall public expenditures for 2022 amount to approximately ILS16.2 billion, which means the cost of passing this bill and implementing its provisions will not constitute financial burden on the general budget and will not be an obstacle to ratifying the law by decree.
Furthermore, it should be noted that while it is imperative to calculate some of the costs resulting from violence against women, the reaerate the high costs as well. The secret social costs, which impact society as a whole. Data from the Ministry of Social Development showed (see graph), that violence exercised against women has prompted around 60% of them to flee their homes. Also, 18% of them attempted suicide in addition to suffering from mental and physical illnesses, unwanted pregnancies or others. Calculating expenses incurred from violence is not an easy process and there are no national data or figures that can measure the impact violence has on the state’s general budget due to the prevalent mentality towards violence as an issue associated only with women. This is especially true when the conversation is about the indirect and intangible effects of violence, including:
Violations of human rights; negative social, economic and political impacts; working women who get sick and need to take sick leave; lack of focus and productivity; impact of violence on children and academic failure; the rise in the percentage of school dropouts among children; the rise in long-term unemployment rates; the percentage of homeless children who become a burden on society; government expenditures for medical treatment; safehouses; therapy; monitoring cases of violence against women; individual expenses for following up on legal cases and lawyer fees; loss of income because of repeated absence from work or inefficacy; social expenses resulting from the breakup of the family; expenses of training individuals on how to deal with cases of violence; expenses for issuing laws and legislation on the protection of women from violence.
Confirmation of the above is that the UN believes the economic, social and health costs of violence against women are, to a large extent, undocumented and unrecognized. However, these remain colossal, according to researchers, specialists and defenders of women’s rights.
To view the full factsheet as PDF
Israeli state-sanctioned settler terrorism: A gendered lens
Date posted: April 26, 2023
By MIFTAH
Background:
The illegal Israeli settlement project, including settler-only bypass roads, military checkpoints, and the annexation wall, continues to expand and steal more Palestinian land and resources. As of today, the number of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, is close to 300, with around 750,000 Jewish settlers residing in them.
Israeli state-sanctioned settler terrorism against Palestinian civilians and property is prevalent and has been on the rise in recent years. Violence takes the form of psychological, physical, and verbal violence, including beating, throwing stones or sharp tools, intimidation, shooting, verbal assaults, and assaults on agricultural lands, cars, and homes. Such attacks are committed in the presence of Israeli occupation forces who often join them.
The high frequency of these forms of violence and their persistence give rise to psychological, physical, and material harm. Palestinian survivors of settler terrorism seldom press charges and file complaints against Israeli settlers given the complicity of the Israeli law enforcement system.
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) and the Women’s Center for Legal and Counseling (WCLAC) collected questionnaires from 229 Palestinian women covering settler violence in the occupied West Bank governorates of Al-Khalil/Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.
MIFTAH calls on the international community to:
Put an end to Israel’s impunity and hold it accountable for its persistent crimes, including the crime against humanity of apartheid, through the adoption of effective and concrete measures;
Stop all relations and trade with illegal Israeli settlements including international companies that profit from them;
Criminalize and blacklist Israeli settler groups that engage in terrorist activities and hold those with dual citizenship accountable in their respective states;
Ensure the urgent implementation of UNSCR 1325 to provide immediate protection for Palestinian women and to put an end to Israel’s impunity;
Support the UN Special Rapporteur in the oPt, the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, the ICC investigation and the UN Commission of Inquiry.
