NGO Action News, October- November 2005 No.18 http://domino.un.org/ngoactionnews.nsf/1C0B3AB87DC4F2F8852568F8007759FD/4A7DA37CFF820EAC852570DC006EA725?OpenDocument North America Americans for Peace Now (APN) issued several press releases in October 2005 as well as its Middle East Peace Report (October issue) launching a new peace initiative entitled “The Next Evacuation, Coming to You Soon”. It calls for the evacuation of 43 settlements in the West Bank in a two-stage plan, along with the removal of illegal West Bank outposts and the renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians and continuing to evacuate settlements”. APN states that “just because Israel has evacuated settlements from Gaza and part of the West Bank doesn’t mean that its settlement activity in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has stopped – quite the opposite, Israel has been accelerating construction of its West Bank security barrier, expropriating more land in the West Bank than it left in Gaza, and building thousands of settlement homes - in parallel, new building in settlements during the first quarter of 2005 rose by 83% compared with the same period last year”. Peace Now also states that “the realization of the plan would open a new window of opportunity for the renewal of the peace process and that both sides must take a number of diplomatic and security steps so that a peace agreement can be reached on the basis of two states for two nations in accordance with the 1967 borders”. For further information, visit APN’s web site: http://www.peacenow.org APN also issued a press release in October 2005 entitled “APN Welcomes Bush-Abbas Summit, Calls for Action, Not Just Words”, and launched a “New Powerpoint Presentation of the West Bank Settlements @Outposts” from Dror Etkes, Peace Now’s Director of Settlement Watch, showing the growth of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. In addition, APN issued “The Peace Now Plan: After the Disengagement” based on three principles and three phases. American-Arab Anti-Discriminating Committee (ADC) issued a press release on 25 October 2005 informing about the release of the Palestinian film entitled “Paradise Now”, which won the Amnesty International Award 2005, by Hany Abu Assad, director of the previous award winning films “Rana’s Wedding” and ‘Ford Transit”. The film opened on 28 October 2005 in New York City and will be released in selected cities. The press release contains an interview with the director. For further information, contact E-Mail: media@adc.org or visit ADC’s web site: http://www.adc.org Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU) has posted an article on its web site link archives entitled “The Coverage – and Non-Coverage of Israel – Palestine” by Alison Weir of “If Americans Knew”. For further information, visit AMEU’s web site: http://www.ameu.org The Brecht Forum will invite for the launching of the book on 15 November 2005 entitled “Against the Wall” by Michael Sorkin, architect and Director of the Graduate Urban Design Programme at the City College of New York. The book offers a different views on the wall, along with photographs and maps, from a range of perspectives – legal, historical, architectural and philosophical, as well as assembled commentaries from international experts, Palestinian and Israelis. The event will take place at the Brecht Forum in New York City. For further information, contact E-Mail: mail@brechtforum.org or visit the Forum’s web site: http://www.brechtforum.org The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) & the Palestine Center held a presentation on 1 November 2005 entitled “No Peace Without a Shared Jerusalem” by Hind Khoury, Minister of State for Jerusalem Affairs, Palestinian Authority, at the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation, Washington, D.C. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@fmep.org or visit FMEP’s web site: http://www.fmep.org The Palestine Center will hold its Annual Conference on 18 November 2005 entitled “Palestine and the Middle East in a Global Context”, in Washington, D.C. Experts and researches will analyse developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in the Middle East and how the policies of the rising powers in Africa, Asia and Latin America affect the political and economic future of the region. Azmi Bishara, Member of the Knesset and founder of the National Democratic Assembly, will deliver the keynote address. The first panel entitled “The Middle East in the Global Context” will include the following speakers and topics: Naseer Aruri, Chancellor Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Massachussets at Darmouth, on “The Middle East in the Global Context” ; Omar Dajani, Esq. Professor of Law, University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, on “The Bush Administration and Palestine after Arafat”; As’ad Abukahalil, Professor of Political Sciences, California State University, on “The Regional Factors, International and External Pressures: Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia”; and Ilan Pappe, Professor of Political Science at Haifa University, on “Israel in the New Global Context”. The second panel entitled “Is there a New Global Environment” will be addressed by: Edmund Gharaeeb, Scholar in Residence, School of International Service, American University, on “Is there a New Global Environment?”; Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, D.C. on “The New Rising Powers: Asia, South American and Africa”; Mark Lance, Professor of Philosophy and Justice & Peace, Georgetown University, on “Challenges Confronting the Grassroots Movement”; and Norman Finkelstein, Professor of Political Theory, De Paul University, on “Can a Global Consensus on Resolving the Conflict be Achieved?”. The third panel entitled “Litigation, Intervention, and Multinational Movement will include the following speakers and themes: Gwynne L. Skinner, Adjunct Professor of Law, on “War Crimes and Litigation: The Caterpillar Case”; Stephanie Khoury, Esq., The Hotung Programme in Law on Human Rights and Peace Building, Seattle University of Law, on “The ICJ Ruling, Third Party Intervention and Multilateral Operation in Palestine”; and David Wildman, Executive Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, on “Churches and Divestment: A Third Party Intervention”. Samar Awad, Executive Director for Education and Community Development at the Palestine Center will make the closing remarks. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@palestinecenter.org or visit the Center’s web site: http://www.thejerusalemfund.org Europe Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) supported by the Joint Committee for Palestine, the Amos Trust and the Palestinian Forum will hold a “Lobby of Parliament on Palestine” on 29 November 2005, at the House of Commons, followed by a PSC Public Meeting at Portcullis House, London. CAABU informs that the aim is to lobby the newly elected MPs. The organization has prepared a list of suggestions for action. For further information, contact E-Mail: doylec@caabu.org or visit CAABU’s web site: http://www.caabu.org The European NGO Coordinating Committee on the Question of Palestine (ECCP) informed on 25 October 2005 that several Belgian organizations were supporting the “Campaign for the Release of Three Civil Society Activists in Jerusalem”, aimed to collect signatures from NGOs and personalities. In a meeting representatives of several Palestinian organizations, national institutions, and individuals called for the establishment of the National Committee for the release of Ahmad Masamani, Director of the Health Work Committees; Naser Abukkdair, member of several charitable societies in Jerusalem and member of the Reconciliation Committee of Jerusalem; and Rasem A’bedat, staff member of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), and also a member of the Reconciliation Committee of Jerusalem. For further information, contact E-Mail: eccp@skynet.be The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Palestine Society will hold a conference on 26 and 27 November 2005 entitled “The Question of Palestine in International Law”, in London. The conference aims to raise awareness on the issue of Palestinian rights by bringing together leading experts from all over the world. The first session entitled “Palestine and the Politics of International Law” will feature the following speakers who will present papers: Azmi Bishara, Member of the Knesset, on “Palestine and the Politics of International Law”; Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law, Princeton University and Visiting Professor in Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara on “The Peace Process: The Politics of International Law”; and Lija Hajjar, Asssociate Professor of Law and Society, University of Santa Barbara, California, on “The Conflict and the Use of Law: The Political Geography of Law and Legal Discourses”. The second session entitled “The Palestinian Refugees” will feature Peter Hansen, former UNRWA Commissioner-General on “The Status of Palestinian Refugees in International Law”; Atif Kabursi, Professor of Economics, McMaster University, Canada on “Palestinian Property Rights and Estimate of Losses”; Karma Nabulsi, Research Fellow, Nuffield College, Oxford, on “The International and National Rights of Palestinian Refugees”; and John Quigley, Presidents’ Club Professor of Law, Ohio State University, USA, on “Durable Solutions for Palestinian Refugees”. The third session entitled “The 1948 Palestinians” will present the following speakers and papers: Ghassan Igbaria, Advocate, on “The Status of Arabs in Israel”; Hussein Abu Hussein, Advocate, Chairperson of Ittiijah-Union of Arab based Community Organizations, on “Access to Land in Israel and Internally Displaced People”; and Orna Kohn, Advocate, Adalah – The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel on “Citizenship Laws in Israel”. On 27 November, the first session is entitled “The Occupied Palestinian Territories: From 1967 to Disengagement”. Speakers and papers include: Francis Hampston, Professor of International Law, Exeter University, on “The Application of International Law in the Occupied Territories”; Raja Shehadeh, Lawyer, founder of Al-Haq and author of several books on the Palestinian question; Mark Zaitoun, Water Consultant, on “The Legal Aspects of Water Issues”; Usama Halabi, Lawyer, on “The Status of Jerusalem in International Law”; Mohamed Dahleh, Advocate, on “Israeli and International Law: The Wall Cases” and Raji Sourani, General Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights on “Legal Analysis of the Disengagement”. The second session is entitled: Enforcement of International Law”. Speakers and papers include: Ian Scobbie, Hotung Professor of International Law, SOAS, on “The ICJ Advisory Opinion and the Responsibility of States and Intergovernmental Organizations”; Daniel Machover and Kate Maynard, UK human rights lawyers, on “Universal Jurisdiction Will Suspected Israeli War Criminals Obtain Immunity?” and Grieje Baars, PHD Candidate, UCL, on “The Enforcement of International Law on Corporations Acting in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel”. For further information, contact E-Mail: elmalaklena@hotmail.com Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem The Alternative Information Center (AIC) has posted on its web site the “Setttlements and Settler Violence Project”, which monitors and reports in physical violence as well as general settlement activity and expansion in the West Bank. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.alternativenews.org The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) continues to inform about the protests held by the villagers of Bil’in and Israeli and international activists against the wall. For further information, contact E-Mail: neta_golan@yahoo.com or visit ISM’s web site: http://www.palsolidarity.org ISM issued an urgent call for action on 18 October 2005 entitled “Release University Student Walid Hanatche” who has been imprisoned without charge or trial for the last three-and-half years. MachsomWatch has issued a report on “The Strangling of the Palestinian Economy in Hebron”. The report states that “Hebron became a ghost town created by the occupation of the settlers, under the IDF’s aegis”. In the Southern Hebron area alone, “there are close to 130 internal barriers”. The report also states that the Palestinian citizens who “did not understand the hints” and have remained in their homes, live in terror of the settlers. For further information, contact E-Mail: machsomwatch@hotmail.com or visit the organization’s web site: http://www.machsomwatch.org Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO) issued a press release on 26 October 2005 announcing the results of a pole that targeted the inclinations and notions of the Palestinians about the calls on putting an end to the chaos of arms, anarchy, law and their concerns about the current situation. For further information, contact E-Mail: kukali@p-ol.com Peace Now has issued an “Interactive Settlement/Outposts Map” and “Gaza – The Facts” with questions “did you know that?” about the Gaza Strip. Peace Now has also issued an article entitled “Had we built settlements in Lebanon” by Dror Ektes, Peace Now Settlement Watch Director. For further information, visit Peace Now’s web site: http://www.peacenow.org Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) issued a press release on 2 November 2005 entitled “Stop the Sonic Booms” demanding that the Israeli Air Force cease the use of sonic booms, above the speed of sound. Dr. Eyad El Sarraj, Director of GCMHP, filed a professional medical opinion with the Israeli Court in which he details the effects of the sonic booms and its psychological consequences especially on children. For further information, contact E-Mail: shabtai@phr.org.il or visit PHR’s web site: http://www.phr.org.il United Nations The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually on 29 November. Solemn meetings in observance of the Solidarity Day will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and at the United Nations Offices at Geneva and Vienna. In New York, the meeting will be held on Tuesday 29 November 2005, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, from 10.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. In the afternoon of that day, the General Assembly will hold its annual debate on the question of Palestine. NGOs are invited to attend both events as observers. If your organization would like to send a representative(s), please fill in the registration form available at: http://www.un.org/depts/dpa/ngo/calendar and send it to the Division by fax (1 212) 962 4199 by 15 November 2005 at the latest.