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The EU Misses Another Opportunity to Take Action on Human Rights Violations On 15 May 2012, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy published the 2011 European Neighbourhood Policy Country Progress Report – Israel, highlighting the developments of 2011 and presenting a set of recommendations.

18/5/2012

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UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights Reviews ESC Rights in Israel Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Israel On Monday, Dec. 5th. 2011, the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) published its Concluding Observations, following its critical review of Israel’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). In this, its third periodic review of Israel as a State party to the Covenant, the monitoring body had conducted a “constructive dialog” with a high-level delegation of the Israeli government on 16 and 17 November. CESCR’s assessment focused on the positive developments and breaches of the Covenant since Israel’s last review in 2003.

7/12/2011

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PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST JAILED IN ISRAEL Amnesty International Amnesty International has urged the Israeli authorities to end their harassment of Palestinian human rights activists after a well-known campaigner in Haifa was jailed for nine years and given an additional one-year suspended sentence earlier today. Ameer Makhoul, a longstanding Palestinian activist, was convicted on various counts of having contact with enemies of Israel and espionage after a plea bargain agreement at his trial. He was originally charged with an even more serious offence, "assisting an enemy in war", which could have carried a life sentence, but that was dropped by the prosecution when he agreed to a plea bargain.

31/1/2011

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Int. NGOs denounce Knesset decision to investigate human rights organisations in Israel Brussels, Copenhagen, Paris, 11 January 2011: ACAT-France, APRODEV, Broederlijk Delen, CCFD-Terre solidaire, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and Front Line are deeply concerned about the decision of the Israeli Knesset (by a majority of 41 to 15) to establish a parliamentary committee of inquiry to investigate Israeli human rights organisations that provided information to the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict led by Justice Goldstone or who have been monitoring human rights violations by Israeli security forces. This committee will be mandated to “examine the activities of Israeli organisations involved with the collection of information about soldiers and to follow their funding sources.”

12/1/2011

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Joint Letter to the President of the UN General Assembly Joint Letter to the President of the UNGA Re: Domestic investigations on alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed during the Gaza Conflict Your Excellency, On the occasion of the submission of the initial findings of the Secretary-General on the domestic investigations conducted to date, as recommended in the Report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the Report) and endorsed by the General Assembly, we would like to draw your attention to our concerns about the effectiveness of the endeavours undertaken by the concerned parties

11/2/2010

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Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: Decision of Palestinian Leadership and International Pressure an Insult to the Victims Joint statment of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations Yesterday, 2 October 2009, the Palestinian leadership – under heavy international pressure lead by the United States – deferred the draft proposal at the Human Rights Council endorsing all the recommendations of the UN Fact Finding Mission (the Goldstone Report). This deferral denies the Palestinian peoples’ right to an effective judicial remedy and the equal protection of the law. It represents the triumph of politics over human rights. It is an insult to all victims and a rejection of their rights. The crimes documented in the report of the UN Fact Finding Mission represent the most serious violations of international law; Justice Goldstone concluded that there was evidence to indicate that crimes against humanity may have been committed in the Gaza Strip. Violations of international law continue to this day, inter alia, through the continuing Israeli-imposed illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip. The findings of the Mission confirmed earlier investigations conducted by independent Palestinian, Israeli and international organisations. The injustice that has now been brought upon Palestinians has been brought upon everyone on this globe. International human rights and humanitarian law are not subject to discrimination, they are not dependent on nationality, religion, or political affiliation. International human rights and humanitarian law apply universally to all human beings.

5/10/2009

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UN Committee Against Torture reviews Israel report on Torture On 5 and 6 May 2009, the UN Committee Against Torture (the Committee) held hearings in Geneva to review Israel's compliance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which it ratified in 1991.

21/5/2009

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The New EMHRN Report-"Active but Acquiescent: EU’s Response to the Israeli Military Offensive in the Gaza Strip" Active but Acquiescent: EU’s Response to the Israeli Military Offensive in the Gaza Strip: This report was presented at the occasion of a press conference yesterday at the International Press center in Brussels in the presence of: * Maysa Zorob, al-Haq and member of the Executive Committee of EMHRN (Ramallah, OPT) * Majd Bader, Attorney with the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI – Israel) * Marc Schade-Poulsen, Executive Direcotr of the EMHRN * Nathalie Tocci, Author of the report

15/5/2009

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Durban Review Conference, Geneva, 20-24 April 2009 The Durban Review Conference took place between 20 and 24 April 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. It evaluated progress towards the goals set by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, in 2001. The Review Conference served as a catalyst to fulfilling the promises of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action agreed at the 2001 World Conference through reinvigorated actions, initiatives and practical solutions. Basic facts about the Review Conference Durban Review Conference outcome document

24/4/2009

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Final statement of a mission of prominent lawyers and activists to Gaza Paris, Geneva, Copenhagen, January 21st 2009 We are appalled at the horror of the war launched in the Gaza strip, the major loss of civilian lives and the wide scale destruction of civilian property and infrastructure in the context of the operation « Cast Lead, » as well as by the failure of the international community to prevent this tragedy. Based upon the information our delegation received from Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, who have been monitoring the armed conflict, we have strong reasons to believe that Israel has grossly violated international humanitarian law, including the IVth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Populations in Times of Conflict and customary international law governing the conduct of hostilities. Some of these violations constitute crimes under international law. In particular, the Israeli army has engaged in indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks and has failed in its legal obligation to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure from such attacks. The operations have also gravely impaired the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights of the people of Gaza.

28/1/2009