Greens group visit to Israel & Palestine 20-23 July 2015 DRAFT PROGRAMME (19/07)
Monday 20 July Hotel Ambassador, 5 Nablus Road, Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 91191 Phone:+972 2-541-2222 18:00- 19:00 Group preparatory meeting (meet in hotel lobby) 19:30- 22:00 Dinner with former Israeli Ambassadors Alon Liel and Ilan Baruch from the Israeli peace movement (Hotel Ambassador venue tbc) Tuesday 21 July 8:00
Departure from the hotel (meeting in the reception)
Hebron & South Hebron hills (programme organized by Breaking the Silence) 10:00- 12:00 Tour of Hebron & meeting with Hebron Governor 12:00 - 13:30 Lunch at the Youth Against Settlements centre 13:30- 16:30 Susiya - meeting with local residents, Rabbis for Human Rights and Comet 16:30
Departure for Jerusalem
East Jerusalem, Hotel Ambassador 18:30
Meeting with Haaretz columnist, Amira Hass* Hotel Ambassador (venue tbc)
20:00
Dinner with Governor of Jerusalem and personalities from the city* Hotel Ambassador
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Wednesday 22 July Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs* 9 Yitzhak Rabin Blvd., Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem 9103001, Telephone: 972-2-5303111 Mrs. Avivit BAR-ILAN +972-506-203386 9:15
Departure from hotel (exact time tbc)
09:45 – 10:45 Middle East regional briefings at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel* Mr. Amir WEISSBROD, Head of Middle East Bureau, Center For Political Research, The Foreign Ministry. 10:45
proceed to Knesset
Knesset* Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem 91950, Telephone: 02-675-3333 11:00- 11:30 Meeting with Member of Knesset (MK) Tamar Zandberg (Meretz)* 11:30-12:30
Israel-EU relations briefing by Israeli MFA* Mrs. Avivit BAR-ILAN, Director for European Organization
12:30-13:00
Meeting with MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Camp)*
13:00-13:30
Meeting with MK Ze`ev Binyamin Begin (Likud)*
13:30- 14:00 Meeting with MK (Joint Arab List)* TBC Jordan Valley (departure by bus from Knesset building at 14:00) 14:30-18:30
Visit to the Jordan Valley (community of Al Hadidiya) with a focus on water Organized by EWASH (meeting point with Ewash at the intersection of Martin Buber and Binyamin Mazar streets, next to Augusta Victoria hospital)
East Jerusalem Askadinya Restaurant, 11 Shimon Hazadik St, E-Jerusalem, Tel. 02-532-4590 19:45
Departure from Hotel Ambassador (walking distance to restaurant)
20:00
Working dinner with representatives from Israeli minorities* Organised by Mossawa Centre Yulia Zemlinksy, the director of the Moreshtenu (a Russian organization) Yifat Bitton, Director of Tmura, (a Mizrachi Legal Center) Fentahun Assefa-Dawit, Director of Tebeka (Ethiopian Legal Center) Jafar Farah, Director of the Mossawa Centre 2
Thursday 23 July East Jerusalem 8:30-9:15
Breakfast with Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Palestine, David Geer* Ambassador Hotel
9:30- 11:00
Tour of East Jerusalem Organized by Hagit Efron, Peace Now (departure from Hotel Ambassador)
11:00- 14:00 Tour of E1 Area Organized by Norwegian Refugee Council (departure from NRC office) Briefing with the ECHO West Bank Protection Consortium on Challenges Facing the Provision of Humanitarian Assistance (NRC 1 hour) Field trip to the Jabal Relocation Site (Bedouin community), and Abu Nwar Village, which is threatened with forcible transfer. Ramallah 14:00- 14:45 Meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister (TBC)* 15:00- 15:45 Meeting with Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Saeb Erekat (TBC)* 15:45- 16:30 Meeting with Minister for the Environment* 16:45- 18:00 Roundtable with Palestinian NGOs (organised by Heinrich Boll & Al-Shabaka) Tal az Zaatar St. 6 Ramallah, Tel:+ 972 – (0) 2 296 11 21 (near Friends Boys School) Lama Hourani, Heinrich Böll Foundation Wafa Abdalrahman Sahar Francis, Director of Addameer Sam Bahour, Board member and policy advisor Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq 18:00- 18:30 Briefing on the environmental situation and preparations for the COP Organised by Heinrich Boll) (TBC) Maan Development Centre, Director Sami Khadr Members of the Arab Climate Youth Movement (ACYM) 18:30-20:00
Meetings and dinner with Palestinian Legislative Council members*
22:00 Departure for Jerusalem * Participation limited to MEPs 3
Participants MEPs: 1. Margrete Auken 2. Klaus Buchner 3. Pascal Durant 4. Ska Keller 5. Florent Marcellesi 6. Judith Sargentini 7. Bodil Valero Others: 8. Dalia Lahdo 9. Melanie Vogel 10. Simone Lettenmayer 11. Paul Diegel 12. Justyna Wladarz 13. Laura Batalla 14. Nusrut Bahadur 15. Depheny Frost 16. Raphael Fisera 17. Jordi Valero 18. Rosemarie Buchner
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Contacts MEPs Bodil Valero + Jordi Margrete Auken Judith Sargentini Ska Keller Pascal Durant Florent Marcellesi Klaus Buchner + Rosemarie
0046707416868 004561625450 0031619626029 00491705321250 0033683017505 0032460970979 00491788442431
Assistants Dahlia Lahdo Melanie Vogel Simone Lettenmayer Paul Diegel Laura Batalla Nusrut Bahadur Depheny Frost Justyna Wladarz
0032489155479 0032488947490 004915737243164 0032488938844 0032489507489 0032478563977 0032487401373 0032488980155
Political advisor Raphael Fisera
0032484714870
European Parliament Hotline: +32 2 284 35 05 (Free number 0080013151315) EEAS 24/7 hotline for emergency calls: +32 2 28 15 000
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Background (internet) and links Monday 20 July Alon Liel Dr Alon Liel has served the Israeli Foreign Ministry in various positions, including as Director General (2000-2001), Ambassador to South Africa (1992-1994), and head of the Israeli mission in Turkey (1981-1983). He lectures in International Relations at Tel Aviv University and The Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, and is a member of the board of several civil society organisations promoting peace and equality. Ilan Baruch Ilan Baruch is a former Ambassador of Israel to South Africa. He resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on grounds of principle on March 1st 2011, after a 36 year diplomatic career. It included overseas postings in Asia, Europe and Africa. Baruch was a team member of the Israeli delegation to the Oslo Peace negotiations, and participated in various negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt on economic agreements. Baruch is currently a member of the Steering Committee and the Policy Committee of the Peace NGOs Forum – a joint Israeli-Palestinian activist operation. Tuesday 21 July Breaking the Silence: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. We endeavor to stimulate public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life. Youth against settlements: http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org We are a national Palestinian non-partisan activist group which seeks to end Israeli colonization activities in Palestine (building and expanding settlements) through non-violent popular struggle and civil disobedience. We are based in Hebron, one of the areas hardest hit by the Israeli occupation. Ostensibly to protect approximately 600 fundamentalists Israelis that have forcibly established a settlement right in the heart of Hebron, the Israeli state has imposed on the Palestinian residents of the city a regime of forced evictions, curfews, market closures, street closures, military checkpoints, subjection to military law including frequent random searches and detention without charge, and lack of protection from rampant settler violence, which has pressured approximately 13,000 Palestinian civilians to flee their homes in the Hebron city center, turning it into a virtual ghost town. Comet http://comet-me.org 6
Comet-ME is an Israeli-Palestinian non-profit organization providing sustainable energy and clean water services to off-grid communities. We facilitate social and economic empowerment of some of the most marginalized communities in the West Bank through the construction of wind and solar systems, water solutions, capacity building and maintenance. Rabbis for Human Rights http://rhr.org.il/eng/ Founded in 1988, Rabbis for Human Rights is the only rabbinic voice in Israel that is explicitly dedicated to human rights. Representing over 100 Israeli rabbis and rabbinical students from different streams of Judaism, we derive our authority from our Jewish tradition and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our mission is to inform the Israeli public about human rights violations, and to pressure the State institutions to redress these injustices. In a time in which a nationalist and isolationist understanding of Jewish tradition is heard frequently and loudly, Rabbis for Human Rights give expression to the traditional Jewish responsibility for the safety and welfare of the stranger, the different and the weak, the convert, the widow and the orphan. Amira Hass Amira Hass (Hebrew: ; born 28 June 1956) is an Israeli journalist and author, mostly הס עמירה known for her columns in the daily newspaper Haaretz. She is particularly recognized for her reporting on Palestinian affairs in the West Bank and Gaza, where she has also lived for a number of years. Wednesday 22 July Tamar "Tami" Zandberg (born 29 April 1976) is an Israeli politician. A member of the Meretz party, she was placed sixth on the party's list for the 2013 Knesset elections, and thus elected to the 19th Knesset.[1] She is a former Tel Aviv Yaffo City Council Member. Zandberg was born in Ramat Gan in 1976. She is a PhD candidate in Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, researching issues of spatial planning and human rights. She holds a Master's degree in Social Psychology from Ben Gurion University and a Law Degree (LLB) from Tel Aviv University. Zandberg is divorced and has a daughter. She is the sister of Israeli international footballer Michael Zandberg and daughter of journalist Ester Zandberg.[2] She began her political career in 2003, when she started to work as a parliamentary assistant to Meretz MK Ran Cohen, a job she held until 2008. In the same year she was elected to Tel Aviv city council in second place on the Meretz list.[3] During her term on the council, she chaired the city's Women's Affairs Committee and was a member of both the Finance Committee and the Affordable Housing Committee. She was behind an initiative to introduce public transportation on Shabbat.[4] Zandberg was a main activist in the social protest movement of summer 2011, and was a member of the experts' group that introduced the movement's housing and transportation platform. She considered herself a feminist, urban environmentalist and a social democrat. She heads the opposition list of Na'amat, Israel's leading union for working women. She was elected to the 19th Knesset in 2013 as the sixth member of Meretz's list. She ran in the fifth slot in the 2015 election and appeared to have lost her seat when preliminary resulted indicated Meretz only elected four members to the Knesset. Party leader Zehava Gal-On announced that she will resign from the Knesset and as party chairperson in order to allow Zandberg, a rising star within the party, to re-enter the Knesset as the party's fourth MK. 7
Zandberg urged Gal-On to reconsider her decision and remain as the party's leader in the Knesset.[5] Once absentee and soldier ballots were counted, however, Meretz unexpectedly gained a fifth seat negating the premise for Gal-On's resignation,[6] allowing her to continue as party leader. Ksenia Svetlova( born 28 July 1977) is an Israeli journalist and politician. Born in Moscow, Svetlova attended School 77 between 1984 and 1991. In 1991 she immigrated to Israel with her mother and joined a religious school in Jerusalem. She later studied Islamic and Middle Eastern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining bachelors and master's degrees. As of 2015, she is a doctoral candidate in Middle Eastern studies and an associate professor at Hebrew University.[1] She is also a policy fellow at Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.[2] She speaks Russian, Hebrew, English, and Arabic. She lives in Modi'in and has two daughters.[1] In 2002 she joined the Russian language "Israel Plus" channel as a commentator on Arab affairs. She has also written pieces for publications such as the The Jerusalem Post, The Jerusalem Report, Haaretz, and BBC Russian Service. She has interviewed Yasser Arafat, Ahmed Yassin, and Mahmoud Abbas. Before the 2015 Knesset elections, she joined the Zionist Union (an alliance of the Labor Party and Hatnuah)[3] and was placed 21st on the list, a slot reserved for a candidate chosen by Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni.[4] She was elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 24 seats.[5] After her election, she was required to give up her Russian citizenship,[6] which had been an asset to her past travel to the Arab world. At the 2015 J Street conference, she stressed the importance of the two-state solution but, along with fellow incoming Hatnuah MK Yoel Hasson, said it should be advanced through negotiations, not U.N. resolutions. She also urged American Jews to unite in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for creating friction with the U.S. administration on the matter.[7][8] In an i24news interview, she discussed her priority as an incoming MK of advancing the peace process despite the current challenges.[9] She has also pledged to work against racism and discrimination.[10] She is an advocate for progressive denominations of Judaism, having had a bitter experience with authorities of the Chief Rabbinate wherein she was refused a divorce for two years. Ze'ev Binyamin "Benny" Begin, (born 1 March 1943) is an Israeli geologist and politician. A member of the Knesset for Likud. He is the son of former Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin. Ze'ev Binyamin (Benny) Begin was born in Jerusalem to Aliza and Menachem Begin. He studied geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After completing his undergraduate and graduate studies, he worked for the Geological Survey of Israel. He completed his doctorate in geology at Colorado State University in 1978. First elected to the Knesset in 1988 as a Likud MK, Begin ran in the Likud primary in 1993 to succeed Yitzhak Shamir as party leader but was defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Netanyahu's government (1996–1999), Begin served as Science Minister until 1997 when he resigned in protest against the Hebron Agreement. He subsequently led hardliners out of the Likud with the hope of reviving the Herut political party founded by his father. With full support from former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Herut – The National Movement departed from the Likud and joined other right-wing parties to form an alliance opposing the Oslo Accords, the National Union. Due to the National Union's poor showing in the 1999 elections, Begin resigned his seat and quit politics.[1] In 8
turn, Begin resumed his career in science and education, and was appointed Director of the Geological Survey of Israel. On 2 November 2008, Begin announced his return to politics and the Likud party, as well as his intention to seek a place on the Likud list for the 2009 elections.[2] He ultimately won fifth place on the party's list, and returned to the Knesset with Likud winning 27 seats. Netanyahu had promised Begin a ministerial position if Likud won the election and honored that promise by appointing Begin a Minister without Portfolio in the new government.[3] Begin did not run in the 2013 elections, but returned to politics in the 2015 elections running on the 11th place on the Likud party list, the spot reserved for a candidate appointed by party leader Netanyahu. Following the elections, he was appointed Minister without Portfolio in the new government. His term with the government lasted only 11 days. After Prime Minister Netanyahu convinced Gilad Erdan join the government as Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Begin was forced to resign as Likud's coalition agreement limited the party to 13 ministers.[4] In an interview in Haaretz magazine, Begin explained his opposition to a Palestinian state, proposing instead an Arab autonomy under Israeli control, since "without security control in Samaria, Judea and Gaza there will be no security in Tel Aviv, either." He concludes with his belief that we must "live together with people who do not want us...[and] behave humanely and decently both with the Israeli citizens who are not Jews and with those who are not citizens. Is there a contradiction between my nationalism and my liberalism? I believe that this is a day-to-day effort to which I and he is obligated."[5] EWASH http://www.ewash.org/en/ The Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group (EWASH) is a coalition of 27 organisations working in the water and sanitation sector in the occupied Palestinian territory. Established in 2002, its members include international and national NGOs and UN Agencies. Mossawa Centre http://www.mossawacenter.org The Mossawa Center, the Advocacy Center for Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel, is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization established in 1997 that aims to promote the economic, social, cultural and political rights of the Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel, and the recognition of this community a national indigenous minority, with their own national, cultural and historical distinctiveness. The Center develops programs to promote a democratic society, and acts against all forms of discrimination based on race, nationalism, religious affiliation, social status, gender, and disabilities. In advancing its mission of promoting the Palestinian Arab minority's rights, the Mossawa Center utilizes various methods, including governmental advocacy in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) and government, international advocacy with a particular focus in Europe, the United States, and South Africa, socio-economic research and budget analysis, media campaigns, capacity building with a broad network of Arab NGOs, and cooperative work with local councils as well as Israeli-based and international NGOs. The Mossawa Center focuses on the following fields: Socio-economic, political and legal justice Protection of human rights and anti-racism work 9
Political mobilization through advocacy for policy change Capacity building for Arab local councils and NGOs International advocacy and cooperation Promotion of Palestinian culture organizations Engagement of local youth in volunteer programs Inter-religious and inter-ethnic community work to advance a shared future for all citizens based on democratic values Cross-border collaboration between Palestinians Arabs in Israel and Palestinian Arabs in the occupied Palestinian territories and abroad Thursday 23 July Peace Now http://peacenow.org.il/eng/ Peace Now is the leading voice of Israeli public pressure for peace. We: • support the right of Israel to exist within secure borders and the right of our neighbors to do the same; • advocate for a politically-negotiated 2-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; • believe that Israel’s unique status as a free and open democratic society in the Middle East endows the Israeli public with a special responsibility to promote the basic human rights of freedom, justice, and equality for all people in this region; and • work to break down divisive stereotypes through education on both sides of the conflict. We are Israel’s most veteran and diverse peace movement with over 10,000 members from the Middle East and around the world. Our work has been supported and endorsed by hundreds of prominent academics, politicians, and philosophers, including Amos Oz and David Grossman. The majority of Israelis and Palestinians support a peaceful 2-state solution. Peace Now insists that politicians on both sides of this issue serve their constituencies by creating the reality of peace NOW. Peace Now works to ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians embrace the only viable solution to the conflict: the creation of a Palestinian state in the territories adjacent to Israel, which were occupied as a result of the 1967 war – A Two State Solution. Peace Now believes that continued occupation of these territories harms Israel economically and politically and damages the values and fabric of Israeli society. Peace Now’s mission is to promote peace and democracy through education of the Israeli public and concerned citizens worldwide. We further hope to inspire the public to take part in developing initiatives that will both support long-term peace promotion and remove existing obstacles to a politically negotiated two-state solution. Norwegian Refugee Council http://www.nrc.no/?aid=9147817#.VafYO0ve3wI NRC has been active in Palestine (and former Occupied Palestinian Territory) since 2006. NRC is providing protection and assistance to those affected by or threatened with displacement across Palestine, through ICLA, shelter, WASH and education programmes. Humanitarian and political context: Since the Arab - Israeli war of 1948 and the 1967 Israeli 10
occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and the forced displacement of millions. Initiatives to negotiate a resolution to the Israeli occupation have failed, and Palestine has experienced repeated cycles of conflict. The intensive military operation and enormous destruction in Gaza this summer, together with the ongoing settlement expansion, house demolitions and threatened evictions in the West Bank all contribute to ongoing Palestinian displacement. NRC in Palestine: NRC is providing protection and assistance to those affected by or threatened with displacement across Palestine, through: Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA): NRC offers legal services to beneficiaries in the area of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) and Residency rights. In the West Bank these address demolition or eviction orders, land confiscation, settler violence, residency and access permit restrictions. In Gaza the progamme provides legal assistance to displaced persons in the HLP rights. Shelter: NRC is the Shelter Cluster lead for Palestine and maintains the “Unified Shelter Sector Database�: www.shelterpalestine.org . NRC also runs a shelter program in Gaza focusing on emergency shelter solutions. NRC also works on community protection approaches in Gaza. Education: NRC works with UNRWA and government schools to support quality in the classroom, decrease push-out, and insure inclusive approaches. WASH NRC launched a WASH program in 2014. NRC priorities for 2015 and beyond: Assist Palestinian refugees, IDPs and those affected by, or at risk of, displacement in Palestine to obtain their rights, access humanitarian assistance and achieve longer term solutions. Heinrich Boll Foundation http://ps.boell.org Addameer http://www.addameer.org
ADDAMEER (Arabic for conscience) Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution that works to support Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli and Palestinian prisons. Established in 1992 by a group of activists interested in human rights, the center offers free legal aid to political prisoners, advocates their rights at the national and international level, and works to end torture and other violations of prisoners' rights through monitoring, legal procedures and solidarity campaigns. Al Shabaka the Palestinian Policy Network https://al-shabaka.org/en/
Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network, is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and foster public debate on Palestinian human rights and self-determination within the framework of international law. Al-Shabaka, which means "The Network," is a think tank without borders or walls that aims to: 11
Draw upon the vast knowledge and experience of the Palestinian people, whether under occupation, in exile, or in Israel, so as to engage the broadest spectrum of perspectives in debate on policy and strategy. Communicate ideas and strategies on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to Palestinian communities as well as to Arab and other policy communities and interested parties worldwide. Al Haq http://www.alhaq.org
Al-Haq is an independent Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation based in Ramallah, West Bank. Established in 1979 to protect and promote human rights and the rule of law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the organisation has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Al-Haq documents violations of the individual and collective rights of Palestinians in the OPT, irrespective of the identity of the perpetrator, and seeks to end such breaches by way of advocacy before national and international mechanisms and by holding the violators accountable. The organisation conducts research; prepares reports, studies and interventions on breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law in the OPT; and undertakes advocacy before local, regional and international bodies. AlHaq also cooperates with Palestinian civil society organisations and governmental institutions in order to ensure that international human rights standards are reflected in Palestinian law and policies. The organisation has a specialised international law library for the use of its staff and the local community. Al-Haq is the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists - Geneva, and is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Habitat International Coalition (HIC), and the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO). Maan Development Centre http://maan-ctr.org MA’AN Development Center is an independent Palestinian development and training institution established in January,1989, registered by law as a non-profit organization. The main office is located in Ramallah and the four branch offices are located in Gaza, Khan Younis, Tulkarem and Jenin,. MA’AN's work is informed by the necessity of creating independent, self-reliant initiatives that lead to the development of human resources for sustainable development, which incorporate values of selfsufficiency and self-empowerment.
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The Story of Susiya Background on the South Hebron Hills The South Hebron Hills are home to some of the most vulnerable families in the West Bank. Palestinians have been living a traditional lifestyle as shepherds and farmers, subsisting on the produce of their fields and their flocks, for hundreds of years throughout the caves of the South Hebron Hills. Agriculture is a challenge in the rocky soil of the hilly terrain, and families have dug and maintained small reservoirs to collect rainwater that they use to drink, for irrigation, to water their flocks, and to maintain a traditional subsistence lifestyle. Yet these Palestinian villagers face everincreasing pressure to abandon their homes, their villages, and their way of life. The IDF has declared large swaths of land to be closed military areas, issued demolition orders for and destroyed dozens of homes and agricultural structures, and relocated populations in its attempt to encourage the villagers to leave their historical lands and move into the urban area of Yatta.
Background on Susiya Residents of the Palestinian village of Susiya are originally refugees from the village of Gerityan, located within the 1948 borders, who were removed from their land and re-settled in Susiya. In the early 1980’s, Israel began to establish a contiguous line of settlements and outposts along the NorthSouth ridgeline of the region. It was also during this period that Israeli archaeologists uncovered an archaeological site in Susiya which contains Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic ruins as well as an ancient Jewish synagogue from the second temple period. When the site was declared an Israeli national park, the Israeli military took control over the area and evicted the residents of Susiya from their original cave homes in 1986. The Palestinians settled some 500 meters from the Israeli settlement of Susiya in an area know as Rujum. This move was too close for the comfort of the Israeli settlers, who thus instigated a second expulsion in the early 1990’s when Israeli soldiers came during the night, herded the Palestinians into trucks, and dropped them off 15 kilometers to the north, near Zif. The expelled families scattered, some to Yatta, others to villages in the eastern caves area (south of the current 317 road), and some of the families returned to their land in the Susiya area (between the settlement and the archaeological site) within a couple of days. Increasingly violent in their actions, settlers stopped Palestinian farmers from cultivating their plots of land by regularly attacking and beating them. In the course of this struggle over land, two Palestinians were murdered in the area throughout the 1990s. A settler murdered one Palestinian shepherd from Susiya while he Map Courtesy of Ta’ayush was left tied up along the side of the road by the army. Another shepherd was killed while he was allowing his flock to graze. In 1997, the residents of Susiya were once again evicted from their homes – their tent-homes destroyed, only to be erected once again upon their return. In the midst of the Second Intifada (July 2001), Yair Har-Sinai, a settler living in an outpost on the outskirts of Susiya, was murdered. Although the perpetrator was not from Susiya, all of the Palestinians from Susiya were evicted for the 5th time after Hair-Sinai’s murder. The pretext for the eviction was the claim that the mere presence of Palestinians near the Israeli settlement of Susiya poses a security threat. Many Palestinians were beaten and/or arrested, caves were demolished, wells were filled sand and rocks, fields were destroyed (including at least 1000 olive trees uprooted) and
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livestock were killed (buried alive in their pens). The Israeli military closed the area to international NGO’s and journalists during the demolition, so it was at least a day before the Red Cross was able to bring in emergency relief supplies for the families. On September 25th 2001, with the help of lawyer Shlomo Lecker, the villagers submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court demanding the Israeli government permit them to return to their land. The court pronounced the repeated expulsions illegal, and announced an interim injunction instructing the army to allow the inhabitants to return to their land until the court issued a final decision on the issue. However, one week after the residents returned, the army evicted them once again despite the court order that ensured their right to be there. After complaints were filed, the army claimed that this eviction had been carried out according to the will of an individual commander who was out of line with official IDF policy. Since the Fall of 2001, the State of Israel has claimed that the Palestinians are in fact trespassers on their own lands, since they built their tents without obtaining the necessary permits from the Israeli military governorate’s “Sub-committee for Construction Oversight” following their eviction from the old Susiya village (next to the archaeological site). This claim marks a shift in army rationale for evictions of the Palestinian residents of Susiya. Instead of claiming that the Palestinians are a “security threat”, they now evict them on the grounds that they do not have legitimate building permits. Over the years, Israeli organizations have twice helped submit requests for building permits, but both times the requests were denied by the Israeli military governorate (also referred to as the “Civil Administration”), which attempts to block Palestinian construction in Area C. On June 6th 2007, the Supreme Court held a hearing in which the judges dismissed the villagers’ original appeal and gave them 45 days to obtain the required legal building permits. If they didn't meet this deadline, the army would be given permission to carry out demolitions. While two other petitions by specific families were still pending, political pressure saved the village from demolition. In February 2012, the settler organization, Regavim, filed a petition to the Supreme Court demanding that the entire village of Susiya be demolished. During the Court hearing, Regavim called Susiya an "illegal Palestinian outpost". The hearing concluded with the judges asking to combine all the existing petitions in the case of Susiya into one hearing. The lawyer representing Regavim demanded an interim injunction in order to freeze any new Palestinian construction in the village. On June 7th 2012, the Court signed the interim injunction as requested by Regavim's lawyer. On June 11th 2012, the military governorate inspectors arrived in the village and delivered demolition orders to all but four tents in the village – totaling more than 50 demolition orders. The orders were set to be implemented within three days. Rabbis for Human Rights' legal team objected on the grounds that there is already a master plan for the village which was going to be completed within 45 days. The master plan was submitted and rejected by November of 2013. The Supreme Planning Council of the military governorate claimed that they rejected the master plan for the sake of the Palestinian residents. To quote the committee’s decision directly: “The current plan constitutes yet another attempt to keep a weak and downtrodden population from having the possibility of making progress.” It goes on to address the plan’s affect on children: “[it] imposes on [Palestinian] children the fate of living in a small, atrophied village that doesn’t have the tools for development.” The council apparently finds it appropriate to justify the displacement of populations and demolition of their homes as necessary for the good of the victims. Rabbis for Human Rights have appealed the rejection of the Palestinian master plan for Susiya. The appeal is still pending as of today, temporarily protecting the village from demolition. Additional Reading: 1. http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.558602
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2. http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/twilight-zone/life-among-the-ruins-1.440289
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EuroMed Rights submission on accountability Mission to the United Kingdom 8-‐9 July 2015 Between 8 and 9 July 2015, EuroMed Rights organised a mission to the United Kingdom (UK). The mission took place one year after the 2014 Gaza conflict which killed almost 1,500 civilians, and shortly after the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) vote on the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI). This report echoes many of the findings of Israeli, Palestinian and international NGOs that documented widespread violations of international law during the 2014 military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This included indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and the disproportionate use of force. The report also underlined the reported use of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as possible acts of willful killing by Israeli security forces during the parallel military operation in the West Bank. The report characterized several incidents as widespread and systematic in nature and underscored the responsibility of the military and political leadership that planned and implemented these policies. It qualified violations as potential war crimes and stressed that impunity for these prevail across the board. The report casted serious doubt on the adequacy of domestic justice mechanisms and highlighted the parties’ appalling track record in holding wrongdoers to account. Accountability in previous conflicts: In previous escalations similar violations occurred with complete impunity as parties failed to abide by their duty to conduct genuine investigations and prosecute those responsible. Seven years after “Operation Cast Lead”, Israel’s accountability mechanisms have issued only three indictments for a war that killed almost 1 1,000 civilians. The most severe punishment was given to a case of a credit card theft . On Palestinian side, the de facto authorities in Gaza failed to carry out credible investigations while the PA mandated commission of investigation was unable to initiate any criminal proceedings. Again, following “Operation Pillar of Defense” in November 2012, no credible investigations were initiated by the parties. Although, Israel opened over 80 fact-‐finding assessments, none led to criminal investigations or indictments. Accountability after Operation Protective Edge and Israel’s FFAM: Today, no investigations have been initiated by the Palestinians, while Israel continues to rely on flawed mechanisms. Although the Israeli Military Advocate General (MAG) has opened investigations into “exceptional” cases under the Fact Finding Assessment Mechanism (FFAM), this mechanism fails to comply 2 with international standards . It relies on the MAG to carry out investigations, a body which has the dual role of both providing legal counsel to the military while at the same time deciding on whether to open criminal investigations. This means the MAG is charged with initiating criminal investigations into his own 3 conduct and that of his subordinates . While the mechanisms have slightly changed from those that examined the 2009 Gaza conflict, the outcomes essentially remain the same. So far only one indictment has been issued for looting while one of the most shocking images of the 2014 war – the killing of the four boys on Gaza beach – was recently closed without prosecution. These systemic flaws have repeatedly been underlined by UN reports and have led some leading Israeli human rights organisations to stop cooperating with Israel’s investigative mechanisms. Such systemic flaws are also at the root of impunity for the wide and systematic use of torture and ill-‐ treatment in Israel. Israel has failed to define or prohibit torture as a crime, or to ensure accountability for 1
400 incidents were examined by the Israeli military of which only three ended in indictments. Indictment 1: Soldier for theft of a Palestinian’s credit card àSentenced to 15 months in prison, half of the term as a suspended sentence, and demotion. Indictment 2: Two soldiers for using a nine-‐year-‐old Palestinian boy as a human shieldà sentenced to three months in prison and demotion from staff sergeant to sergeant. Indictment 3: Soldier for “killing an unidentified individual” and for misconduct à convicted of unlawful use of firearms and misconduct in a plea bargain. He was given a 45-‐day prison sentence, a six-‐month suspended prison sentence and demotion. See here. 2 Independence, impartiality, thoroughness, promptness, effectiveness and transparency. 3 While military investigations are not in and of themselves flawed, the body investigating must be operationally and practically independent of the military chain of command. The continued impunity demonstrates that this is not the case.
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its security and prison authorities. Until today, none of the 860 torture complaints filed since 2001 have led to a criminal investigation. The need to support international accountability mechanisms: The inability/unwillingness of the parties to conduct credible investigations underscores the importance of independent international investigations. The CoI report is an unbiased and legally accurate document and its recommendations offer an opportunity to pursue concrete action to end the cycle of impunity which fuels the conflict. The UK’s failure to meaningfully address accountability in the past – including by actively discouraging Palestinian accession to the ICC claiming that this would hinder peace – has only led to the perpetuation of such breaches and stands in stark contrast with the UK’s leading support for international mechanisms in other conflicts including Syria, Darfur and Libya. EuroMed Rights welcomes the UK’s vote in favor of the 3 July 2015 HRC resolution welcoming the CoI report. In line with this resolution and the UK’s commitments to fight impunity, we urge members of the House of Commons to: 1.
Issue a parliamentary resolution, a group statement/letter or individual statements calling on your government to:
Ø Take concrete steps to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations contained in
the CoI report, the 3 July 2015 HRC resolution and the 2009 UN Fact Finding Mission report; Urge for a comprehensive review of the implementation of these recommendations and express concern about the continued non-implementation of recommendations made by UN mechanisms and bodies;
Ø Monitor progress of Israel’s investigations into alleged breaches and possible war crimes and report back to the House of Commons on their findings: In the 2014 FCO Human Rights and Democracy report, the UK committed to “follow closely” the internal processes to investigate specific cases launched by the Israeli authorities. The UK’s diplomatic mission should request the Israeli authorities for regular updates on the progress of investigations initiated by the FFAM and MPs should request that they report back to the House of Commons on their findings with proposals for appropriate action;
Ø Denounce the lack of investigations into IHL/IHRL breaches on Palestinian side and the failure of Israel’s investigations to comply with international standards of independence, impartiality, thoroughness, promptness, effectiveness and transparency and to investigate the military and political leadership or to ensure effective remedy for victims: The UK has repeatedly called for credible investigations and called on Israel to implement the recommendations of the Turkel Committee recommendations. These calls remain unheeded and require more resolute action;
Ø Call on Israel to prohibit torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and ensure penalties commensurate with the gravity of such acts as called for by the UN Human Rights Committee; Ø
Urge Israel to grant access to and cooperate with international human rights bodies and NGOs investigating alleged violations including the High Commissioner for Human Rights who has been mandated to follow the implementation of the CoI report recommendations by the 3 July 2015 HRC resolution: In 2014, the UK called on all parties to cooperate with the CoI. Despite repeated requests, Israel declined access and cooperation with the CoI.
Ø
Urge Israel to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC, call on all parties to cooperate fully with the preliminary examinations of the Office of the Prosecutor and any subsequent investigation as called for by the CoI report, the 3 July HRC resolution and the European Parliament: The UK defines accountability as a fundamental element of it’s foreign policy and in its ICC Strategy paper and the EU’s ICC action plan commits to be a powerful advocate of the
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ICC, to encourage non-‐States Parties to cooperate and support the Court and to reflect this support in UN resolutions (including in UN Security Council resolutions); 2.
Issue a parliamentary question: Ø
Asking what concrete steps the UK government is taking to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the CoI report; In particular those recommendations directed to the international community.
Ø
Asking what concrete steps the UK government is taking to monitor the progress of Israel’s investigations under the FFAM and how it is addressing its failure to comply with international standards;
3.
Organize a parliamentary visit to the region: Ø
Including a visit to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel and publish a report on the findings: EuroMed Rights members are happy to coordinate tours and meetings.
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