Arquivo mensal: Abril 2015

PLO

Palestine Liberation Organization

PLO-LOGO

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established in 1964 and has been the embodiment of the Palestinian national movement. It is a broad national front, or an umbrella organization, comprised of numerous organizations of the resistance movement, political parties, popular organizations, and independent personalities and figures from all sectors of life. The Arab Summit in 1974 recognized the PLO as the “sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people” and since then the PLO has represented Palestine at the United Nations, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and in many other fora. In addition to its broad national and political goals, the PLO has dealt with numerous tasks with regard to the life of the Palestinian people in their main communities and throughout the world through the establishment of several institutions in such realms as health, education and social services. As such, the PLO is more than a national liberation movement striving to achieve the national goals of the Palestinian people, including the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Structure of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine National Council
The PNC, which is the highest decision-making body of the PLO, is considered to be the parliament of all Palestinians inside and outside of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. The PNC normally sets PLO policies, elects the Executive Committee and makes the necessary changes in its own membership, as well as changes to the Palestine National Charter (a special meeting is required) and to the Fundamental Law of the organization. The PNC also elects a speaker, two deputies and a secretary, who make up the Bureau of the Council. The Council has its own standing committees for various aspects of its work, such as its legal and political committees. The composition of the PNC represents all sectors of the Palestinian community worldwide and includes numerous organizations of the resistance movement, political parties, popular organizations (each of the above is represented by specific quotas) and independent personalities and figures from all sectors of life, including intellectuals, religious leaders and businessmen.
Central Council
The Central Council, which was established by the PNC in 1973, is the second leading body of the PLO. The Council functions as an intermediary body between the PNC and the Executive Committee. At present, the membership stands at 124, including 15 representatives of the PLC.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is the daily leading body of the PLO and it represents the organization at the international level. The Committee is elected by the members of PNC and it is responsible to the PNC. Its main function is to execute the policies and decisions set out by the PNC and the Central Council. The Committee is also responsible for adopting a budget and for overseeing the functioning of the departments of the PLO, the responsibilities of which are distributed among its members. Decisions of the Committee are taken by a simple majority. Its membership stands at 18, including its Chairman.
Members of the Executive Committee:
§ Chairman:
§ H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
§ Secretary-General:
§ Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo
§ Members:
§ Dr. Zakaria Al-Agha
§ Mr.Mohammad Zuhdi Al-Nashashibi
§ Mr.Hanna ‘Amireh
§ Dr. Hanan Ashrawi
§ Dr. Sa’eb Erekat
§ Mr. Ali Is’haq
§ Mr. Mahmoud Ismail
§ Mr. Taysir Khaled
§ Dr. Riad Khodari
§ Mr. Ahmad Majdalani
§ Mr. Abdel Rahim Malouh
§ Mr. Saleh Ra’fat
§ Mr. Farouk Qaddoumi
§ Mr. Ahmad Qurei’
§ Mr. Ghassan Shaka’a
§ Observers:
§ Mr. Jamil Shahada
§ Mr. Wasel Abu Yousef
Palestine National Fund
The Fund is managed by a board of directors and by a chairman who is elected by the PNC and who automatically serves on the Executive Committee. The other members of the board are appointed by the Executive Committee, with a maximum of 11 members. Revenues for the fund come from two sources – a fixed tax on the wages earned by all Palestinians living in Arab countries and collected by those respective governments and from financial contributions by Arab governments and peoples, an amount that in the past was substantial.
Palestine Liberation Army
The Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) was established as the official military branch of the PLO in 1964, in accordance with the resolutions of the 1st Palestinian Conference (the 1st PNC). At that time, three brigades were established: Ein Jalut in Gaza and Egypt, Kadissiyah in Iraq, and Hiteen in Syria. In practice, those brigades were dominated by the general command of the armed forces of their respective host countries. Over time, however, changes were made to the PLA’s structure, including, for instance, the establishment in 1968 of commando units in Gaza to fight against the Israeli occupation, known as Kuwat al-Tahrir Al-Sha’biya (Popular Liberation Troops). With the establishment of the Palestine National Authority (PNA) in the mid 1990’s, important parts of those brigades were absorbed into the PNA security forces.
Departments
The Organization has established departments that are responsible for several important spheres of work, each headed by a member of the Executive Committee. The departments include, among others, the Political Department, the Department of Returnees, the Department of Culture and Information, and the Department of Popular Organizations.

Palestinian Government

Government of the State of Palestine

The current Government was sworn in by the President of the State of Palestine, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, on 2 June 2014.

government
Dr. Rami Hamdallah: Prime Minister, Minister of Interior
Dr. Ziad Abu Amr: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture
Dr. Mohammed Mostafa: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Economy
Dr. Riad Al-Malki: Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Shukri Bishara: Minister of Finance, Minister of Planning
Mr. Saleem Al-Saqqa: Minister of Justice
Mr. Adnan Al-Husseini: Minister of Jerusalem Affairs
Mrs. Rula Maa’yaa: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
Dr. Jawad Awwad: Minister of Health
Dr. Khawla Shakhshir: Minister of Education
Dr. Allam Mousa: Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Minister of Transportation
Mr. Mofeed Al-Hasayneh: Minister of Public Works and Housing
Mr. Shawqi Al-Aissa: Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Social Affairs, Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs
Dr. Haifaa Al-Agha: Minister of Women’s Affairs
Mr. Ma’moun Abu Shahla: Minister of Labor
Mr. Nayef Abu Khalaf: Minister of Local Government
Mr. Youssef Ideiss: Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs
Mr. Ali Abu Diyak: Secretary-General of the Cabinet (Rank of Minister)

About Palestine

Palestine, the Holy Land

Info-graphic: Loss Of Land - How Palestinians gradually lost their land over the years. (Design by Farwa Rizwan / Al Arabiya English)
Info-graphic: Loss Of Land – How Palestinians gradually lost their land over the years. (Design by Farwa Rizwan / Al Arabiya English)

The location of historic Palestine is at the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Lebanon and west of Jordan.

Palestine Geography; consists of four regions in the country. The four regions of Palestine´s Geography are Jordan valley and Ghawr, coastal and inner plains, Mountain and Hills and Southern Desert.

Mandatory Palestine
In the second decade of last century, the United Kingdom had agreed in the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence that it would honor Arab independence if they revolted against the Ottomans. However, Contrary to this agreement, the UK and France divided the area under the Sykes–Picot Agreement.
This act was perceived as of betrayal by all peoples in the region and was asserted by the Balfour Declaration promising support for a Jewish “national home” in Palestine. (Balfour then was the British Foreign Minister).

“Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
“His Majesty’s Government, view with favor, the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour”.

In June 1922, Britain obtained a mandate from the League of Nations for Palestine. The civil Mandate administration was formalized with the League of Nations’ consent in 1923 under the British Mandate for Palestine. In Nov 29 1947 the UN general Assembly adopted the resolution 181 known as the Partition plan, recommending a partition of Palestine in to two states ,Jewish and Arab with Jerusalem and Bethlehem as a corpus seperatum under a special International regime and to follow the termination of the British Mandate
This plan granted Jews 56.47% of Mandatory Palestine and the rest 43.53% was assigned to the Palestinians. We recall that in 1947 there was actually no consensus, and yet the international community somehow found the political will to act, adopting resolution 181 (II), partitioning Mandatory Palestine and creating the State of Israel.
Arabs rejected partition plan, because it violated the principles of national self-determination in the UN charter , which granted people the right to decide their own destiny.
The following demographic and land ownership two years before the adoption of the Partition plan by the UN. Explain to what would have been the results had residents of historic Palestine been given the right to decide their own destiny and their right to self- determination.
In 1945, a demographic study showed that the population had grown to 1,764,520, comprising 1,061,270 Muslims, 135,550 Christians, 553,600 Jews (majority of them were immigrants), and 14,100 people of other groups.

tabela1

Land ownership by district
The following table shows the 1945 land ownership of mandatory Palestine by City:

tabela2

The state of Palestine
On Nov. 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly approved an upgrade from the Palestinian Authority’s observer status to that of a non-member state. The vote came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the General Assembly and asked for a “birth certificate” for the state of Palestine. Of the 193 nations in the General Assembly, 138 voted in favor of the upgrade in status. This new status of “non-member observer state” would allow Palestine, the state, access to international organizations such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).
After the vote, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki spoke in a press conference about working with the ICC and other organizations. He said, “As long as the Israelis are not committing atrocities, are not building settlements, are not violating international law, then we don’t see any reason to go anywhere. If the Israelis continue with such policy – aggression, settlements, assassinations, attacks, confiscations, building walls – violating international law, then we have no other remedy but really to knock those to other places.”
The State of Palestine has so far joined 41 international treaties, including the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, as well as the core International Human Rights Treaties.
On April 1, 2015. The State of Palestine officially became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Area
The state of Palestine is composed of: The West Bank including East Jerusalem is 5,655 Km2; 130 Km long and 40-65 Km in width
And the Gaza strip; 365 Km2; 45 Km long and 5-12 Km in width
Total is 6,020 Km2

Population
The Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, are direct descendants of the Arab people and share their religions, culture, language and history. Consequent to the creation of Israel in 1948, the Jewish Zionists widened their territorial control on every front and in the end commanded 78 per cent of historic Palestine, instead of the 56% allotted to them by the United Nations’ partition plan (resolution 181). This illegal territorial expansion by force at the hands of Zionist gangs, the founders of Israel and resulted in driving by force 750000 Palestinians out of their homes. This act is known worldwide, the Palestinian NAKBAH (catastrophe). These Palestinians found themselves until this date, homeless and stateless refugees inside Palestine and outside Palestine – diaspora.
Palestinian population in 2014 number is approximately 11.5 million of which more than 5 million in the Diaspora. They are a people struggling to preserve their national identity and existence in the face of vast challenges in their ongoing quest for liberation, and their crisis has become untenable; it has become existential
4.550,368 million are residing in the West Bank (2. 790,331) and Gaza (1.760,37) . 1.730. million Palestinians live inside the Green Line Area (Israel). Population growth rate in the Palestinian Territories is around 3.3%.

Government System
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established on the basis of the Declaration of Principles signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel on Sept. 13, 1993 and governs Palestinian affairs in the West Bank and Gaza. It consists of the elected President, currently MR. Mahmoud Abbas, the appointed cabinet (Ministerial Board) and the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Capital and Principal Main Cities
East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine. Principal main cities include: Gaza, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Jenin, Rafah, Khan Younis, Tulkarem, Qalqilia, Bethlehem and Jericho.

Languages
Arabic is the official language of the Palestinians residents of the State of Palestine. However, Palestinians are multilingual people, while English is the most widely spoken and used in business, other languages such as Hebrew, French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken languages in the state of Palestine.

Religion
Palestine is the Holy Land for three monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Palestine is the place where Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven and houses the third holiest shrine (AL Aqsa Mosque) for all Muslims all over the world (1.7 billion). Islam has dominated the culture of Palestine for the past 1400 years. The city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, is a destination for Christian pilgrims from all corners of the globe, whereas Jerusalem is still the world’s biggest religious attraction for Moslem, Christian and Jewish pilgrims.

Currency
The Palestinian National Authority has no national currency. Palestinian banks accept deposits and withdrawals of foreign currencies. Major currencies that are used in Palestine include the Jordanian Dinar and the Israeli Shekel. Moreover, the US Dollar is quickly becoming the most popular currency for both deposits and credits in the Banks.

Climate
Mediterranean – hot, dry summers and short, wet, cool winters. Mountainous areas usually have cool summer nights. Because of regional differences, temperature and rainfall vary depending on the topographic area. Areas include the coastal plain, Jordan valley, eastern slopes, central highlands, and semi-coastal zone. Rain usually falls in the period between November and March with occasional snowstorms in the mountainous areas.

Official Viewpoint

It’s Time for Palestine

Mahmoud Abbas
 President of Palestine

THE Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom and national independence has reached a decisive moment. The two-state formula is under serious threat, due to systematic Israeli policies and practices that have seriously undermined the solution-threatening to make it impracticable in the very near future. More alarmingly, while Palestine takes concrete and determined steps to demonstrate its commitment to international law and human rights by acceding to the main instruments of international law, Israel has taken concrete steps to undermine them, whilst openly and unambiguously declaring its hostility to Palestinian national rights.

This is happening at the same time that Palestinian refugees are being slaughtered in Syria—victims of an internal conflict to which they have never been party. The images coming out from the Al Yarmouk Refugee Camp as well as from other Palestinian camps in Syria are reminiscent of Lebanon in 1982 and Iraq in 2003. They are a reminder of the urgency to honor the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including Palestinian refugee rights. Over 200 Palestinian children dying out of starvation during the camp’s siege is a crude reminder of the total failure of the international community to protect civilians in time of war.

It is time to put an end to the Palestinian tragedy by ensuring the rights of Palestinians under international law.

Full Article:

Op Ed H.E President Abbas

Source: http://www.cirsd.org/publications/magazines_article_view_short/english/66 

Biletral Relations

Portuguese Parliament calls for immediate release of Khalida Jarrar

The National Assembly of the Republic (Parliament) of Portugal voted on April 17 – Palestinian Prisoners’ Day – to stand in solidarity with imprisoned Palestinian parliamentarian and leader Khalida Jarrar, calling for her immediate release. This is the first national parliamentary resolution to call for Jarrar’s release. Earlier, 58 Members of European Parliament issued a letter in support of Jarrar.
The vote of solidarity, proposed by the Portuguese Communist Party, was approved by the Parliament’s Plenary Meeting number 75, with the Socialist Party, Portuguese Communist Party, Left Bloc and the Greens in favor.

source: http://samidoun.net/2015/04/portuguese-parliament-calls-for-immediate-release-of-khalida-jarrar/

Palestine and the UN

State of Palestine Officially Member of International Criminal Court

The State of Palestine has joined 41 international treaties, including the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, as well as the core International Human Rights Treaties, and is now officially a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A closed and special ceremony organized by the ICC  honored the State of Palestine accession in the presence of the Palestinian delegation to the ceremony led by Foreign Minister Riad Malki and a team of diplomats and lawyers.

In a report put together by the PLO Negotiations Affair Department, Palestine’s policy to become party to core human rights and international humanitarian law instruments as well as the Rome Statute reflects Palestine’s unwavering commitment to peace, universal values, and  determination to provide protection for its people and hold those responsible accountable for the crimes they have committed.

The Palestinian Authority has decided to pursue an internationalization approach to achieve the long overdue inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and to put an end to decades of colonization, dispossession, forced displacement and massacres, including the 2014 Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied Gaza Strip.

The preamble of the Rome Statute refers to the State parties’ determination ‘to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes’

Palestine lodged on January 1, 2015 a declaration under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute accepting the jurisdiction of the ICC over alleged crimes committed ‘in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014.’

After the presidential announcement to join the Rome Statute on December 31, 2014, Palestine deposited on January 2, 2015 its instrument of accession to the Rome Statute with the UN Secretary General.

On 6 January 2015, the United Nations Secretary General, acting in his capacity as depositary, accepted Palestine’s accession to the Rome Statute, and Palestine became the 123 State Party to the ICC.

On 7 January 2015, the Registrar of the ICC informed President Mahmoud Abbas of his acceptance of the article 12(3) declaration lodged by the Government of Palestine on January 1, 2015 and that the declaration had been transmitted to the Prosecutor for her consideration.

It was welcomed as such by the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.  The Statute entered into force on 1 April 2015.

The International community established the ICC in July 2002 to prevent the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression and to hold accountable those who commit such atrocities.

Palestine is a state under a foreign military occupation, the oldest foreign occupation in modern history. It has been recognized by 135 states and has established diplomatic relations with almost 180 states. In its resolution 67/19, the UN General Assembly granted Palestine nonmember observer status. Its borders are those of the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in June 1967, including Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israel claims that this move would eventually threat the chances to achieve peace, an allegation that is far from accurate. PA believes it is war crimes and war criminals that undermine peace efforts.

The PLO said that justice does not contradict the principle of negotiations. Both are necessary to reach a final status agreement. Supporting Palestine’s legal and diplomatic initiatives contributes to the advancement of international law and thus strengthens the possibility of reaching a just and lasting peace based on the internationally recognized terms of reference of the international law.

It further added, accountability and peace are mutually reinforcing. By seeking accountability, Palestine is contributing to the achievement of peace in the region.

The preamble of the Rome Statute recognizes ‘that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world’. Only accountability and redress can bring justice and prevent the recurrence of such crimes in the future.

Though Israel doesn’t accept international jurisdiction, it was in fact created by a UN General Assembly resolution. It is important to note that Israel has been granted access to international treaties and organizations despite the fact of its status as an Occupying Power, of not having recognized borders and despite its gross violations of countless UN resolutions and agreements.

When matter come to opening investigations, only the UN Security Council and States parties to the Rome Statute can refer situations to the Prosecutor, but submissions are open not only for states, but also for individuals and organizations.

The State of Palestine lodged a declaration under article 12(3) accepting jurisdiction of the ICC for the purpose of identifying, prosecuting and judging authors, and accomplices of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014.

Upon receipt of the declaration, the Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, opened, on January 16, 2015, a preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine.

According to the ICC, a preliminary examination is a process of examining the information available in order to reach a fully informed determination on whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation pursuant to the criteria established by the Rome Statute.

While many experts and Palestinians fear Israel’s lack of cooperation with the findings and orders of the ICC, the decision to join the ICC came as a result of an overwhelming consensus within the Palestinian people, Palestinian political parties and civil society institutions, reported the PLO.

It reiterated Palestine’s commitment to cooperate with the court, and this commitment has been reflected in the instrument of accession to the Rome Statute and through the signing of the Agreement on the privileges and immunities of the ICC.

Source: http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=28203

Biletral Relations

Arab Diplomats Meet Portuguese Minster of Foreign Affairs

Imagem

The Portuguese Minster of foreign Affairs Rui Machete affairs attended the meeting of Arab Diplomats accredited to Portugal, held on 8th of April 2015, at the residency of the Ambassador of the United Arabs of Emirates. During the meeting they discussed the bilateral relations between the Arab countries and Portugal, as well as the latest developments in the Arab world. On the issue of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Minster Rui Machete, said:

“The Middle East region continues to be maelstrom of conflicts, some of them striving for decades. This is the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Portugal, as you know so well, has been a long and strong supporter of a two-state solution that can see a free and sovereign Palestine coexist peacefully and respectfully with the State of Israel. I am fully aware that the peace  process suffered  a couple of  set-backs in recent times, but we are determined to introduce a new dynamics to it, to engage on a dialogue with both parties and lead them into a negotiation process that can finally achieve that two-states goal. With that in mind, the European Union has recently appointed a new Special Representative, the Italian diplomat Fernando Gentilini, with whom we intend to work closely and support his efforts. As most of you witnessed, at the National Assembly, the Portuguese Parliament approved a resolution asking for the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign State. I also attended the vote, especially to express the Government’s compromise to the two-state solution and our commitment to the creation of a fully functioning, well structured, democratic and sovereign State of Palestine. As I announced on my intervention on that day, the Portuguese Government will try to identify the best moment for that recognition to occur. We hope that a new momentum in the peace process can help  us achieve the conditions that we consider best, for we would like that recognition  –  hopefully not only by Portugal but, in a concerted way, also by a growing number of countries  –  could have a decisive and positive contribution to the negotiations.”

Press Releases

“From Deir Yassin to Shuja’iyya: Since its creation, Israel’s systematic policies of destruction and massacres have persisted”

PRESS RELEASE
PLO Executive Committee
Department of Culture and Information

PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi stated:
“On April 9, sixty-seven years ago, armed members of the Zionist terrorist organizations, the Irgun and the Stern gangs, attacked the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin and brutally murdered more than one hundred innocent men, women and children. Mostly all under the age of nine, fifty-five young children were orphaned and literally dumped in the Old City of Jerusalem to fend for themselves; Hind al-Husseini rescued the children and founded Dar Al-Tifl Al-Arabi (Arab Children’s House), an orphanage for the young survivors, two weeks later.
The Deir Yassin massacre was a turning point in the history of the people of Palestine, and it continues to serve as a necessary reminder of Israel’s ongoing policies of displacement, dispossession and dehumanization, and its willful erasure of the Palestinian narrative and human presence in historical Palestine.
One of the most recent examples of Israel’s continued campaign of deliberate massacres occurred last summer when it waged a brutal and ruthless assault on the Palestinians of Gaza. On July 20, at least sixty Palestinians were murdered in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, and between July 7 and August 21, one hundred and forty-two families in Gaza were partially or completely obliterated by Israel.
Since its creation, Israel’s systematic policies of destruction and massacres have persisted. Deir Yassin, Nasir al-Din, Haifa, Yazur, Bayt Daras, al-Tantura, al-Lydd, al-Dawayima, Saliha, Qibya, Kafr Qasim, and Shuja’iyya, among other names, will remain forever engraved in our hearts and minds and always serve as symbols of Palestinian steadfastness and perseverance.
Today, we honor all Palestinian victims of Israel’s flagrant measures of military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. On behalf of Palestinians everywhere, we will remain undeterred in our efforts to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and war crimes. Peace and justice for Palestine is long overdue, and it is time for the international community to join us as we strive for freedom, dignity and self-determination.”

Press Releases

Higher National Committee Condemns Arbitrary Administrative Arrest MP Khalida Jarrar

State of Palestine
Palestine Liberation Organization
ICC Higher National Committee
April 7, 2015

The Higher National Committee in Charge of Following Up with the ICC strongly condemns the arrest of PLC and Higher National Committee Member Khalida Jarrar. The Committee also denounces the arbitrary decision of the Israeli military authorities sentencing Jarrar to six months administrative detention. Jarrar was arrested at her home at dawn last Thursday.

In a special meeting held at the Negotiations Affairs Department in Ramallah yesterday morning, the Committee held the Israeli occupying authorities responsible for Jarrar’s life and security. The Committee asserted it will continue to make serious efforts to hold Israel as an occupying power accountable for its egregious violations of international law. The arrest of Jarrar, the Committee affirmed, was politically motivated and came as a punishment for Jarrar’s national activism and membership in the ICC National Higher Committee. Israel continues its policy of collective punishment and retribution against the Palestinian people and their elected leadership, the Committee stated.

The statement of the National higher Committed read, “The Israeli occupying authorities deliberately undermine the efforts made by the Palestinian leadership and its endeavors to have recourse to international legitimacy for the purpose of realizing the rights of our people and safeguarding the security. We condemn the Israeli practices and unilateral illegal policies including arrest and expulsion that threaten the members of the PLC. The Israeli practices constitute a flagrant violation of the International Humanitarian Law and Hague Conventions of 1907 that prohibit occupying powers to make any changes in the legislative status quo of the occupied country. Likewise, the Israeli practices violate Geneva Conventions and the Article (7) of the ICC Rome Statute that prohibit the arbitrary deportation, arrest and persecution of civilians, which are considered ‘crimes against humanity’ punishable by the law.”

The statement professed the administrative arrest of Jarrar is an outrageous violation of her parliamentary immunity. The statement also referred to the obnoxious living conditions of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails and the policy of collective punishment, suppression and solitary confinement imposed on them by the Israeli prison administration. Fifteen PLC members have faced administrative detention including 8 against whom military have been issued.

The Committee called on the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Intel-Parliamentary Union, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and international legal institutions to intervene and exert pressure on Israel to immediately and unconditionally release Jarrar and all male and female detainees in Israeli jails.