January-March 2014

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Strategic Action I:
Empowering Rights Holders
 

A. Empowering Rights Holders

 

1) Youth Empowerment

  • BADIL implemented a variety of initiatives commemorating Land Day in Gaza and the West Bank. The initiatives involved youth and youth organizations, as well as local councils and municipalities, who volunteered in planting trees and participated in workshops on Israeli land policies designed to forcibly displace Palestinians. For more information see BADIL’s press releases (in Arabic):

<--------------------------------Gaza

 West Bank------------------------>

  • BADIL continues to provide the course “Palestinian Refugees under International Law” at Al Quds University. 98 students attend the winter semester which began in January.

2) Women Empowerment

BADIL implemented 6 trainings through its new program, Women Empowerment in Area C, including one onsite training (field mission). A group of 30 women take part in this program which aims to educate them on forced population transfer and build skills in human rights violations documentation.

 

1st session (launch) In Arabic 2nd session In Arabic 3rd session (field mission) In Arabic 4th session In Arabic
For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release:
5th session In Arabic 6th session In Arabic 2nd session In English 1st session (launch) In English
For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release: For more details on the trainings and the program see BADIL’s press release:

B. Enhancing Community Engagement

 

For more information see (in Arabic): 1) Local and National Campaigns

Campaign against Forced Population Transfer

BADIL continues to implement its campaign against forced population transfer (FPT). Most recently, BADIL led two workshops on the Israeli land regime, in cooperation and participation of local and village councils of the Bethlehem Governorate.

 

 

 

For more information see (in Arabic):2)  Al-Awda Award

BADIL launched the 2014 Al-Awda Award Competition under the theme “No to Decreasing Refugee Rights, Yes to Comprehensive International Protection” with two categories: Best Nakba Poster and Journalistic Stories.

 

 

 

 

For more information see: In English (Workshops) 3) Partnerships with CBOs

In cooperation with national factions and civil society organizations, BADIL hosted two workshops to discuss the deteriorating situation of Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory with UNRWA waning service provision and the conditions in Yarmouk Refugee Camp under siege. The meeting resulted in a statement issued by the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council and the planning and implementation of joint demonstration and sit-in in front of the UNRWA offices in Bethlehem.

Workshops (In Arabic) Call for Participation (In Arabic) Demonstration & Sit-in (In Arabic)

 

C. Influencing Public Opinion

1) Networks and Coalitions

The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council issued a joint statement calling for continued humanitarian aid and protections for Palestinian refugees under UNRWA jurisdiction and those under siege in Yarmouk Refugee Camp highlighting that “international protection, including legal, physical and humanitarian protection is an obligation towards refugees and displaced Palestinians under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, to enable refugees to exercise their Right of Return in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948 and UN Security Council Resolution 237 of 1967.” For more details see:  (in English), (in Arabic)

 

2) Publications

Haq Al-Awda Issue #57, “Land Day: Remembrance or Ongoing Resistance?” and “Israeli Legal System: Tactics and Goals”.

 

Al Majdal Issue #55, “the Paradox of Using the Law of the Oppressor”.

 

 

 

 

3) Media

BADIL participated in 3 television spots and 3 press releases, further widening our public exposure and outreach:

4) Hosting International Delegations

BADIL hosted 12 groups in the first quarter of 2014, for a total of 241 persons. Notable groups included law students from Birzeit University and internationals participating in the Right to Movement Palestinian Marathon.

 

D.  Institutional Agency

On the cusp of 2014, BADIL ushered in its new strategic plan, Advancing a Rights-Based Solution: Empowering Rights Holders and Influencing Duty Bearers. The five-year plan, developed in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders, rights holders, duty bearers, staff and Board of Directors and partners and friends of BADIL, contains four main programs: Campaigning and Networking, Legal Advocacy, Research and Institutional Agency. The four programs were designed to reflect BADIL’s core strengths and activities and to integrate and its mission and vision into feasible and successful elements conducive to implementation and evaluation.

 

Accordingly, to integrate and institutionalize the programs into BADIL’s organizational hierarchy, logic dictated that we re-assess our current structure and revise as necessary. This re-assessment was performed in conjunction with the strategic plan and the included inputs and guidance from BADIL’s Board of Directors, staff members, specialists and partners. What ensued was a series of self-reflection workshops that examined BADIL’s proposed goals, programs and activities and its organizational capacity. The result was not only BADIL’s organizational re-structuring but the development of the Institutional Agency Program to increase BADIL’s organizational capacity to meet its targets at the activity, outcome and impact levels.

 

The newly designed and approved organizational hierarchy encompasses four units: the Campaign Unit for the Defense of Palestinian Refugees and internally displaced persons, the Research and Production Unit, the Legal and International Advocacy Unit, and the Administration and Financial Affairs Unit. As dictated by BADIL’s by-laws, the Executive Committee, which forms the collective executive management of BADIL and is composed of the Unit Managers and the Director of BADIL, now contains five members. This new structure reflects a higher degree of transparency, accountability and segregation of duties.

 

Strategic Action II:
Influencing Duty Bearers
 

Legal and International Advocacy

BADIL participated in the 25th United Nations Human Rights Council Session, submitting one joint written statement and two oral submissions (next to joining one written statement and one oral submission). Moreover, BADIL co-authored a letter to the President of the HRC to ensure that the central consideration in the forthcoming selection of the Special Rapporteur on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory be international legal expertise, as applicable to the field of the mandate.

On 24 March, BADIL Resource Center organized a side event on behalf of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council entitled “Confronting Israel’s impunity - Challenging the status quo. Amongst the panelists was Prof. Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The event included the honoring of Prof. Richard Falk for his commitment to human rights and the rights of the Palestinian people. His resolve to uphold international law has been, and will continue to be, a strong voice for justice and for the dignity of the Palestinian people. To access videos and statements see (in English),

BADIL also submitted a letter to the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, highlighting Israeli ongoing policy of forced population transfer inside and outside the Green Line in flagrant violation of international law. To read the letter see (in English)

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