BADIL Newsletter


October-December 2012	WWW.BADIL.ORG

Outreach & Networking

	Participation in the World Social Forum Free Palestine ]The World Social Forum Free Palestine was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 1-2 December 2012. The forum provided a venue for networking and alliance building hosting 3000 registered participants from five continents participating 150 panel discussions. BADIL attended eight panel discussions and presented at three. BADIL publications were distributed at the forum to attending organizations, trade unions, faith groups and solidarity groups. BADIL also electronically distributed a call to “Rescue Palestine’s Environment”. Participation in the Palestinian National Youth Week An international conference was hosted by the new Russian Center of Culture on 12 November, organized by the Palestinian Liberation Organization in cooperation with civil society organizations as one of the events within the Week of Palestine Youth. BADIL was asked to give a presentation followed by Q&A at the conference which was attended by political delegations, government official and ambassadors from Malta, Spain, Italy, Uganda, India, the European Union and of course Russia and ministries of the Palestinian Authority. Networking to raise awareness in the USA BADIL decided that in addition to its legal advocacy activities in the USA with the UN in New York and the US Congress in Washington, it is necessary to increase activity with regards to local awareness, particularly among university students. To support these activities, BADIL contracted a networking officer in the USA. Consequently, three events were implemented by BADIL in the US in December: “A Discussion on Palestine: Present Absentee” at two venues in New Orleans, lecture, photo exhibition and film screening; and “A Night in Palestine: Celebrating Palestinian Culture” hosted by the Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine. BADIL expects to implement awareness activities of this nature in 14 states in 2013. Outreach in Brussels BADIL contracted a logistics facilitator in Brussels to facilitate the establishment of an office space there. The facilitator has been investigating rental locations for the establishment of an office space for BADIL in Brussels as well as initiating contact with local, regional and international organizations located there. BADIL intends on focusing a fair amount of awareness raising, advocacy and alliance building initiatives in Brussels BADIL signs Memorandum of Understanding with Palestine Works Palestine Works is a non-profit non-government US based organization that “engages and harnesses the expertise of young professionals to make sustainable contributions to Palestinian communities.” BADIL has partnered with Palestine Works in their first project which will place American law students in human rights organizations in a fellowship/internship capacity. BADIL expects to receive its first Palestine Works law student in June 2013.
	Membership in Coalitions and Alliance Building
	BADIL has elevated its efforts to cooperate strategically with coalitions and networks in order to increase the impact and scope of all its activities. This effort has resulted in information sharing and experience exchange, higher quality outputs, increasing target audiences and consolidated and efficient initiatives that avoid duplication. BADIL believes that cooperation and consolidation of efforts with coalitions and networks will result in a unified voice and stance on the needs of all sectors of the Palestinian community. BADIL ramped up its efforts as a member of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) by spearheading the creation of a brochure that highlights the goals and vision of the council to promote awareness and visibility. Furthermore the Administrative Committee of the PHROC is in the process of unifying and coagulating services and service providers such as telecommunications, health insurance and banking for the council members. BADIL and Karios Palestine completed and published a joint working paper/brief on the displacement and dispossession of Palestinian Christians. BADIL also participated in the Occupied Palestine and Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative (OPGAI) steering committee meeting.
	Research
	18 December 2012 – Biennial Survey – “Survey of Palestinian Refugees and IDPS 2010-2012” See:http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3638-press-eng-53 December 2012 – Survey – “One People United: A Deterritorialized Palestinian Identity, Survey of Palestinian Youth on Identity and Social Ties-2012” See: http://www.badil.org/en/badil-news/829-story-1 December 2012 - Joint Publication with Kairos Palestine – “Palestinian Christians: Ongoing forcible displacement and dispossession . . . until when?” See:http://www.badil.org/en/documents/category/2-working-papers?download=1028%3Abadil-kairos-wp

	Mobilization and Intervention with Duty Bearers
	In cooperation with Palestinian and international human rights organizations, BADIL initiated and collaborated in drafting and/or endorsing many joint submissions, letters, petitions, press releases and reports dealing with current situations, actions or events. A notable increase in the joint interventions has been achieved. This increase is attributed to the enhancement of cooperation with and among local and international human rights organizations. See: http://www.badil.org/en/legal-advocacy
	Legal Advocacy
	BADIL’s Geneva Consultant met with the UN Human Rights Council President on 20 November 2012. The meeting, which lasted for forty-five minutes included topics such as the findings of the last Russell Tribunal in New York, the 2012 Universal Periodic Review of the State of Israel (this was the first year Israel did not submit a report to the UPR), the USA’s strategy in the HRC which amounts to deposing any resolution that confronts or condemns Israeli violations of international law, Israel’s proposal to remove item #7 (which concerns the human rights situation of Palestinians) from the agenda of HRC sessions, and the request for a special UNHRC session on Gaza. The president expressed her concern for cuts in the financial assistance received by the United States for the UN; saying that Israel is very angry about the recent findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (which concluded that certain Israeli planning and zoning policies constitute Apartheid). The president also expressed her concern regarding the daily suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli regime. Furthermore, BADIL participated in the preparation meetings for the 2013 Universal Periodic Review of Israel. Since Israel’s withdrawal from the HRC in April 2012, there is some question of whether or not the UPR of Israel will take place. BADIL is therefore pressuring the UN to hold the UPR session arguing that Israel must be held accountable for not submitting the required yearly report. If Israel is not held accountable for this action, it would set a dangerous precedent for other states. 5-7 November – Legal Committee Meeting of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine – BADIL’s USA consultant participated as a member of the Legal Committee of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in New York. In addition to providing live tweeter feeds (that were followed by thousands) and distributing BADIL publications, BADIL contributed to the composition of the Russell Tribunal findings and conclusions. The document was presented to the UNHRC president by BADIL’s Geneva consultant. See: http://badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3622-press-eng-48
	Media
	BADIL staff participated in 2 radio and one web radio interviews contributing to approximately 30 minutes of air time regarding topics such as the Al-Awda Award and the Palestine upgrade to non-member observer state status in the United Nations. BADIL also published 11 English and 12 Arabic press releases in the final quarter of 2012. Highlight 1: BADIL USA consultant participated in a thirty minute national TV program on MSNBC, “Up with Chris Hayes”. The program hosted two Palestinians and one Israeli discussing the targeted killings of Hamas members in Gaza. See:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46979738/ns/msnbc-up_with_chris_hayes/#49873864 Highlight 2: BADIL’s USA consultant also participated in a panel discussion on the Palestinian statehood bid to the UN on Beijing Today (China Radio International's English Service) which broadcasts to 24 cities around the world. The other members of the panel were former Chinese Ambassador to Iran and Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. See: http://english.cri.cn/8706/2012/11/21/2861s734222.htm Highlight 3: BADIL’s Legal Advocacy Program Coordinator participated in an interview on AICvision, the Alternative Information Center’s web radio concerning the UNGA’s recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state. See: http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/multimedia/5803-aicvision-unga-recognises-palestine.html

Youth Education and Activation Project (YEAP)

Fifth Initiative: In support and solidarity with Palestinian farmers, YEAP participants joined BADIL and a host of Palestinian community-based organizations in a volunteer olive harvesting day on 2 November 2012. Simultaneous olive harvesting support by YEAP members took place in Wadi Fukin (Bethlehem) and Khuz’a (Gaza). The events targeted Palestinian farmers that face ongoing Israeli displacement policies and continuous attacks by Israeli settlers during olive harvest season. This initiative is the second YEAP initiative implemented to encourage volunteerism among Palestinian youth. The first was implemented during a three day mission/tour to the Jordan Valley and other areas of the West Bank also facing imminent displacement by the Israeli authorities.

See the following links for more details:

http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3627-press-ara-41

http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3628-press-eng-51

Strategy Forum

BADIL-Zochrot Joint Action: On 23 December 2012, BADIL and Zochrot held a joint conference for the launch of the findings of the joint action mission to Cape Town South Africa. The output of the mission was a Vision Paper, constituted of a series of four papers on the practicalities of Palestinian Refugee return. The papers were published in the 49th issue of Al-Majdal (BADIL’s English periodical magazine) and were the main focus of the launching event in Tel-Aviv. The Vision Paper was distributed to the one hundred and some Israeli, Palestinian and international attendants in English and Hebrew.

See: http://www.zochrot.org/en/content/inaugurating-%E2%80%9Cvision-return%E2%80%9D

Civil Society Activists Forum (CSAF): The third and fourth meetings of the CSAF took place on 7 and 8 December, respectively. The two-day long meetings were held in the Ongoing Nakba Education Center at BADIL headquarters in Bethlehem and the Phoenix Charitable Society in Dheisheh Refugee Camp. The first half of the first day involved the recollection and discussion of the historic highlights and turning points of the evolution of the Palestinian national movement up to the present led by Professor Abd Al-Majeed Hamdan, a prominent Palestinian thinker and writer. The second half of the first day engaged the 35 participants of the CSAF in the discussion and analysis of two artistic presentations: a musical presentation by the Palestinian musical group “Injaz” and a theatrical play on the geopolitical and socioeconomic situation in Jerusalem by Hussam Ghosh.

The second day involved a discussion and debate surrounding the concept and context of Palestinian national identity, including the potential impact of the inclusion of Palestine as a non-member observer state in the United Nations. The discussion was led and mediated by Mr. Ahmed Abu Ghosh, co-author of “Palestinian National Identity: Formation Particularity and Defining Framework” published by BADIL in May 2012.

Academic Activists Training: Sixty-one students enrolled for the BADIL course, “Palestinian Refugees under International Law”, given at Al-Quds University. Approximately 70 students from the Al-Quds University Legal Department also participated in a BADIL-led fact-finding mission to the Jordan Valley and Nablus. The one day long tour exposed the law students to the realities of Israeli forced displacement policies and practices faced by the Palestinian communities in those areas.

Al-Awda Award Competition

The third and final phase of the Al-Awda Award which is comprised of the Best Story for Children and Best Short Documentary Film Photograph categories was completed in December. The winners from the two categories were honoured at an award ceremony on 20 December which commemorated the anniversary of UN Resolution 194. This year BADIL commissioned 3 different artists to illustrate the 2012 children stories. Consequently, each story book created had its own unique quality and resulted in an appealing and attractive children’s series. With regards to the short documentary films, the independent jury upon review of the submissions received, decided that there was not a submission that could be awarded first place based on the criteria established. Therefore, only a second place and two honorary mentions were selected.

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3637-press-ara-44

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5uVimMT-Bk&feature=youtu.be

Winners from the first and second phase were honoured at the First Palestinian commemoration of World Refugee Day that BADIL implemented on 5 July.

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3581-press-ara-32

Ongoing Nakba Education Center (ONEC)

BADIL is delighted to announce through its Ongoing Nakba Education Center (ONEC) the release of the latest multimedia advocacy tools on the ONEC website. Several new tools have been added to the project, documenting additional cases of ongoing Palestinian displacement.

Additions to the ONEC-3rd Quarter

Area	Films (14)	Audios (1)	Photographic Galleries (5)
Jerusalem	1. Battir, “Villagers on the Line” 2. Wadi Abu Hind, Jabal, Khan al-Ahmar, Anata “Nowhere left to go”; 3. Bet Sakarya; 4. The al-Gurshan, “Under Sun”; 5. Al-Auja	Dheisheh, “Displacement and Identity”	1. Battir 2. Al-Qabu
Haifa	1. Nassif Jahshan, “Haifa in the Memory”; 2. Amneh Hammad, “Haifa in theMemory”; 3. Jaser Salah, “Haifa in the Memory”.
Tabariyya (Tiberias)	Eliaboun, “Sons of Eliaboun”
Gaza	4. Abasan, “I Shall Not Be Moved From My Land” 5. Khuza'a, “I Will Rebuild My House Again”
Akka (Acre)	6. Amqa, Stories of Palestinian Women 7. Suhmata, Stories of Palestinian Women 8. Tarshiha, Stories of Palestinian Women		1. Iqrith 2. Al-Bassa 3. Kufr Birim (Safad)

BADIL, in cooperation with the Alternative Information Center, held a public screening of “Villagers on the Line”, a documentary film produced by ONEC. The screening, which took place on 1 December, was followed by a lively discussion about the unique situation in the village of Battir, in terms of Israeli policies in that area, land confiscation and appropriation, the route of the Apartheid Wall, and the consequences of the status of lands that were designated agricultural heritage sites by UNESCO. The screening and discussion was followed by a tour to Battir the following day. This activity aimed to 1) increase the awareness surrounding triggers to forced displacement used by the Israeli regime, those that target both local rights holders and international stakeholders and 2) to promote the ONEC as tool for awareness-raising and advocacy available to these target groups.

Mobilization

Local Mobilization: Campaign on Forced Population Transfer in the oPt

BADIL launched a campaign targeting marginalized populations in Area C of the occupied territory to contribute to their self-protection and resilience in those areas which are facing imminent threats forced population transfer. The campaign consists of two phases: training and awareness on forced population transfer policies of the state of Israel in the oPt in communities facing the threat of forced transfer; and the mobilization of these communities through popular initiatives to advocate for adherence, respect and accountability to international law and human rights. The first phase comprised of the implementation of 10 two-day training sessions that covered 10 areas: 1) eight Bedouin communities in the southern Hebron hills 2) four Palestinian villages in the area between Nablus and the Jordan Valley 3) Farah Refugee Camp 4) Salfiet 5) Bethlehem refugee camps 6) Rafah, Gaza 7) Khan Younis, Gaza 8) Ramallah refugee camps 9) Jerusalem 10) Battir and Al-Walaja.

Approximately 400 people participated in the trainings which took place through out the fourth quarter of 2012. The second phase of the campaign, the popular initiatives will be implemented in the first and second quarters of 2013.

See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3621-press-eng-47

Campaign against Women in Green

Women in Green (WiG) is a registered Israeli non-profit organization. It has no institutional origins and does not contain overlapping personnel from other women’s organizations. It was founded in 1993 by Ruth and Michael Matar and is not affiliated with any political party. WiG opposes the Oslo Agreements and the PNA. Its motto is: “The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel". It is dedicated to protecting the security and Jewish heritage of historic Israel. It opposes the two-state solution and they aim to claim all of Judea and Samaria as Jewish land. Women in Green believes Palestinians are descended from relatively recent immigrants and favor their transfer to the neighboring Arab countries from which they believe they originate. BADIL, in cooperation with the Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI) of the EJ-YMCA and YWCA of Palestine, the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), the Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) of the Presbyterian Church in the USA and the United Nations (UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have begun a campaign to stop US tax exemption for WiG based on their violation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory. To this end the aforementioned organizations have compiled a file that contains a review of Women in Green and their activities in the West Bank, including legal documents and interviews with Palestinian victims – farmers whose lands have been attacked and vandalized by members of the organization and the historical background of Zionism, Zionist and Israeli practices and mechanisms to confiscate Palestinian lands. The file was sent to the Presbyterian Church lawyers in the USA for legal review on 10 October. Pending the results of this review and the recommendations made by the Presbyterian lawyers, the cooperating organization will put forth a plan of action regarding Women in Green.

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3652-press-ara-48

Publications

October 2012 – Position Paper – “The Recognition of Arab-Jewish refugees must not undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees”

See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3617-press-eng-46

October 2012 – Al-Majdal Special Issue #50 – “Reinstatements”

See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3626-press-eng-49

October 2012 – Brochure – “Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council”

23 October 2012 – Haq Al-Awda Issue #49 – “Palestinian Youth Movement: Existing Challenges and Future Potential” (translated from Arabic).

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3602-press-ara-35

23 November 2012 – Joint Statement – “Palestinian human rights NGOs condemn violations of international law in Gaza and call for prompt investigations and accountability”, Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations (PCHRO).

See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3631-press-eng-51

18 October 2012 – Haq Al-Awda Issue #50 – “Palestine's Spring: The Essence of Change, its Means and the Requisites of Emancipation” (translated from Arabic).

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3625-press-ara-40

November 2012 – BADIL 2013 Calendar – “International Protection for Palestinian Refugees and IDPs”

See: http://www.badil.org/en/publications?page=shop.browse&category_id=10

31 December 2012 - Haq Al-Awda Issue #51- “Statal and Arab National Affairs within the Arab Transformations - Palestine and the Arab Transformations” (translated from Arabic)

See: http://www.badil.org/ar/press-releases/143-2012/3652-press-ara-48

Institutional Development

BADIL staff participated in several workshops supported by its partners to critical analyze and dissect BADIL current strategic plan. The workshops will continue into 2013 and will result in a revised strategic plan. BADIL also participated in a five day Monitoring and Evaluation Training that resulted in the creation of the first Theory of Change for BADIL.

BADIL is currently hosting 2 international interns: one legal research intern and one communications intern.

BADIL is in the process of finalizing a financial manual, an operations manual, an internship manual and a fundraising manual supported by its partner organizations with the assistance of related experts. BADIL increased its human resource capacity: full time legal researcher and financial officer were contracted by BADIL in the Bethlehem office; a logistics facilitator contracted in Brussels and a mobilization officer contracted in the USA.

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