Outreach & Networking

BADIL hosted international guests on 23 separate occasions throughout the third quarter of 2012, providing briefing and, in some cases, tours to refugee camps for approximately 483 people

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 participated in the monthly meetings of Protection Cluster Working Group and the Displacement Working Group; both are members of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). BADIL continued representing the Global Right of Return Coalition in the BNC and BDS Campaign. BADIL in coordination with the Joint Advocacy Initiative is in the process to launch an international campaign against Women in Green (WiG). BADIL is still gathering information about the WiG, and will also collect testimonies of WiG victims.

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.

*Mission to India with Karios Palestine*

BADIL in cooperation with Kairos Palestine participated in a 12 day speaking tour throughout India. The tour was organized by the Indian Solidarity Ecumenical Network Palestine (ISEN-P)[1] which was established less than a year ago to uphold Palestinian rights and to advocate an end to Israel’s longstanding impunity. ISEN’s main focus is to challenge the Zionist interpretation of the bible and its misused justification of Palestinian suffering; to raise awareness within Indian society as to the political and legal reality in Palestine; and to reach out to Indian policy makers and politicians in order to positively influence their decisions towards the situation in the oPt and Israel.

 The tour was successful for BADIL, allowing it to build a consensus about the root causes of ongoing Palestinian forcible displacement and dispossession, to highlight that only a rights-based approach will guarantee a just and enduring solution, and to challenge Israel’s ongoing occupation and colonization of Palestinian land and people. Additionally, BADIL was able to distribute its publications within more than 15 Indian universities and academic institutions, as well as within a dozen civil society organizations. Furthermore, relationships were forged between BADIL and ISEN so as to ensure a strong, collaborative future working partnership and to support ISEN’s work in India.

The tour took place from 10-23 July, and included the Indian cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi. BADIL’s representative conducted a total of 10 lectures, eight interviews (including one press conference) and four meetings with duty bearers, alongside four coordination meetings.

See:http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3590-press-eng-35  

*Working Group on Palestinian Refugees*

BADIL participated in a two day conference 16-18 July in Brussels, Belgium sponsored by Christian Aid.  Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations attended the conference with the objective of establishing a network to discuss potential strategies regarding refugee issues. In this initial meeting, the participants established three main objectives for the future network: to ensure/facilitate that Palestinian refugee voices are part of and influence any political process via representative bodies; to challenge formal and informal predispositions (Israeli, Palestinian and international) regarding the return of refugees and the applicability of the right of return; and to hold the international community to account on the legal and ethical obligations of the right of return.

Research

12 August 2012 - Occasional Bulletin # 25 – “Seam Zones”

See:http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3600-press-eng-39

1 September 2012 – Occasional Bulletin #26 – “Israel’s Discriminatory Laws (Summary Version)”

See:http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3609-press-eng-42 

3 August 2012 – Statement – “Afford Syria Palestine Refugees Equal Protection as All Other Refugees” See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3595-press-eng-36

9 August 2012 - Statement – “Yet another Palestinian civil society leader targeted by Israel: Addameer Chairperson Abdullatif Ghaith receives ban from leaving the country” Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations (PCHRO), See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3598-press-eng-37

14 August 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

14 September 2012 – Statement – “BADIL condemns the deportation of Palestinian Refugees” See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3611-press-eng-42

BADIL staff participated in 8 radio, TV and newspaper interviews contributing to approximately 201 minutes of air time regarding topics such as the first Palestinian commemoration of World Refugee Day hosted and implemented by BADIL, Palestinian refugees in Syria as well as BADIL publications and activities relating to Palestinian refugee rights from international law perspective. BADIL hosted a tour to the Southern West Bank and the Jordan Valley for a group of Irish journalists. BADIL also published 21 press releases (13 English, 8 Arabic) regarding BADIL’s work: Al Awda Award, WRD, LYRN, publications and legal advocacy.

Institutional Development

BADIL staff participated in several training workshops supported by its partners including: Social Media (2 days) and Good Governance (2 days) sponsored buy NDC and implemented by ABC Consulting; and “Workshop: Social media as a tool for NGO sustainability” sponsored and implemented by DCA.

The above training programs were recreated internally for relevant BADIL staff that was unable to attend the original training programs in order to disseminate training materials and increase the competencies of BADIL’s staff. Furthermore, BADIL’s operations manual was amended to reflect the institutionalization of these internal trainings.

BADIL is currently hosting 2 international interns, 1 local intern and 1 international research student for the fall of 2012.

In addition, BADIL has recently completely the internal re-organization of its offices in its Bethlehem headquarters.  The re-organization of its physical space more aptly reflects the BADIL’s revised organizational structure: each unit and its appropriate staff have been clustered together to improve communication, organization and output.  

   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 (see: http://www.badil.org/en/legal-advocacy). This increase is attributed to the enhancement of cooperation with and among local and international human rights organizations.

Legal Advocacy:

The 20^th and 21^st Sessions of the UNHRC were an important opportunity for BADIL to promote its 2012 advocacy strategy and to uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, in particular the right of return of the over seven million Palestinian refugees. BADIL focused on exposing Israel’s practice of apartheid and its ongoing policy of population transfer.

UN Advocacy

Participation in UNHRC Session #20 (18 June – 6 July)

Written Statement:

• Israeli Settlement Policy Amounts to Forced Population Transfer

Oral Statements:

• BADIL Oral statement on ID SR on situation in Palestinian territories, 25th Meeting (02 July 2012)

• BADIL Oral Statement on GD Item:7 (Cont'd), 26th Meeting (02 July 2012)

• Joint Oral Statement on GD Item:7 (Cont'd), 26th Meeting (02 July 2012)

Side event:

•  BADIL’s side event, “Israel’s prolonged occupation of the Palestinian people and land”

Participation in UNHRC Session #21 (10-28 September)

Written Statements:

• Joint Written Submission to the Human Rights Council 21st Regular Session: Seam Zones

• Joint Written statement: Escalation in Forcible Transfer and Demolitions in Area C

• Joint Written statement: Gaza: Closure, Blockade & Lack of Remedies: Recipe to Abuse Humans and their Rights

Oral Statements:

• BADIL, Clustered ID (Cont'd) with SR Poverty and SR Safe Drinking Water - 6th Meeting, 21st Regular Session of Human Rights Council

• BADIL, General Debate Item: 7, 28th Meeting Human Rights Council

• MRAP, General Debate Item:7, 28th Meeting Human Rights Council

• Al-Haq, General Debate Item:7, 28th Meeting Human Rights Council

Joint Statement, General Debate Item 1, 28th Meeting Human Rights Council, See: http://www.badil.org/en/badil-news/829-story-1

BADIL, General Debate Item 4, 28th Meeting Human Rights Council, See: http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/142-2012/3618-press-eng-46

US Advocacy

26 September - Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions’ (ICAHD) Side Event on Rule of Law “Prolonged Occupation and Self-Determination: The Case of the Palestinian People” on the occasion of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on the Rule of Law. BADIL participated through its US consultant and distributed publications.

19 September - meeting with UNRWA Director Richard Wright in NY: the main focus of the discussion was on humanitarian assistance and UNRWA’s accountability towards Palestinian refugees; as well as the current crisis in Syria and its effect on Palestinian refuges in Syria