Press Releases

4 June 2013, Ramallah – BADIL hosted the first Palestinian conference on forced population transfer at the Red Crescent Society. The conference entitled “Forced Population Transfer-Elements and Responsibilities” was the first of its kind tackling the issue of the forced population transfer of the indigenous Palestinian population and local, national and international interventions to prevent displacement. At the conference BADIL launched “Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians: A Handbook for Vulnerable Individuals and Communities”, a guide to understanding the linkage between Israeli land regime and forced population transfer.

The conference was organized into four sessions with interventions from internationally renowned experts in various fields, Palestinian human rights organizations, and international organizations. Prof. Joseph Schechla of the Habitat International Coalition probed “Forced Population Transfer in International Law” (Session I). BADIL Resource Center, Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and the Palestinian Authority represented by the Wall and Colonization Portfolio presented strategies and practices of “Local Intervention” (Session II). The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), the Office of the United Nations the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) outlined “International Interventions” (Session III). IN the fourth and last session, “Practical Approaches and Recommendations”,   Prof. Michael Dumper of the University of Exeter outlined the parameters of reparations and restitution and Prof. Susan Akram of Boston University provided a summation of the conference and practical measures in moving forward with adherence to international law and the realization of the right of return for Palestinian refugees. 

The conference was attended by dozens of Palestinian human rights organizations, academic institutions, community-based organizations, representative offices and international organizations, totaling over 130 Palestinian and international participants. The overall opinion of participants was that the conference was long overdue and absolutely necessary. Both participants and speakers voiced the need for follow-up conferences that would further examine the issue of forced population transfer, its consequences, practical measures required to end it and just and durable solutions that adhere to international law.