Press Releases

(10 November 2000) Available Now! BADIL Bulletin No. 2 - "International Protection Forces - Overview and Relevance for the Palestinian Case"

BADIL Resource Center
2 November 2000
For Immediate Release

BADIL Resource Center has released the second of a series of Occasional Bulletins aimed at contributing to current lobby efforts for international protection of the Palestinian people.

Bulletin No. 2 provides:

1. An overview of the major types of international protection forces authorized under UN auspices to ensure international peace and security, and respect for the rights of individuals as delineated by international law:

a) Military Observer Missions;
b) Peacekeeping Forces composed of national contingents of troops;
c) Complex Operations composed of military, civilian police and other civilian personnel (e.g. UNMIBH in Bosnia & Herzogovina);
d) Multinational Forces composed of UN member states authorized to take joint military action (e.g. KFOR in Kosovo);

2. An examination of the relevance of International Protection Forces for Palestinians: Based on the experience with two international forces deployed in Israel/Palestine in the past (UNTSO, 1948; TIPH, Hebron, 1994) and the limited protection program operated by UNRWA during the first Intifada (RAO, 1987-1992), and given the gross, systematic, and persistent violation of Palestinian rights by the Israeli government, military, and settlers, monitoring and reporting of Israeli violations has failed to provide adequate protection of the Palestinian people.

3. Recommendations:

Efficient protection of the Palestinian people from immediate human rights violations by Israeli military and settlers, as well as facilitation and assistance in the implementation of a future political agreement which is consistent with international law and UN resolutions (181, 194, 242, 338) requires a COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OPERATION (type c) with UN Charter, Chapter VII authorization.
Palestinian, Arab, and international non-governmental organizations and the solidarity movement can encourage and facilitate efficient international intervention on behalf of Palestinian rights by lobbying UN organs and mechanisms for maximum involvement and protection in the framework of their mandate, and by lobbying governments, policy makers, and policy advisors of UN members states support the Palestinian demand for international involvement and protection.

The Bulletin will be available on BADIL's website; email copies are available upon request.