For more information, please contact:

Land and Water Establishment

For Studies and Legal Services

Tel: (972) (02) 812364/824559

Fax: (972) (02) 811072

email: lawe@baraka.gn.apc.org

Land and Water Establishment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy, concentrating on land confiscation, property destruction and environmental issues.

For immediate release

20 January, 1995

Israeli Occupation Authorities Forbid Meetings

Israeli Occupation Authorities issued an order today forbidding any Palestinian activity, peaceful demonstrations, or meetings exceeding 10 people in the West Bank. This order was given in response to the wave of non-violent protests by Palestinians that spread throughout the West Bank last month to protest settlement expansion and land confiscation.

This military order violates Palestinian freedom of expression and their right to organize activities to protect their land against confiscation and settlement building. This order also indicates that the Israeli government is not planning to halt settlement construction. The meaning behind Rabin's comments, given during the press conference held after his meeting with President Arafat on 19 January, has become clear - expansion of existing settlements will continue, and confiscation of private lands for building roads to link settlements will continue also.

Land and Water Establishment believes that the Palestinian people have a right to express their objections to land confiscation and settlement expansion, in any peaceful way they find effective.

International law gives peoples living under occupation the right to conduct activities and protests against the occupier.