After a Month of Palestinian Uprising and Israeli Repression:
- Conditions and Perspectives for a Peaceful Solution
- Facts & Figures
Today, 2 November 2000, marks the anniversary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration in which the British Foreign Office confirmed its support for the Zionist movement's colonialist project of establishing a "Jewish homeland" in Palestine. Today marks also the day after the most heavy and violent Israeli military attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Palestinian uprising ("Al-Aqsa Intifada") on 28 September. The Israeli military attack, launched Monday afternoon mainly against Aida and Azza refugee camps, as well as the towns of Beit Jala, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and al-Khader village came to avenge an unprecedented death toll of three Israeli soldiers that day. Four hours of indiscriminate Israeli shooting and shelling - from mortars, tanks, and helicopters - at these Palestinian communities resulted in damage to homes and enterprises and caused fear and panic among Palestinian residents who lack access to safe shelters. Today, Palestinian public institutions and business are on strike, the population attending the funerals of eight Palestinian victims killed in the last two days, and everybody waiting to understand the implications of the latest agreement brokered between President Arafat and Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation, Shimon Peres.
Irrespective of whether the immediate future will bring the continuation of the Palestinian uprising and its transformation into a war of attrition with the Israeli occupation forces, or a success of the latest Peres-Arafat cease-fire agreement, Israel's military and political establishment has recognized the fact that neither the current crisis, nor the historical Israeli-Palestinian/Arab conflict can be solved by military means, but require a negotiated political solution. The Palestinian people and its leadership, on the other hand, have clearly expressed through the current uprising that they demand a framework of political negotiations which is based on international law and UN resolutions (especially UN Resolution 181 providing for a special international regime over all of Jerusalem; Resolution 194 calling for the repatriation and restitution of Palestinian refugees; Resolutions 242 and 338 calling for Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967) and active involvement by the international community, foremost the United Nations. The experience with the abortive Oslo "peace process" has shown that the Palestinian people strongly rejects the principle of might makes right imposed by the powerful United States and Israel, as well as the determination of the Palestinian people to obtain a solution which meets universal standards of justice, international law and democracy.
FACTS and FIGURES: Al-Aqsa Intifada, 28 September - 2 November 2000
(Sources: UMPRC; Defense of Children International-Palestine Section;
Adameer/Clashes Information Center)
1. Palestinian Deaths and Injuries caused by Israeli army and settlers
Total number of deaths: between 144 - 150
(Total number of Israeli
deaths: 11;
based on statistics released by the Israeli human rights
organization B'tselem)
2. Total Number of Injuries:
some 5,000
3. Deaths according to Age:
Below 15 (13.8%);
16-18 years (20.3%)
As of 1 November, 46 children were killed by Israeli military.
4. Major Causes of Death:
Bullets (92%);
Denial of Access to Treatment (2.2%);
5. Location of Injuries:
Upper body (70%);
head or neck (26%);
6. Attacks on Medical Personnel
(as of 24-10; source: Palestinian Red Crescent Society)
38 Emergency Medical Technicians have been injured and one killed;
57
incidents of denial of access to ambulances at roadblocks;
7. Types of Weapons used by Israeli against Civilians:
LAU (Light Anti-Armor Weapon) Missiles;
TOW Missiles;
Apache and Cobra
Helicopters; Merkava Tanks;
500mm and 800mm rounds;
live ammunition;
rubber-coated steel bullets;
8. Attacks on Civilian Areas:
* All major West Bank and Gaza towns, cities, and refugee camps;
* Recently (1 November), in the Jenin area Israeli soldiers raided the
villages of Silt al-Thaher and Al-Fandoukoumiyeh, which have been
under constant attack by settlers and the military for the last month,
and raided houses, rounding up tens of residents, transferring them by
bus to the nearby settlement of Hormish. Remaining residents over the
age of 30 were ordered to gather at the Girl's school in Silt
al-Thaher. Residents refused and a curfew has been imposed on the
village.
9. Attacks by Israeli Settlers include:
* Daily attacks on West Bank villages in the north, center and south
including shooting on residents and destruction of property;
*
Shooting on farmers attempting to harvest olives;
* Attacks on
Palestinian cars;
* Attacks on school children and on schools in
Jenin, Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron, Khan Younis and Rafah areas;
*
Attack on a mini-bus carrying disabled children;
* Kidnapping;
*
Destruction of olive orchards.
For additional information on the current Palestinian uprising, Israeli repression, and relevant international law references, see: www.badil.org/intifada2000/intifada2000.html
BADIL Resource Center aims to provide a resource pool of alternative, critical and progressive information and analysis on the question of Palestinian refugees in our quest to achieve a just and lasting solution for exiled Palestinians based on the right of return.
PO Box 728, Bethlehem, Palestine; tel/fax. 02-2747346; email: info@badil.org; website: www.badil.org
ISRAELI FORCES CONTINUE CLOSURE, KILLINGS AND CURFEWS
Despite Israeli Brigadier-General Ron Kitrey's official statement early this morning, that the Israeli forces would stop shooting, withdraw heavy armour and lift the closure around Palestinian communities, Palestinian youths are still being targeted and villages are still under curfew.
This morning, Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of villagers demonstrating in Hizma, outside Ramallah. Khaled Rezaq, 17, died after being shot in the chest and stomach by Israeli forces.
Curfew in the southern part of Hebron has been imposed adding to the current curfew in the Israeli occupied section of the city of Hebron. Curfew continues in the villages of Sailat Athaher and Al Fonduqomeih near Nablus.
All Israeli checkpoints are still in place, blocking the movement of Palestinians from town to town.
Also this morning, Adli Abeid, 21 from Ashate' Refugee camp in Gaza, died from injuries he sustained during clashes at the Al Mintar passage on October 31, 2000.
Last Night, Marwan Assaf, 21, from the Wadi village, was shot and killed during clashes in Al Kahder village near Bethlehem.
The Palestinian death toll is 148. Of those 47 are children
TOTAL OF CHILDREN MARTYRS REACHES 51 ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD IN ISRAEL
Nine years ago today, on 2 November 1991, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) entered into force in Israel. The CRC, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in resolution 44/25 on 20 November 1989. Article 4 of the Convention obliges States Parties to take "all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognized" in the Convention. These rights include, among others, the right to life (article 6), the right to education (article 28), the right to be free from torture and other inhumane treatment (article 37), the right to due process (article 37), the right to health care (article 24), the right to an adequate standard of living (article 27), and the right to recreation and leisure (article 31). Of particular importance to Palestinian children, article 38 of the CRC requires that States Parties ensure the protection of children who are affected by armed conflict.
As a States Party to the Convention, Israel is bound by article 2 to ensure the rights contained therein, both in the territory of the state itself, and in areas under its control. To date, Israel has not only failed to implement the CRC in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it has also failed to submit the required country report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, required within 2 years of the date of entry into force by article 44. Israel's report is now 7 years past due.
This past month, we have seen the tragic consequences of Israel's failure to comply with its obligations under international law, both those it has willingly assumed, and those to which it is bound under customary international law. In a little over one month, 51 Palestinian children have been killed and an additional 3 have been declared clinically dead. These children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years old. According to DCI/PS fieldwork, 44 died after being shot in the upper body by Israeli military forces, including 23 shot in the head, 17 in the chest, and 1 in the neck with live ammunition, as well as 3 shot in the head with rubber coated steel bullets. In addition, around 1,700 Palestinian children have been injured. Moreover, there are literally thousands of Palestinian children who have been traumatized by the daily exposure to extreme violence.
Since the beginning of October 2000, thousands of Palestinian children in the Israeli controlled H2 area of Hebron have been virtual prisoners in their own homes as a result of the continuous curfew imposed on the area, a curfew that does not apply to the illegal Israeli settlers residing in the area. As a result, over 30 Palestinian schools have been closed, including 3 that have been taken over by the Israeli military and transformed into military installations. As such, approximately 20,000 children are denied their right to education. In addition are around 13,000 Palestinian children that are currently unable to travel to school as a result of the closure imposed on Palestinian areas. With respect to children's right to due process, tens of Palestinian children have been arrested, subjected to physical abuse, including torture, and are currently being detained without trial. One less obvious ramification of the current crisis is the negative psycho-social affects such violence will have on thousands of Palestinian children. Professionals participating in DCI/PS's crisis intervention project note that symptoms diagnosed thus far are: bedwetting, under eating, over eating, moderate depression, intense attachment to parents, and fear of leaving home.
While the entire civilian population has suffered as a result of the Israeli attack, the affects on Palestinian children are most severe. What we have seen in the past month is an intensification of ongoing and systematic violations of Palestinian children's rights by the Israeli occupation authorities and demonstrates both Israel's failure to abide by international human rights and humanitarian law and the international community's failure to insist that it do so. These events not only constitute individual violations of the CRC, taken as a whole, they constitute a betrayal of the spirit and intent of the Convention itself. The extent and nature of the Israeli violations, along with the international community's failure to ensure respect for the treaty, set a dangerous precedent that threaten the protection of children's rights globally. In light of this situation, there is an urgent need for immediate intervention by the international community in order to guarantee protection of Palestinian children.
ISRAEL'S EXCESSIVE AND INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FORCE: EYE INJURIES
On 29 September 2000, following Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to Jerusalem's Haram al Sharif the previous day, clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and spread throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and also within Israel. In order to disperse demonstrations by Palestinian civilians, protesting against the violation of their basic rights, the Israeli army, police and Border Police used live ammunition and rubber coated metal bullets. The Israeli army also used heavy weaponry, including tanks, helicopters and missiles. So far, the indiscriminate, disproportionate and excessive use of force by the Israeli security forces has resulted in a great number of Palestinian casualties. The excessive use of force by the Israeli security forces has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council in resolution 1322 of 7 October 2000, and by international human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
According to LAW's database, as of 2 November 2000, 148 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 7,000 have been injured. Most of the injuries sustained by Palestinians were in the upper parts of the body. This raises the suspicion that the Israeli security forces are pursuing a shoot to kill policy or at least one intended to inflict serious injury on Palestinian demonstrators.
Among those Palestinians killed and injured in the recent clashes, many are minors under the age of 18. According to information collected by the Palestinian branch of Defense for Children International (DCI), as of 2 November 2000, 48 children have been killed by the Israeli security forces since 29 September 2000. An 18-month-year-old girl, Sara 'Abdel Atheem 'Abdel Haq, from Salfit/Nablus, was killed on 30 September when Jewish settlers shot at the car her father was driving and hit her in the head. Additionally, 3 children have been pronounced clinically dead after being hit by live bullets in the head. DCI further estimates that, as of 2 November 2000, around 1700 of those injured are children. At least 26 children sustained eye injuries and at least four children are known to have lost an eye.
LAW has collected information from several area hospitals regarding those who have sustained eye-injuries over the last month of clashes.
From 29 September to 25 October 2000, Jerusalem's St. John Eye Hospital has treated 50 patients for eye-injuries. According to hospital staff, the injuries treated involve bleeding of the eyeball and the orbital tissues. Almost half the injuries (24) were caused by rubber-coated metal bullets in the eye. In each of the 8 cases where a patient lost an eye (two of them were children aged 101 and 122); the injury was caused by rubber coated metal bullets. In addition to those who have lost an eye, at least 11 other patients will probably suffer serious permanent loss of vision as a result of their injuries, according to Dr. David Leighton, a hospital staff member.
Hospital records suggest that about 25% of the 50 patients treated at St. John Hospital were children: 13 were children under the age of 18 and 2 had turned 18 this year. A 12-year-old boy from Nahaleen (Bethlehem) was hit by settlers while he was picking olives, probably with a blunt object, and sustained serious injuries. Two other patients were also attacked by settlers.
On 2 November 2000, Al Mezan Specialized Hospital in Hebron reported treating 19 injuries since 29 September 2000, of whom 7 were children with one as young as 18 months. Most of the injuries were caused by rubber coated metal bullets. Three patients who physically lost an eye were transferred to St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem while 21-year-old Khaleel Abdel-Jaleel was sent abroad for treatment. The rest of the cases (15) involved patients who were discharged but are receiving on going treatment through follow-up appointments. In a statement signed by the Medical Director Maghazi Tantawi, the assessment is that most of these patients will have a permanent partial loss of vision.
As of 31 October 2000, Nasser Eye Hospital in Gaza has treated 51 people for eye injuries, the majority of whom (37) were children below the age of 18. Ten of the patients have lost an eye, among them 5 children. According to the director of the hospital, Dr. Mahmoud Nasrallah, 22 of the eye injuries treated were caused by rubber coated metal bullets.
Rubber Coated Metal Bullets
With regard to rubber coated metal bullets, Dr. Nasrallah pointed out:
"Rubber bullets are not really rubber bullets. They are metal bullets coated with a layer of rubber, sometimes as thin as 1mm. If fired from close range, as has been the case, these bullets do not only hit the eye but penetrate into the brain."
Dr. Aghlab Khouri of St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, explained in his affidavit to LAW the effect of the impact of a rubber coated metal bullet to the eye:
"The cases that have I treated during the clashes were cases of direct shots to the eyes with rubber coated metal bullets. This kind of bullet does not have a sharp end but has a piece of metal inside; they hit the eye with great speed, creating an impact that shatters the eye."
Asked about the damage caused to eyes by rubber coated metal bullets, Dr. Khouri explained:
"The eye is like a small ball that is filled with a material that resembles jelly. When a rubber bullet hits the eye the effect is the same as if the ball was run over by a car; the result is that the eye is squashed. Therefore, in most cases, the wounded eye requires removal and is lost forever. However, if the injury does not lead to the removal of the eye, it leads for example to shortsightedness or even blindness. Some of the patients had a bullet lodged in the eye orbit, damaging the bones and other tissues and leading to hemorrhage around the orbit."
From the hospital records and the case information collected, it would be fair to conclude that many of the eye injuries sustained by both children and adults were caused by shots fired at very close range. For example, 12-year-old Ala Badra was shot from a distance of about 20 meters. Hussein Othman, 37, from Sumoud refugee camp was shot from a distance of 3-5 meters only. As a result, he lost his eye. Ziyad Fararja, 20, from Deheishea refugee camp, lost his left eye after being shot from a distance of 10 meters. Awad Mansour, 33, from Al Azariyeh, was shot from a distance of 20 meters and lost his left eye.
Three Boys: Case Studies
Among the children who lost their eyes are Suleiman Musbah (11), Ala Badran (12) and Ziyad Abu Baraka (14).
According to press reports,on 30 September 2000, 11-year old Suleiman Musbah from the village of Abasan al Kabir in the Gaza Strip sustained an eye injury during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the settlement of Kfar Darom. Suleiman was shot in the eye when he was trying to remove an Israeli flag from the settlement in order to replace it with a Palestinian one. The boy's eye was irreversibly damaged and will require further treatment abroad. It is unlikely that this boy's actions posed a threat to the Israeli soldiers' lives.
Twelve-year old Ala Badran, from the Old City in Jerusalem, was shot in the eye with a rubber coated metal bullet, which also broke his cheekbone and nose. Ala told LAW's field researcher, "I was on my way to my uncle's house in Kalandia; the house is near Jerusalem airport. As I left my uncle's car near his home, an Israeli soldier pointed his gun at me. He was only across the street. He fired at me and his bullet hit my eye. My face and eye started bleeding. My mother took me to Ramallah Hospital and later to St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. I have lost my eye forever." Ala will need further medical care. However, his father is too ill to work, his mother is unemployed and his uncles provide the sole support for the family. While he was not involved in any clashes, and posed no threat to the soldier who shot him, he is now permanently handicapped.
According to press reports, Ziyad Abu Baraka was badly injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip. An unexploded Israeli shell blew up immediately after he touched it. He sustained burns to the face and chest and lost an arm and both of his eyes. At 14, he is severely crippled for life.
Two Women: Case Studies
Maha Awad is 36 years old, unemployed and lives with her family in Al Bireh (near Ramallah) in a flat that faces the Jewish settlement of Psagot. On Wednesday night, 4 October 2000, she was at home with her parents and her brother. She recalls that:
"At about 9 pm, we heard shooting in our neighborhood; it was intensive random shooting. We did not know what was going on but we were very scared. I closed my room and went to the balcony in order to shut the door. At that moment I was hit in my right eye by a bullet, which entered through the glass door of the balcony. I therefore assumed that I was shot by a weapon with a silencer, as used by Israeli snipers."6
Maha was initially taken to Ramallah Hospital and later was transferred to Al Raci Eye Hospital in Al Bireh. She sustained serious injuries: her eye hemorrhaged and glass splinters injured her face. Maha was, however, not the only person of the family to be seriously injured that night. After taking her to hospital, her 54-year-old brother, who was visiting from the United States, went back to their home to get some clothes for Maha. When he went to see the spot where Maha had been shot, he himself was shot in the stomach.
Subhia Usam Jawabrah (38) lives in Arroub refugee camp between Bethlehem and Hebron. She is married to a teacher who works at a government school. His salary is barely enough to support his wife and their 7 children. Subhia is 4 months pregnant. About 4 weeks ago, on a Sunday evening, while looking after her children at home, she was shot in her left eye with a rubber coated metal bullet. Subhia told LAW's field-researcher:
"On Sunday 1 October at around 6 pm, I was standing on the roof of my house in Arroub refugee camp. My children were playing. In a distance of about 100 meters there were clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians. We could hear the shooting and watched what was going on. Suddenly, I turned my head round; something had hit my left eye. I was bleeding heavily from my left eye and from my nose and was immediately taken to St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem." 7 Subhia's medical records indicate that the injury sustained is very serious: a black eye, a wound in her upper lid and hemorrhages in the orbit and the conjunctiva, the transparent skin which covers the eye. Subhia has lost clarity of vision in her left eye and it is not yet clear whether she will be able to fully recover. She already has a cataract in her left eye. At the end of the meeting with LAW's field researcher, Subhia said:
"Why do we have to go through all this? Our life in the camp is very hard. It is not the first time we are confronted with tear-gas and shooting by the Israeli army. All my brothers and my husband have spent time in Israeli prisons. Why can't we Palestinians have a normal life in peace like the rest of the world?"
IDF Open Fire Regulations and International Legal Standards
IDF Open Fire Regulations
The IDF Open Fire Regulations for the Palestinian Territories provide that rubber coated metal bullets should only be used if other means of riot control, such as tear gas and water jets are ineffective. In such cases, rubber coated metal bullets should not be fired from a distance of less than 40 meters. The firing of rubber coated metal bullets should be aimed at the legs of a person identified as one of the rioters or stone-throwers. It is prohibited to fire rubber coated metal bullets at children.8
Hospital records indicate that most injuries caused by the Israeli security forces were caused in the upper part of the body. The serious eye injuries sustained by many patients, including the physical loss of an eye and permanent loss of vision, suggest that rubber coated metal bullets were fired from distances of less than 40 meters. Moreover, rubber coated metal bullets were fired at children as young as 10, as was the case of Ibrahim Khalil Sabarneh, who lost his eye after being shot in the face.
From the facts outlined above, it appears that the Israeli forces are acting in breach of their own regulations when dispersing demonstrations and riots. Despite this fact, to the best knowledge of LAW, no investigations into the deaths and serious injuries caused by the Israeli security forces have been undertaken except in the killing of Mohammed al Dura.9
International Legal Standards
With specific regard to children, the indiscriminate and excessive use of force by the Israeli security forces in the recent clashes constitutes violations of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Israel is a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Article 6 of the ICCPR states that "every human being has the inherent right to life" and that "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life." Article 6 of the CRC specifically establishes the right to life of every child and puts the state parties under an obligation to "ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child."
Furthermore, in view of the particular vulnerability of children in situations of armed conflict, article 38 (1) of the CRC emphasizes that "State Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for rules of international humanitarian law applicable to them in armed conflicts which are relevant to the child."
International humanitarian law, as established in the Fourth Geneva Convention, provides in Article 27 that "protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons" and that they shall be humanely treated and protected against all acts of violence. Article 32 prohibits the signatories of the Convention to take "any measure of such a character as to cause the physical suffering ...of protected persons in their hands. This prohibition applies not only to murder, torture...., but also to any other measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or military agents."
Regarding the conduct of security officials, the UN established a set of rules and principles, many of which have been violated by Israel's use of excessive and indiscriminate force during the recent clashes.
Article 2 of the 1979 UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials provides that law enforcement officials shall "respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons" in the performance of their duties.
By the standards set out in the 1990 UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, law enforcement officials "shall not use firearms against persons except in self-defense or defense of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life..., and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life" (Principle 9).
According to Principle 5, if the use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials shall:
"(a) Exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved; (b) Minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life; (c) Ensure that assistance and medical aid are rendered to any injured or affected persons at the earliest possible moment."
In the majority of cases, excessive force was used by the Israeli forces in situations which posed no threat to their lives. In some cases, those killed and injured were not involved in the violence. The Israeli forces often fired indiscriminately into crowds of demonstrators without regard to human life and without seeking to minimize the risk of endangering uninvolved persons.
LAW urges the members of the proposed international investigation committees10 to examine this information and make use of current findings collected by local and international human rights and medical organizations. We urge the investigation committees to investigate Israel's violation of international law and to draw its assessment based on these facts.
LAW also urges the international community to pressure Israel to comply with its obligations under international law, specifically the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
URGENT APPEAL
For over 30 days, the Israeli military forces have continued their brutal acts against the Palestinian people, in cooperation with Jewish settlers and supported by PM Ehud Barak's Government.
In so doing, the Israeli government has escalated a very serious situation in the Palestinian territories.
In this context, the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Union of Arab Community Based Associations (Ittijah) in Israel and the FORUM of Palestinian NGO in Lebanon affirm the following:
1. The situation in the country is becoming extremely dangerous, particularly in light of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's continuous threats to use heavy military force against Palestinians.
2. The increased danger is due to the openly aggressive policy of Barak's Government, providing full support to the armed Jewish settlers for acting on their own, through continuous attacks against Palestinian civilians.
3. The situation is becoming critical as settlers, supported by the Israeli Police and army, continue to impose their control over the West Bank and Gaza strip roads and continue their horrifying attacks against Palestinians.
4. The Israeli Military Forces have imposed a comprehensive siege on the West Bank and Gaza Strip by setting up stratetgically-placed military check-points.
For these reasons, our three Networks affirm the need for immediate international protection of Palestinian people in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip.
Finally, we believe that a permanent solution should address the true,
underlying causes of the current deteriorating situation. Israel's
continuing, 33-year long occupation is the main cause. Therefore, just
and lasting peace cannot be achieved without first putting an end to
the Israeli occupation and insuring Palestinian legitimate rights,
including
the right of return and the establishment of a Palestinian independent
state, with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) Palestine
The FORUM of Palestinian Based Associations in
Lebanon
The Union of Arab Community Israel(Ittijah)