Ref: 21/2021

Date: 15 March 2021

Lawyer Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) received last week 2 delegations from the Norway Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority and the Spanish Consulate  and briefed them on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decisions and latest developments to the Palestinian general elections.

On 09 March 2021, Sourani met with Mr. Ignacio García-Valdecasas Fernández, Consul General of Spain in Jerusalem.

On 11 March 2021, Sourani and members of PCHR’s staff received a delegation from the Norway Representative Office to the PA that included Ms. Torunn Viste, Norway’s Representative who visits the Gaza Strip for the first time, Mr. Sigbjørn Litland, First Secretary, and Ms. Liv Heidi Vatn, Head of Administration.

The meetings addressed the human rights situation in the oPt as Sourani briefed them on the on the reality of the Israeli violations, particularly the illegal and inhuman closure imposed on the Gaza Strip for 14 years and its disastrous impact on Palestinian civilians, including the increase in poverty and unemployment rates.

Sourani discussed with the delegation the latest developments relevant to the ICC and the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda’s, decision to open an investigation into the Israeli crimes committed in the oPt; he also highlighted that this decision, which was widely welcomed by PCHR and other human rights organizations, revived the hopes of Palestinian victims in accessing justice after decades of Israeli denial.  PCHR demanded Europe’s support for the ICC’s work and provide protect for it amid the Israel and US’s threats.

Sourani tackled the Palestinian elections and PCHR’s readiness to observe the elections in cooperation with other civil society organizations.  Sourani emphasized on the importance of the international community’s support for the Palestinian general elections and to put pressure on Israel to refrain from any measures that might hinder the electoral process, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem.