Ref: 52/2006

Date:  22 October 2006    

In Preparation for PCHR Conference “If Not Now? When? Protecting Palestinian Civilians,” Sourani Initiates a European Tour

PCHR and International Federation for Human Rights, in cooperation with a number of Palestinian, Israeli, Arab and international human rights organizations; civil society organizations; solidarity groups with the Palestinian people; and human rights lawyers, academics and experts, will organize a conference on international protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) in the period 13-15 December 2006 in Geneva. The conference seeks to lobby the Swiss Government as Depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a meeting of the High Contracting Parties to task a strong international protection force within the OPT to protect Palestinian civilians and their property.

The idea of organizing this conference emerged for two reasons:

First, there has been unprecedented deterioration in the situation in the OPT, under which crimes committed by IOF against Palestinian civilians have dramatically increased to include killings, destruction of property and economic infrastructure and a total siege mainly targeting Palestinian civilians.

Second, the international community tasked a strong international force consisting of 15,000 soldiers, mostly European, in response to an Israeli demand to protect Israel after a 34-day war against Lebanon and Hizbullah, although Israel is a nuclear country, which has the fourth strongest army in the world, and it is not eligible for protection under international humanitarian law.

In preparation for the conference, Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, has started a tour to Europe to lobby States, governments, civil society organizations and solidarity groups to support the issue of protection of Palestinian civilians and applying international humanitarian law to the Palestinian – Israeli conflict. Mr. Sourani first traveled to Belgium, where he held meetings with members of the European Parliament, the European Union (EU), the European Commission and the Council of Europe. He met with the permanent representative of Finland, whose country currently presides the EU. He also met with officials of the human rights bureau at the Commission; the Italian Commission; and  the office of foreign relations. Furthermore, Mr. Sourani met with the Secretary General of the Middle East and Mediterranean Department at the Council of Europe, and with a number of members of the European Parliament. He briefed them all on the human rights situation and sought to lobby them to support tasking an international protection force to within the OPT. He also warned of further deterioration in the human rights situation in the OPT. Mr. Sourani criticized the EU’s illegal and undemocratic position towards the Palestinian government, which constitutes a cover for punishing the Palestinian people through cutting off aids to the government. He emphasized that the failure of Europe to implement international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, as a legal obligation, distorts its image in the region and encourages Israel to commit more crimes against the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, Mr. Sourani held a press conference with Ms. Luisa Morgantini, Member of the European Parliament, and Dr. Olivier De Chautier, during which they presented a report prepared by the International Federation for Human Rights, which details the catastrophic situation in the OPT and criticizes crimes committed by IOF and the role played by the EU in cutting off aids to the Palestinian People.

Mr. Almossi Adamoa, Head of the Committee of Relations with the Palestinian Parliament, briefed Mr. Sourani on the visit he and other Members of the European Parliament intend to conduct to the OPT in the coming weeks.

In addition, Mr. Sourani met members of the European Coordinating Committee for Palestinians, head by Mr. Pierre Gallant. He discussed with them the idea of the conference and a visit to be conducted by a delegation of the Committee to the OPT to meet with Palestinian civil society groups and Palestinian officials.

It is worth noting that Mr. Sourani had met with Mr. ‘Amru Mousa, Secretary General of the Arab League of Nations, before he traveled to Europe. The director of Mousa’s office, the director of the legal unit at the League and Bahi al-Din Hassan, Director of Cairo Center for Human Rights, joined the meeting. Mr. Mousa expressed his support for the idea of the conference.

Tomorrow, Mr. Sourani will attend a meeting of the Executive Committee of International Commission of Jurists, in which he is an elected member. The meeting will discuss support for the conference and providing protection for the Palestinian people.