Ref: 70/2010

On Tuesday, 21 September 2010, Mr.
Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), met
with the French Consul General in Jerusalem, Mr. Frédéric Desagneaux, and Vice
Consul in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Majdi Shaqqoura.

During the meeting, Sourani talked
about developments at the level of human rights in the Gaza Strip both at the Israeli
and Palestinian levels.  He particularly warned
of institutionalizing and legitimizing the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza
Strip.  He further stressed the
importance of having a French-European position towards the Goldstone Report,
which will be discussed in the UN Human Rights Council on 27 September 2010,
and the need to move it to the UN Security Council and then to the
International Criminal Court. 

Sourani thanked Mr. Desagneaux for
his personal interest and France’s interest in observing the developments of
human rights in the Gaza Strip, appreciating the role played by the French Consulate
and its representatives and their continuing efforts to support the Palestinian
people and their human and political rights. 
.

On Monday, 20 September 2010, Sourani
and representatives of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) and civil society
organizations met with the Minister of Interior in Gaza government, Mr. Fathi
Hammad, in the office of PNGO, with the participation of PNGO’s coordinator,
Amjad al-Shawwa.

The meeting focused on the latest
developments in the Gaza Strip in the past few weeks and days; the most
important of which was the decision of the Minister of Interior regarding
employees abstaining from joining their jobs and preventing them from joining assemblies
in charities and civil society organizations.

The meeting also addressed the
stance of Gaza government in regard to civil society organizations and the media
escalation against them.  Mr. Hammad denied
the government’s adoption of an opposing position against these organizations,
stressing the importance of their role.

Additionally, the meeting tackled developments
relevant to the rule of law and the importance of compliance of law enforcement
bodies with the relevant standards and legal measures while performing their
jobs.  The meeting discussed the notices
related to resorts in the Gaza Strip, pointing to the measures taken against
these places, and described the notices as illegal taking into consideration
that they are verbal, non-public and non-written.

Representatives of the civil society
organizations criticized the notice relevant to preventing women from smoking narjila
(hubly bubbly) in restaurants, confirming that they are not against banning
smoking in public places and governmental institutions, but they are against targeting
women in particular, which is considered as unjustified discrimination against
women.

The Minister of Interior promised to
continue holding meetings for discussion and exchange of opinions out of mutual
care for the interests of people and the rule of law.