4th April 2012
BADIL notes Israel’s withdrawal from the Human Rights Council with great dismay and little surprise. Israel has made its unwarranted and vociferous protest of UN human rights bodies’ oversight a matter of practice and policy. While Israel argues that the Human Rights Council has disproportionately focused on Israel’s human rights abuses since its creation in 2006, it has lodged similar critique against other bodies and mechanisms that highlight its egregious practices. This consistent practice indicates that the issue is not bias, as Israel claims, but rather an aversion to accountability to human rights norms and international law.

March 30, 2012

In commemoration of Land Day and as an expression of Palestinians’ determination to defend our land and human dignity, the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, in partnership with a number of civil society organizations in the Bethlehem area, organized a mass rally on Friday, March 30, 2012. During the rally, participants planted olive trees on lands the Israeli apartheid regime has threatened to confiscate in the areas of the Cremisan monastery and the village of al-Walaja near Jerusalem.

30 March 2012

In commemoration of Land Day, BADIL, in cooperation with Lajee Center, Phoenix Charitable Society, Injaz, Al Rowwad Center and local activists and women from Bethlehem, organized a march and tree planting activity in lands adjacent to Cremisan Monastery and Al-walajeh village. All the lands in that area are threatened by the Greater Jerusalem Program under implementation by the Israeli government to annex as much Palestinian land bordering Jerusalem Municipality and the construction of the Apartheid Wall.

March 12, 2012
As part of the events and activities taking place for International Women's Day and Israeli Apartheid Week; the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights organized a number of women’s activities in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In Bethlehem, Badil together with the Lajee Center in Aida Camp organized a women's trip to the city of Jericho on March 9, 2012 in commemoration of International Women's Day. The trip included a number of activities and discussions between Badil and the forty eight women activists from the three refugee camps of the Bethlehem area (Aida camp, Beit Jibrin camp, Dheisheh camp).

23 March 2012
 

In confronting the Israeli Apartheid regime, and as part of the activities of commemoration of Israeli Apartheid Week, BADIL, in cooperation with Lajee Center and Phoenix Charitable Society , hosted the renowned children’s performer, Roni Rock in the outdoor theatre of Aida Refugee Camp. This event, which targeted Palestinian refugee children, constituted the final activity implemented by BADIL to alleviate life difficulties preventing Palestine children from enjoying their childhood. Besides raising awareness concerning the Israeli Apartheid regime, organizing partners aimed at educating children on human rights and providing them with two hours of entertainment. The event opened with beautiful “debka” performances by the Lajee Center’s youth folklore dance troupe. Roni Rock and his crew, touched upon the principle of honesty, appreciation of Palestinian culture, non-violent resistance, freedom and equality for all groups regardless of race, ethnicity or religion through song and dance. The audience, approximately 300 children, young teenagers and adults, showed their appreciation through their active interaction and enthusiastic participation.
 

Saturday, 24 March 2012                                                                                                        

Friday, March 23, 2012

Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Please open it here)

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded among others that Israel “maintains Jewish and non-Jewish sectors, which raises issues under article 3 of the Convention” (para. 11). This is in particular troublesome in the light that “no general provision for equality and the prohibition of racial discrimination has been included in the [Israeli] Basic Law” (para. 13). The Committee explicitly states its “concern at the maintenance of discriminatory laws especially targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel” (para. 18); and its concern regarding the establishment of two entirely separate legal systems in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt): “one for Jewish communities grouped in illegal settlements on the one hand and Palestinian populations living in Palestinian towns and villages on the other hand”(para. 24).

Defence for children international- Palestine section in the framework of Manara project has trained 15 children from the CLDC group on Animate it. The children produced two animation films tackling the two main findings of their research about children’s rights in the oPt. The two films were about school violence, for more information please see the link below: