Al-Haq attended the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which took place between 23 June – 12 July, 2019. On 8 July 2019, Al-Haq delivered an oral intervention during the Human Rights Council’s General Debate on Item 7: Human Rights Situation in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories. The oral intervention highlighted Israel’s role in deepening environmental and climate vulnerabilities for Palestinians as a result of Israel’s systematic and unlawful exploitation of natural resources. During the intervention, Al-Haq reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereign rights over any part of the occupied Palestinian territory, including over natural resources. Al-Haq further highlighted the impacts of Israel’s prolonged occupation, including the expansion of the illegal settlement enterprise on Palestinians’ capacity to adapt to climate change. Al-Haq concluded by stressing that achieving adaptation to climate change is not possible without the genuine realisation of Palestinians’ collective right to self determination and to permeant sovereignty, and called upon the Human Rights Council to take concrete and collective action to bring Israel’s 52-year occupation to an end.

Birzeit University, Adalah, Al-Haq now fighting to end escalating discriminatory Israeli policy aimed at blocking international academics from entering the country and refusing to renew visas for those with teaching contracts.

July 8, 2019, Ramallah. Al-Haq Centre for Applied International Law concluded its Fifth International Law Summer School Program. The summer school program brought together 24 professionals and post-graduate students from 18 different countries to expose them to the human rights situation and international law violations in the Palestinian context.

Date: 11 July 2019

On 21 June and 28 June 2019, Palestinians protestors, including men, women and children and families, gathered in the five return camps established by the National Authority for the Return March. Protesters organized popular and folkloric activities in the return camps and surrounding areas, some 50-300 meters from the fence. The protestors chanted national slogans and raised Palestinian flags, demanding an end to Israel’s unlawful prolonged occupation, the illegal closure of the Gaza Strip and the continued denial of their internationally recognized right of return as refugees to their homes. In response, Israel positioned soldiers behind the hills and sand dunes, inside military watch towers and military enclaves behind the fence, on the other side. Some protesters threw stones at the Israeli forces, while the latter returned with unnecessary and excessive force, firing on the protestors with live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.