Udenrigsudvalget 2011-12
URU Alm.del Bilag 81
Offentligt
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
Record number of Palestinians displaced by demolitions as Quartetcontinues to talkGroups raise alarm about accelerating settlement expansion and increased settler violence(December 13, 2011) - Israeli authorities have stepped up unlawful demolitions in the West Bank includingEast Jerusalem over the past year, displacing a record number of Palestinian families from their homes, aninternational coalition of 20 leading aid agencies and human rights groups said today. The statement comesas the Middle East Quartet meets in Jerusalem in its latest effort to revive peace talks.The sharp rise in demolitions in 2011 has been accompanied by accelerated expansion of Israeli settlementsand an escalation of violence perpetrated by settlers, the groups said.The humanitarian and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, andOxfam International, are calling for the Quartet to hold all parties to the conflict to their international lawobligations. The Quartet must, therefore, press the Israeli government to immediately reverse itssettlement policies and freeze all demolitions that violate international law.“The increasing rate of settlement expansion and house demolitions is pushing Palestinians to the brink,destroying their livelihoods and prospects for a just and durable peace. There is a growing disconnectbetween the Quartet talks and the situation on the ground. The Quartet needs to radically revise itsapproach and show that it can make a real difference to the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.”saidJeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International.The evidence of rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground includes:Doubling the number of people displaced by demolitions:Since the beginning of the year morethan 500 Palestinian homes, wells, rainwater harvesting cisterns, and other essential structures havebeen destroyed in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 1,000 Palestinians,UN figures show. This is more than double the number of people displaced over the same period in2010, and the highest figure since at least 2005.[1] More than half of those displaced have beenchildren for whom the loss of their home is particularly devastating.Accelerating settlement expansion:Plans for around 4,000 new settler housing units have beenapproved in East Jerusalem over the past 12 months - the highest number since at least 2006,according to Peace Now.[2] In November, moreover, Israel announced plans to speed upconstruction of 2,000 new units in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.Sharp increase in settler violence:violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians have escalated byover 50% in 2011 compared to 2010, and by over 160% compared to 2009, the UN reports. 2011 hasseen by far the most settler violence since at least 2005. Settlers have also destroyed or damagednearly 10,000 Palestinian olive and other trees during this year, undermining the livelihoods ofhundreds of families.[3] The perpetrators act with virtual impunity, with over 90% of complaints ofsettler violence closed by the Israeli police without indictment in 2005-2010.[4]
Impending threat of forced displacement of Bedouin:Up to 2,300 Bedouin living in theJerusalem periphery could be forcibly and unlawfully relocated if Israeli authorities follow throughwith their reported plans in 2012, which would destroy their livelihoods and threaten their traditionalway of life. Rural communities in the Jordan Valley are also facing the prospect of furtherdemolitions as settlements continue to expand.
“The Quartet should call ongoing settlement expansion and house demolitions what they are: violationsof international humanitarian law that Israel should stop,”said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East directorat Human Rights Watch.“Israel’s escalating violations show the fundamental failure of the Quartet’s approach. It’s time for theQuartet to understand that they cannot contribute to achieving a just and durable solution to the conflictwithout first ensuring respect for international law,”said Phillip Luther, Middle East and North AfricaInterim Programme Director, Amnesty International.EDITORS NOTES:[1] Latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).[2] Data from the Israeli organisation Peace Now.[3] Latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).[4] Yesh Din, Law Enforcement upon Israeli Civilians in the West Bank, February 2011.For more information :Hayet Zeghiche, Communication Officer (Brussels):[email protected]Shaimaa Abou El Khir, Communication Officer ( Cairo):[email protected]Martin Konecny ,[email protected],INTERVIEWEES:The following people are available for interview:Representatives of aid agencies and human rights organisationsin Jerusalem, New York, Brussels, London,Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Dublin and Cairo.External interviewees:The following external experts are available to discuss the issues highlighted in thepress release:-----BestsShaimaa Abou ElkhirMedia and Communication Officer \Chargée de CommunicationEuro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network.Mobil: (02) 010 1077 207Skype: shaimaa.abou.elkhirFollow EMHRN:facebook- twitter.website:http://www.euromedrights.orgIzzat Zeidan,Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee, RamallahShawan Jabarin,Al Haq, RamallahHila Aloniand/orFiras Alami,Yesh Din, Tel AvivSarit Michaeli,B’Tselem, JerusalemSalwa Daibis,Women’s Center for Legal Aid & Counselling, Ramallah
