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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"><font
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href="http://www.addameer.org/news/human-rights-organisations-send-urgent-appeal-un-special-procedures-imminent-threat-forcible">http://www.addameer.org/news/human-rights-organisations-send-urgent-appeal-un-special-procedures-imminent-threat-forcible</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">Human Rights Organisations Send Urgent
Appeal to UN Special Procedures on the Imminent Threat of
Forcible Transfer/Deportation of Salah Hammouri for “Breach of
Allegiance”</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">October 5, 2020<br>
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<p><span><span>On Wednesday, 30
September 2020, 13
Palestinian and regional
human rights organisations
submitted a joint urgent
appeal to the United
Nations (UN) Special
Procedures on the imminent
threat of forcible
transfer/deportation of
Salah Hammouri, a
Palestinian-French human
rights defender and a
lawyer at Addameer
Prisoner Support and Human
Rights Association for
“breach of allegiance” to
the State of Israel.
Addressing six UN Special
Rapporteurs, including the
Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights
in the Palestinian
territory occupied since
1967, the organisations
highlighted Israel’s
policy of <a
href="http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/6197.html">silencing</a> those
who seek justice and
accountability for
violations committed
against the Palestinian
people, as a tool to
maintain its apartheid
regime.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>On 03 September
2020, Salah was officially
notified of the intention
to revoke his permanent
Jerusalem residency for
so-called “breach of
allegiance” to the State
of Israel. Critically,
this is not an isolated
incident, as Israel has
previously targeted Salah,
including by banning him
from accessing parts of
the West Banks for 16
months, arbitrarily
arresting him, and
deporting his wife, Elsa
Lefort, a French national,
separating him from his
wife and son.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Based on Israel’s
domestic <a
href="http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/6331.html">Entry
into Israel Law</a>,
which is illegally applied
to the protected
Palestinian population in
the occupied East
Jerusalem, the Israeli
Minister of Interior is
granted the authority to
revoke the Israeli
residency status based on
“breach of allegiance” to
the State of Israel.
Stipulated by
international humanitarian
law, specifically Article
45 of the Hague
Regulations and Article
68(3) of the Fourth Geneva
Convention, the protected
population in occupied
territory does not have a
duty of allegiance to the
Occupying Power. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Residency
revocation has long been
used by Israel as a tool
to forcibly transfer
Palestinians from the
occupied East Jerusalem,
to reduce and eliminate
Palestinian presence
therein and to alter
demographic facts on the
ground. Residency
revocations, including
punitive revocations,
flagrantly violate
numerous other provisions
of international
humanitarian law and
international human rights
law. Revocation of
residency leads to
forcible transfer, a war
crime under the Rome
Statute of the
International Criminal
Court and a grave breach
of the Fourth Geneva
Convention. As residency
revocations form part of a
widespread and systematic
policy to transfer the
protected Palestinian
population, it may also
amount to a crime against
humanity.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The joint urgent
appeal calls on UN Special
Procedures to address the
imminent risk of transfer
or deportation facing
Palestinian human rights
defender Salah, by
urgently intervening to
protect Salah’s rights
while opposing Israel’s
illegal policies and laws
targeting Palestinians.
The Israeli judicial
system allows for unlawful
policies and practices to
be carried out with
impunity and with complete
disregard for
international law.
Accordingly, it is
imperative that the
international community
immediately address
Israeli violations.
Overall, the organisations
urged the UN Special
Procedure mandates to:</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>I. Call on
Israel, the Occupying
Power, to halt its legal
proceedings for the
revocation of Salah
Hammouri’s residency
status, whether on the
basis of “breach of
allegiance” or on any
other grounds, which, if
carried out, will result
in violations of his
rights to freedom of
movement and residence,
freedom of expression, and
freedom of association,
adding Salah’s case to the
commission by Israel of
the serious crime of
population transfer;</span></span></p>
<ol>
<li value="2"> <span><span>Urge
Israel to immediately
cease any and all
practices and policies
intended to intimidate
and silence human rights
defenders, in violation
of their right to
freedom of expression,
including through
arbitrary detention,
torture and other
ill-treatment,
institutionalised hate
speech and incitement,
residency revocation,
deportations, and other
coercive or punitive
measures;</span></span></li>
<li> <span><span>Call on
Israel to immediately
repeal its Entry into
Israel Law (1952), which
has been used to further
the Israeli policy of
population transfer and
achieve demographic
goals in Jerusalem in
violation of
Palestinians'
fundamental rights,
including their right to
freedom of movement and
residence, and the right
to leave their country
and to return; and</span></span></li>
<li> <span><span>Call for
international justice
and accountability,
including at the
International Criminal
Court, for Israel's
widespread and
systematic human rights
violations, and alleged
international crimes,
including the crime of
population transfer, and
the crime of apartheid,
which constitutes a
crime against humanity.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Joining
organisations: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li> <span><span>Palestinian
Human Rights
Organizations Council,
comprising of: </span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span><span>- Al Haq
Organization - Law in the
Service of Mankind</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Al Mezan
Center for Human Rights</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- ADDAMEER
Prisoner Support and Human
Rights Association</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- DCI -
Defense for Children
International – Palestine</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Jerusalem
Legal Aid and Human Rights
Center </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Aldameer
Association for Human
Rights</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Ramallah
Center for Human Rights
Studies</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Hurryyat -
Center for Defense of
Liberties and Civil Rights</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- The
Independent Commission for
Human Rights (Ombudsman
Office) - Observer Member</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Muwatin
Institute for Democracy
and Human Rights -
Observer Member</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li> <span><span>Cairo
Institute for Human
Rights Studies (CIHRS) </span></span></li>
<li> <span><span>Community
Action Center (CAC)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span><span><img alt=""
src="http://www.addameer.org/sites/default/files/upload/screen_shot_2020-10-05_at_1.00.40_pm.png"></span></span></p>
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