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<h1 class="reader-title">PHROC Sends Joint Urgent Appeal to the
United Nations Special Procedures on Israel’s Continued
Demolitions Amidst a Global Pandemic</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">January 25, 2021<br>
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<p><span><span>On 25 January 2021, the Palestinian
Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC),
compromising of eleven Palestinian human
rights organizations, submitted a joint urgent
appeal to the United Nations (UN) Special
Procedures on Israel’s continued demolitions
amidst a global pandemic. Addressing five UN
Special Rapporteurs, including the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967,
the organizations highlighted Israel’s
continued utilization of Military Order 1797
during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>In the thick of the COVID-19
pandemic, adequate housing is considered to be
“the front line in the fight against the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as
demonstrated by stay-at-home and lockdown
orders,” as highlighted by Mr. Balakrishnan
Rajagopal, the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component
of the right to an adequate standard of
living, and on the right to non-discrimination
in this context.<a
href="applewebdata://5BF44AA9-3308-499A-AF6F-AE3E466AAB9E#_ftn1"
name="_ftnref1" title="" id="_ftnref1"
moz-do-not-send="true"><sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup></a>Since
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, however,
human rights organizations have noticed a
significant increase in demolitions carried
out under the auspices of Military Order 1797,
which allows the demolition of unlicensed
structures in Area C deemed as “new” within 96
hours after the issuance of a removal notice,
if the Palestinian owners of the structures do
not appeal a demolition order, with an
approved master building plan and building
permit within the provided 96 hours.
Consequently, Military Order 1797, in
requiring such a quick turnaround time, strips
Palestinians of their right to due process, in
violation of international law.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>While human rights organizations have
previously condemned Military Order 1797 for
its violation of international law, and warned
about its aftermath on the Palestinian
protected population, the joint urgent appeal
stressed that this issue is of an even more
pressing concern during the period of closure,
since residents cannot obtain the documents
necessary to legally challenge the demolition
orders and to file appeals or objections. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>In their joint urgent appeal, PHROC
and its member organizations requested the
immediate intervention of the UN Special
Procedures to uphold the rights of the
Palestinian protected population during
COVID-19, including their fundamental rights
to self-determination, health, and adequate
standard of living, including adequate
housing, and, in particular, to:</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>i. Publicly call on
Israel, as Occupying Power, to adhere to its
legal obligations, and to immediately cease
its systematic implementation of policies that
are aimed and designed to forcibly transfer
Palestinians, including by freeze all
demolition orders, including those issued
under Military Order 1797;</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>ii. Call on Third States
to comply with their obligations to respect
and ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions,
by immediately adopting effective measures to
pressure Israel to abide by its obligations
under international humanitarian law; </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>iii. Call on the European
Union to adopt restrictive measure on the
import of products, goods, and services
originating from illegal Israeli settlements
in the OPT, namely by to supporting the
proposal for a wide ban of trade with and
support for illegal settlements;<a
href="applewebdata://5BF44AA9-3308-499A-AF6F-AE3E466AAB9E#_ftn2"
name="_ftnref2" title="" id="_ftnref2"
moz-do-not-send="true"><sup><sup>[2]</sup></sup></a>and</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>iv. Publicly call for
international justice and accountability for
Israel’s widespread, long-established, and
systematic human rights violations committed
against the Palestinian people, including war
crimes and crimes against humanity, by urging
the immediate opening, without any further
delay, of a full, thorough, and comprehensive
ICC investigation into the Situation in the
State of Palestine. </span></span></p>
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<p><span><span><span>Read the full urgent appeal
by cliking the PDF sign above.</span></span></span></p>
<hr size="1">
<p><span><span><a
href="applewebdata://5BF44AA9-3308-499A-AF6F-AE3E466AAB9E#_ftnref1"
name="_ftn1" title="" id="_ftn1"
moz-do-not-send="true">[1]</a>OHCHR,
“Report of the Special Rapporteur on
adequate housing as a component of the right
to an adequate standard of living, and on
the right to non-discrimination in this
context,” UN Doc A/75/148, 27 July 2020. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span><a
href="applewebdata://5BF44AA9-3308-499A-AF6F-AE3E466AAB9E#_ftnref2"
name="_ftn2" title="" id="_ftn2"
moz-do-not-send="true">[2]</a>Al-Haq,
“Al-Haq Calls on the EU to Support the
Proposal for a Wide Ban of Trade with and
Support for Illegal Settlements,” 28
December 2020, available at: <a
href="https://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/17724.html"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/17724.html</a>. </span></span></p>
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