Yesterday saw an escalation of fatalities in Gaza, with 87 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers reported killed in one day. As of 7:00am today, the number of Palestinian civilian fatalities since Operation Protective Edge began on 7 July 2014 was 406, including 129 children. Two Israeli civilians have been killed. Operation Protective Edge is the second extensive Israeli military action to be launched within the last month, the first being Operation Brother’s Keeper which began on 12 June 2014. [Read more…]
LPHR Human Rights Blog
ICJ ruling on the Wall: ten years on
Although the eyes of the world are rightly focused this week on the commencement of a new Israeli military offensive on Gaza, it should not pass unnoticed that 10 years to this day, on 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice (the ICJ/Court) issued a non-binding Advisory Opinion concerning the legal aspects of Israel’s construction of a barrier (the Wall) separating part of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem from Israel. [Read more…]
Corporate accountability for alleged human rights violations in action: UK NCP Initial Assessment of LPHR’s complaint against G4S
Today’s decision by the UK National Contact Point (UK NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines) to accept in their Initial Assessment that issues raised in LPHR’s complaint regarding the activities of G4S PLC in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) are substantiated and require further examination, is both ground-breaking and significant.
Running for the right to movement
This Friday over 1000 runners will take part in Palestine’s second Right to Movement Marathon (http://palestinemarathon.com/). Starting at the Church of Nativity, the course guides runners along the Separation Barrier in the West Bank, through two refugee camps and over a checkpoint, confronting restrictions to movement that Palestinians face daily, in violation of international law. [Read more…]
Mental health, prolonged occupation and human rights
Today is World Health Day: a suitable opportunity to take time to consider the connection between mental health, prolonged occupation and human rights violations. [Read more…]
Mind the (refugee status) gap
For the last three years there has been an enormous humanitarian crisis in Syria. As the violent conflict has spread throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of people have found themselves displaced, many crossing Syria’s borders and entering the surrounding countries (predominantly Lebanon and Jordan) as refugees. [Read more…]
Scarlett, SodaStream and Settlements
This week a furore has arisen surrounding Oxfam global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson’s decision to sign a promotions deal with the Israeli company SodaStream. [Read more…]