Upon an invitation by the Palestinian Bar Association (PBA) a meeting was held on Monday, 18 January 2021 in the premises of the PBA in Ramallah between representatives of non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, coalitions and networks, the Judges Club Association and political parties, to discuss recent developments on the judiciary, especially after President Mahmoud Abbas had passed three decrees by law which have devastating impact on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Palestine. 

The United States’ (US) historical support for Israel has served to condone and facilitate Israel’s abuses against Palestinians since 1948. Although the administration of US President Donald Trump is perhaps the most explicit in furthering Israel’s colonization-agenda, the US has never been an unbiased peace broker.

On 8 January 2021, United Nations (UN) Human Rights experts: Mr. Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; Mr. S. Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967; and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, issued a public statement urging Israel to ensure accountability for torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment universally prohibited under international law.

On 21 January 2021, the Israeli Occupation Forces re-arrested Palestinian child Amal Nakhleh, 17 years old, from his home in Ramallah during the early hours of dawn. Immediately after his arrest and upon the military prosecutor’s request, Ofer military court extended Amal’s detention for an additional 72 hours to issue an administrative detention order against him on 24 January 2021. Despite Amal’s young age and threatening health condition, Ofer military court confirmed the administrative detention order for the entire duration of six months.

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.

Today, 24 January 2021, the Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit closed the investigations against the Shabak (Israeli Security Agency) for the circumstances leading to prisoner Samer Arbeed's hospitalization and use of extreme torture techniques during interrogation that almost killed him. Rather than pressing a list of charges against the perpetratorsof such a heinous crime, the Israeli Attorney General decided that "there are no grounds to prove that the crime of torture has been committed.”

London and Ramallah, 24 January 2021 –On UNESCO'S International Day of Education that celebrates the the role of education for peace and development, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR), Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer)and Friends of Birzeit University (Fobzu) issue an urgent call to the international community to intervene in the ongoing systematic targeting of Palestinian university students for prolonged arbitrary military detention by Israel's military authorities. 

The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) and the Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC) and the Palestinian National Institute for NGOs (PNIN) are concerned that since commencing the roll out of a vaccine against COVID-19 in December 2020, the Israeli occupying authorities have implemented its vaccine policy in a discriminatory, unlawful, and racist mannerby completely disregarding its obligations to Palestinian healthcare.