News
May 26, 2015 - Dr. Ashrawi: "The annexation of settlement blocs is unacceptable and illegal"
In response to media inquiries regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements regarding the annexation of illegal settlement blocs, PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi commented:
“This is a disingenuous and manipulative exercise of political and legal deception. All settlements are illegal and in flagrant contravention of international law and consensus, and any efforts to annex and to legalize the settlements blocs is a blatant attempt to steal more Palestinian land and to legitimize Israel’s ongoing system of apartheid, land theft and expansion.
Strangled: Gaza Collapsing in the Grip of a Humanitarian Crisis
In a press release issued on May 20th, The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor urgently calls on the international community to:
1.Bring all available pressures to bear on the Israeli government to end the blockade of Gaza.
2.Call on the Israeli government to end the targeting of innocent fishermen, farmers and other citizens, a practice in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention.
3.Prevail upon the Egyptian government, using foreign aid as a lever, to open the Rafah crossing, without any restrictions.
4.Investigate and hold the Israeli government accountable when it is charged with war crimes and ongoing violations of human rights. No barriers should be placed that hinder the ability of Palestinians or others to seek relief from third parties such as the International Criminal Court.
5.Support the Palestinian call for a commercial seaport in Gaza that guarantees the free import and export of goods and private international travel.
Abbas responds to Netanyahu: No Mideast peace without East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital
President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Palestinian news agency Wafa on Monday that there would be no peace or stability in the Mideast unless the Palestinians can claim East Jerusalem as their capital.
He also said Netanyahu's remarks were a clear violation of UN resolutions, and the stances of the international community and the Arab League.
After the budget last week, overall aid allocated to Palestine has been reduced.
total Official Development Assistance to Palestine for 2015-16 is expected to total $42.1 million, down from $56.5 million in 2014-15, a total cut of 25% ($14.4 million).
To place this in context, total Australian Official Development Assistance for its world program fell by 20% ($1 billion) with this year’s budget.
May 13, 2015 - Dr. Ashrawi: “The Nakba did not end with the creation of Israel; rather, it is an ongoing process that seeks to displace Palestine and replace it with ‘Greater Israel’ at the expense of its people and their rights”
On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Nakba, PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi stated:
"In 1948, Israel destroyed 531 Palestinian towns and villages and took control of an additional 774, and more than 800,000 Palestinians were forced to become refugees.
Dr. Ashrawi on the Vatican’s recognition of the State of Palestine
PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi stated:
“On behalf of the Palestinian leadership and people, we welcome the Vatican’s recognition of the State of Palestine as a genuine contribution to peace and justice. The significance of this recognition goes beyond the political and legal into the symbolic and moral domains and sends a message to all people of conscience that the Palestinian people deserve the right to self-determination, formal recognition, freedom, and statehood.
Canonization of Two Palestinian Sisters by Pope Francis Vatican – Sunday May 17, 2015
On Sunday May 17. 2015, His Holiness Pope Francis will declare two Nuns from Palestine as Saints. St. Marie Alphonsine Ghattas from Jerusalem and St. Mariam Bawardy from Ibilin village in the Galilee, both of whom lived in the 19th century , will be canonized in a mass celebrated at Vatican's St. Peter's Square at 11 AM (Palestine Time).
Vatican to Sign First Treaty With ‘State of Palestine’
ROME—The Vatican said it would soon sign its first treaty with the “State of Palestine,” lending legal weight to a recognition it has extended for more than two years
Agreement deals with religious liberty, legal and tax status of Catholic institutions in Palestinian territories
Former European leaders call for change in EU policy on Israel
A high-profile group of former European political leaders and diplomats has called for the urgent reassessment of EU policy on the question of a Palestinian state and has insisted Israel must be held to account for its actions in the occupied territories.
Remembering Al-Nakba with the People of Palestine
The Ambassador to the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific H.E. Izzat Abdulhadi attended a commemorative and awards dinner in Sydney on the 10th of May 2015. The dinner, which is an annual event, was organized by the General Union of Palestinian Workers, the Australian-Palestinian Club, and the Graduates Association.