Addameer : Prisoners Support and Human Rights
ADDAMEER (Arabic for conscience) Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution which focuses on human rights issues. Established in 1992 by a group of activists interested in human rights, the center’s activities focus on offering support for Palestinian prisoners, advocating the rights of political prisoners, and working to end torture through monitoring, legal procedures and solidarity campaigns.
Addameer is a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian NGO Network, the Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations, and works closely with international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, OMCT and FIDH to provide regular information on the situation of Palestinian political detainees.
Addameer believes in the internationality of human rights based on the respect of human dignity as a priority, the totality of which is constructed upon international laws and conviction.
Addameer also believes in the importance of building a free and democratic Palestinian society based on justice, equality, rule of law and respect for human rights within the larger framework of the right to self-determination.
Al-Awda – Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is a broad-based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public education on the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution of all their confiscated and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations Resolutions upholding such rights.
Al-Haq – West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists
Al-Haq was established in 1979 by a group of Palestinian lawyers following extended debate over how best to address the lack of human rights protection mechanisms in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Founded as Law in the Service of Man, Al-Haq was one of the first human rights organisations established in the Arab world.
Al-Haq has been the West Bank Affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists – Geneva for over 20 years and it is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Habitat International Coalition and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). Al-Haq is also part of the Executive Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and of the Steering Committee of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations’ Network (PNGO).
Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network
Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network, is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and foster public debate on Palestinian human rights and self-determination within the framework of international law. Al-Shabaka, which means “The Network,” is a think tank without borders or walls that aims to:
- Draw upon the vast knowledge and experience of the Palestinian people, whether under occupation, in exile, or in Israel, so as to engage the broadest spectrum of perspectives in debate on policy and strategy.
- Communicate ideas and strategies on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to Palestinian communities as well as to Arab and other policy communities and interested parties worldwide.
The Middle East Policy Network, Inc., is a nonprofit public benefit corporation registered in the State of California, and does business as Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network. The founding Board of Al-Shabaka consists of Nadia Hijab, Osamah Khalil, Samer Abdelnour, and Grace Said.
Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem
Founded in 1990, the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the occupied Palestinian territories and the self-reliance of the Palestinian people through greater control over their natural resources.
The Institute works specifically to augment the local stock of scientific and technical knowledge and to introduce and devise more efficient methods of resource utilization and conservation, improved practices, and appropriate technology.
ARIJ plays an active role in the local community as an advocate for greater co-operation among local institutions, international and non-governmental organizations. In its capacity as a national research institute, it frequently provides current data and research necessary to the formulation of position papers and policy strategies on such issues as land and water resources. Moreover, through its work with donor institutions and regional and international experts, ARIJ promotes an environment conducive to the introduction of new initiatives and ideas and thus serves as a facilitator in the co-ordination of multilateral activities.
Combatants for Peace
Founded in 2005, “Combatants for Peace” (CFP) is an organization established by Palestinians and Israelis, who had taken an active part in the cycle of violence in previous years and later on decided to put down their arms and work together to promote a peaceful solution through dialogue and non-violent action. Originally, the activists on both sides were solely ex-combatants: the Israelis as soldiers in the Israeli army (IDF) and the Palestinians as militants in the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom. Today, the organization consists also of activists who have never taken an active role in the violent struggle in our region, many of whom are Israeli women, who might have served in the IDF though not as combatants, or Palestinian women imprisoned in Israeli prisons.
The members of CFP believe that only by joining forces, it is possible to end the occupation, the cycle of violence and the oppression of the Palestinian people. We act by non-violent means to promote each side’s understanding of the national aspirations of the other side. CFP stands for dialogue and reconciliation as the only way to act in order to terminate the occupation, halt the settlement project and establish a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.
Read more: Combatants for Peace
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) is a Palestinian non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1990 to provide comprehensive community mental health services – therapy, training and research – to the population of the Gaza Strip.
Since that time, the Gaza Strip – one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with two thirds of the population being refugees and 50% being younger than 16 years – has witnessed extreme forms of violence and suffering, due to Israeli occupation and military operations. This made the extent of mental health problems in the Gaza reach unprecedented levels.
Today, after 15 years, GCMHP remains the leading organization in Palestine in providing psycho-social programs, adopting a comprehensive, community based approach for working with children, women, and victims of human rights violations.
International Solidarity Movement to End the Occupation (ISM)
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded by a small group of activists in August, 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by providing the Palestinian people with two resources, international protection and a voice with which to nonviolently resist an overwhelming military occupation force.
The ISM is not an organization, but rather a movement which all organizations, groups and/or individuals who agree our principles can join. The ISM is based in Palestine and is led by Palestinians on the ground. Many ISM support groups around the world assist the ISM by dissemenating information, recruiting and training individuals to join us.
Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy
Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND) promotes active onviolence and encourages alternatives to violence among youth and adults hroughout Palestine. MEND employs innovative methods, especially with the media, and is widely respected for working with authenticity, professionalism and courage.
MEND is expanding rapidly with the burgeoning interest in nonviolence, and now consists of the headquarters in East Jerusalem, and eight regional centres for active nonviolence and eleven community centres/libraries. As an active member in the Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention and Human Security, MEND is also rapidly becoming a regional organization.
Miftah – The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH, is a non-governmental non-partisan Jerusalem-based institution dedicated to fostering democracy and good governance within Palestinian society through promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of information and ideas, and the challenging of stereotyping at home and abroad. Established in December 1998, with Hanan Ashrawi as its Secretary-General, MIFTAH’s aim is to serve as a Palestinian platform for global dialogue and cooperation guided by the principles of democracy, human rights, gender equity, and participatory governance.
To this end, MIFTAH undertakes the pro-active generation and presentation of policy proposals and the focused dissemination of reliable information. Since its establishment, MIFTAH has established the cogency of its positions in Palestine and in the region, and has formulated long and short-term policies and strategies to deal with particular pressing issues. Through networking with like-minded organizations locally, regionally and internationally, and with Palestinian expatriate communities, MIFTAH has forged lasting relationships and partnerships in pursuit of a common vision of dialogue and democracy.
Palestine Fair Trade Association
Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) is a Palestinian national union of fair trade producing cooperatives, processors, and exporters. The association was founded in 2004 and based in the city of Jenin. The PFTA’s mission is to provide means for social and economic empowerments of small, marginalized, and excluded Palestinian communities through the concept of Fair Trade.
http://www.palestinefairtrade.org/
Palestinian Centre For Human Rights
The palestinian Centre for Human Rights is an independent Palestinian human rights organization based in Gaza City. The Centre enjoys Consultative Status with the ECOSOC of the United Nation. It is an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists-Geneva, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) – Pairs, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network – Copenhagen, Arab Organization for Human Rights – Cairo. It is a recipient of the 1996 French Republic Award on Human Rights and the 2002 Bruno Kreisky Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights. The Centre was established in 1995 by a group of Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists in order to:
- Protect human rights and promote the rule of law in accordance with international standards.
- Create and develop democratic institutions and an active civil society, while promoting democratic culture within Palestinian society.
- Support all the efforts aimed at enabling the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in regard to self-determination and independence in accordance with international Law and UN resolutions.
The work of the Centre is conducted through documentation and investigation of human rights violations, provision of legal aid and counseling for both individuals and groups, and preparation of research articles relevant to such issues as the human rights situation and the rule of law. The Centre also provides comments on Palestinian Draft Laws and urges the adoption of legislation that incorporates international human rights standards and basic democratic principles. To achieve its goals, the Centre has recruited a committed staff of well-known human rights lawyers and activists.
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON)
The Palestinian Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PENGON) is a coordinating body between the different Palestinian NGOs working in the field of environment. It aims to serve Palestinian environmental issues by coordinating endeavors between the member organizations, strengthening and building the efficiency within each organization, and enhancing relations within the Network as well as with other organizations domestically and abroad, such as local government agencies and international environmental organizations.
Palestinian Red Crescent Society
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is a national humanitarian society that provides a wide range of health, social and other humanitarian services for the Palestinian People throughout the Middle East.
PRCS was established on 26 December 1968. In 1969 the Palestinian National Council (PNC) mandated the Society the responsibility for health and social services for Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine. To-date, PRCS continues its activities in Palestine (along side the Ministry of Health and other NGOs), Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and other locations.
The Society also maintains offices in Europe and North America.
PRCS is a full member in the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
PCAP- Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
Mission – We are a non-sectarian, ecumenical alliance of Palestinian American Christians seeking to provide a clear voice and presence in faith-based communities in the United States. Our inspiration stems from the Kairos Palestine document and from all faith-based communities working for peace through justice in Palestine and Israel. We believe that achieving peace requires ensuring justice and human rights for Palestinians. American churches, church bodies, and church-based organizations can and ought to play a leading role in advocating for a just peace among all people in the region.
“We say that our option as Christians in the face of the Israeli occupation is to resist. Resistance is a right and a duty for the Christian. But it is resistance with love as its logic.” – Kairos Palestine
Rebuilding Alliance
The Rebuilding Alliance, a nonprofit organization, rebuilds homes and communities in regions of war and occupation. The Rebuilding Alliance advocates for government policies towards these regions based on human rights and international law. Through a mutual commitment to justice, the Rebuilding Alliance creates alliances among supporters, partners, and those who suffer injustice and violence, yet resist through rebuilding. Rebuilding Alliance projects are symbols of hope that help rebuild shattered communities and offer people around the world immediate ways to make peace, starting with the tangible support of a family’s right to a home.
http://www.rebuildingalliance.org
Sabeel – Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem
Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theology seeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, to promote unity among them toward social action. Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities. The word “Sabeel” is Arabic for ‘the way‘ and also a ‘channel‘ or ‘spring‘ of life-giving water.
Sabeel also works to promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence and witness of Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concerns. It encourages individuals and groups from around the world to work for a just, comprehensive and enduring peace informed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.
Stop the Wall
The Palestinian grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign is a coalition of Palestinian non governmental organizations and popular committees that mobilize and coordinate efforts on local, national and international levels. These efforts are focused upon stopping and dismantling the Apartheid Wall, and resisting Israeli occupation and colonization.
A call for a coordinated, popular, and grassroots effort to tear down the Wall came out of Jerusalem on the 2nd of October 2002, from the office of the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON). From this moment the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign was born. The Campaign initiated its work on three levels: acting as the voice of communities locally; mobilization and coordination nationally; and additionally as part of the global struggle against colonization, war and racism.
Since its inception the Campaign has been the main national grassroots body mobilizing and organizing resistance against the Apartheid Wall. This growing responsibility, and the need for people from affected communities to be more involved in decision-making, necessitated a change in the Campaign’s structure. Now the Campaign is working as an independent body with its own board. It presently coordinates the work of 54 popular committees in communities which will be (and are being) destroyed by the Wall.