Occupied Palestinian Territories
Gunman on Roof, Gaza Strip
Photo courtesy of Andy Ryan
CESR Reports
CESR Fact Sheets
CESR Letters, Op-Eds, and Presentations
CESR Press Releases
CESR Trainings and Workshops
CESR United Nations Submissions
Other Resources and Links on Israel/Palestine
Since 1996, CESR has worked with a broad range of Palestinian, Israeli, and international groups to document and oppose violations of economic and social rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The primary aim of this work has been to highlight the root cause of ESCR violations – the discrimination and brutality inherent in the Israeli occupation – and to advocate for alternatives that recognize and promote equal rights for all people living under Israeli rule. CESR initiatives have also focused on changing U.S. policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Oslo Peace Process
The "Oslo peace process" was expected to bring a measure of prosperity and security to a population that had suffered 27 years of brutal military occupation. Instead Oslo produced increased economic deprivation and human rights violations. Palestinians have been faced with a form of double repression - both from Israel and from their own nascent government. The international community has remained largely silent in the face of human rights abuses, instead contributing donor funds to subsidize corruption in the Palestinian Authority and supporting Israel's disastrous policy of closure.
In 1996 CESR established an office in Gaza to document human rights violations linked to the dramatic decline in Palestinian living conditions following the onset of the Oslo peace process. Working with a coalition of 70 Palestinian NGOs, CESR coordinated a comprehensive research program covering issues of health, housing, education, economics, law, and women’s rights. This research formed the basis for a series of fact sheets, articles and reports linking increased human rights violations in the Oslo process to Israeli policies of occupation, closure and economic siege. The research findings of CESR’s Palestine Project were presented in an Executive Summary [pdf]. In addition, CESR compiled three fact sheets of Economic Data on Palestine under the Oslo Process: Income [pdf], Employment, [pdf] and Trade [pdf] under the Oslo Agreement.
In April 2000, CESR convened international conferences in Washington D.C. and New York City to present its research findings and to discuss alternatives to the Oslo process with policy makers and activists. Great Expectation, Bitter Realities, [pdf 107 kb] the conference proceedings, were released in August 2001, along with CESR reports on human rights and economics, which were widely distributed to NGOs, media, and policy-makers.
CESR produced fact sheets and articles on economic and social rights violations in the OPT, both for publication in various media outlets and also as advocacy tools at rallies and teach-ins. Working with student groups, human rights organizations, and others, CESR helped organize rallies, demonstrations, teach-ins, conferences, and other educational events throughout New York to raise awareness of human rights issues in the Oslo process. CESR staff spoke frequently at these events, including at Columbia University Law School and School of International and Public Affairs, the New School, Rutgers Medical School and the Brecht Forum.
Engaging the United Nations Legal Mechanisms
In November 1998, CESR and its partner Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations submitted two reports, Israeli Jurisdiction in Palestinian territories and Israeli Violations of Palestinian Human Rights to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Based on the presentations of CESR and others, the Committee on Economic and Social Rights noted in their Concluding Observations [pdf 24 kb] that Israel was responsible for rights violations of Palestinians through expropriation of land, closure policy and discrimination against Palestinians. In November 2000 through April 2001, CESR made presentations at the 24th and 25th sesssions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. On March 28, 2001, CESR made oral and written submissions to the U.N. Commission for Human Rights on human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
Right to Food and Water
In the spring of 2003, CESR partnered with Palestinian environmental NGOs to document violations of the human right to water in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza and presented a report to the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. [pdf 5.84 mb]
In November 2003, CESR organized a press conference at the United Nations to publicize the report of Jean Ziegler, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and the first UN human rights representative whose mission was officially welcomed and facilitated by the Israeli government. Roger Normand introduced Mr. Ziegler, who discussed his findings that Israeli practices of closures, curfews, and denial of free movement were denying nearly 4 million Palestinians the right to food and water.
U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
In May and June 2001, CESR began participating in a dialogue with representatives from non-profit organizations and individual activists to discuss strategies for launching a collective national campaign to change U.S. policy towards Israel. These initial discussions resulted in the formation of U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. CESR has worked closely with other key organizations as a member of the organizing committee to develop the strategic direction of the initiative, emphasize the importance of taking a human rights approach to the conflict, with a particular focus on economic and social rights, and help to create a concrete plan of action.
Home Demolotions and Land Razings
Since the beginning of the second Palestinian intifada in 2002, Israel has employed policies of home demolitions and razing of Palestinian agricultural land. Israel has pursued these policies for a number of reasons, including: demographic control; the construction of settlements, military compounds, roads, and the separation wall; the creation of “security strips” and buffer zones; and direct and indirect retaliation. The consequences of these policies have included depopulation of Palestinian villages and cities, as well as endangerment of the food security of the entire Palestinian population. As such, these policies may well be in violation of Israel’s legal obligations as an occupying power, as laid out in the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Although a number of Israeli and Palestinian NGOs work on the issues of home demolitions and agricultural land razing, the data gathered thus far has lacked a consistent methodology and comprehensive framework. In order to remedy this situation, CESR is working with Israeli and Palestinian researchers on database to gather and compile accurate and nonpartisan information in accordance with a transparent and standardized methodology.
The database will be made available to the public with certain privacy restrictions. It is envisaged that it will be useful for scholars, human rights organizations, activists, and other members of the public. The information can be used to assess whether or not demolitions are in conformity with international law, to promote accountability for policies of home and land demolition, and to promote a sustainable resolution to the conflict based on principles of international law.
