On Monday 6th March, hbs Palestine and Jordan office launched the study “The impact of the current situation on the human rights of the vulnerable Palestinian groups in East Jerusalem”, conducted by Dr. Safa Husni Dhaher.
The study is part of our EU funded project “Advancing the Rights of Vulnerable Palestinian Women and Children in East Jerusalem” and discusses the current situation in East Jerusalem from different perspectives: political, social and economic.
The research observations highlight the complexity of the geopolitical context of East Jerusalem such as the annexation, the construction of the Jewish settlements and the separation Wall, as well as the Israeli policies that discriminate against the Palestinian Jerusalemites. The analysis identifies on the one hand, the imposed Israeli measures that violate human rights at different levels, and on the other hand, the structural macro-social forces in the Palestinian society that influence the level of respect of human rights, in order to differentiate between what’s imposed by the state of Israel and what is culturally inherited. The study concludes that the vulnerable groups are subjected to these two levels of violations in a way that makes the mission of advocating for them more complex. A short discussion is also introduced over foreign aid and the vital role played by International Organizations. The study recommends that the intervention of the international community at the political level is essential in order to promote the respect of the rights for the vulnerable Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem.
During the launching event, Dr. Dhaher spoke about the challenges of the occupation, particularly for women and children, the Palestinian political dissension and drug abuse in some parts of East Jerusalem. Her presentation was followed by a panel discussion of Ms. Sama Aweidah from the Women’s Studies Center addressing societal challenges, Ms. Rana Nashashibi from the Palestinian Counseling Center adding the aspect of psychological hardships and Mr. Ivan Karakashian from Defense for Children International stressing the problems of East Jerusalem children, who face arrest and harassment. The study launch was concluded with a lively discussion about the role of international donors, the Palestinian civil society and new opportunities in a globalized economy.
The study is available online under the following link:
