Universities must respect peaceful activism and revise repressive policies targeting the pro-Palestinian solidarity movement on their campuses, a UN independent human rights expert said on Friday.
Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, stressing that the Palestinian people will not leave their homeland – the land of their ancestors.
The General Assembly passed a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine within the next twelve months by an overwhelming margin on Wednesday. The vote came in the middle of its 10th emergency special session considering Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mahmoud Ahmad Al-Said remembers his birthplace and the ancestors who came before him. Seventy six years ago, the Palestinian refugee, who has devoted his life to teaching children, was forcibly displaced from his home village of Al-Birwa approximately 9 km northeast of Acre. It is well-known as the birthplace of the renowned poet Mahmoud Darwish. While the village and surrounding area still hold many memories for the 84-year-old, the community has since been completely destroyed and replaced by what is now known as moshav Ahihud in Israel and kibbutz Yas’ur.
High-level independent human rights investigators reiterated serious concerns on Wednesday about the legality of the Israeli army's conduct in Gaza and pushed back at claims that their inquiry has done too little to highlight the ongoing ordeal of hostages captured by Palestinian militants.
When tensions erupted in East Jerusalem in April 2021 at the beginning of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, daily clashes involving Palestinians, Israeli settlers and Israeli forces led to spiraling violence and death. In response, the Human Rights Council set up a top panel of independent rights experts to investigate reports of violations of international law.
Palestine’s recent attempt to become a full member of the United Nations was the focus of discussion in the General Assembly on Wednesday.
The Security Council rejected Palestine’s request for UN membership on Thursday, with the United States casting a veto.
What will it take for Palestine to become a full UN Member State? As the Security Council takes up the matter while the devastating war in Gaza enters its seventh month, we looked at Palestine’s current status and what it takes to become a UN Member State.
The Security Council on Monday referred the application of the observer State of Palestine for full UN membership to the specialized committee set up to vet new members.
