42 PALESTINIAN DISPLACEMENT FMR 26 public opinion on either side feeds the polarisation are increased. The media Israelis to take real risks for peace, conflict and perpetuates the cycle of must report on the common desire such as by refusing military violence. Conversely, public opinion for peace, giving credibility to the service (which not only sends that favours a just solution to the voices that speak out against violence them to prison but blacklists conflict can help encourage leadership and exploitation of the conflict. them for life) and risking army to support a peace agreement. roadblocks to take food or provide Given the balance of power that so medical treatment for Palestinians strongly favours Israel, Israeli public Shared humanity constrained by travel restrictions. opinion is one of the keys to peace – and is itself strongly influenced by Israelis also have economic and social For a peace process to work its perception of Palestinian public problems and live with fear. If there is between Israelis and Palestinians, opinion. The Israeli public needs to to be a sustainable peace it is essential it has to work at the popular level. be convinced that there is a genuine to address their fear, to break down Commitment to working with non- and overwhelming desire for peace the stereotyping of Palestinians as violence is a way to achieve this. What among the Palestinian public. terrorists and to work to restore to the is needed now is support of every Israeli public a human perspective kind to nurture non-violence and give As the restrictions of movement in regarding Palestinians. If more it the means and the space to grow. the West Bank and Gaza effectively Israelis would allow themselves to prevent any contact between all but see Palestinians as human beings Lucy Nusseibeh is the founder and the most determined Israelis and they would find it much harder to director of Middle East Nonviolence Palestinians, the media has a crucial shoot at children, bulldoze people’s and Democracy (MEND www. role in both the broadcasting and houses and prevent sick people mend-pal.org) and was formerly the manipulation of perceptions from accessing medical care. director of the Palestinian Centre and public opinion in this conflict. for the Study of Nonviolence. When all one side reads is angry There is a growing commitment Email: [email protected]. statements by the other, fear and on the part of some courageous Civil society responds to protection gap by Vivienne Jackson In the absence of mechanisms to protect the population Israel, the US, Australia and three micro Pacific states voted against. of the OPT, and the reluctance or impotence of the However, the General Assembly is ‘international community’, global civil society activists and unable to compel Israel to uphold human rights campaigners – working with Palestinian its responsibilities as an occupying and Israeli actors – have stepped into the breach. force since Assembly resolutions only have moral and symbolic weight and are not legally binding. The Fourth Geneva Convention, The Israeli government violates As noted in earlier articles, UNRWA which came into effect in October international humanitarian law, is not mandated to work with non- 1951,1 represented the post-World the Universal Declaration of refugee victims of occupation. War II aspirations of the international Human Rights, the Fourth Geneva Israeli woman watches for community to offer permanent Convention and decisions of the human rights protection to civilians living under International Court of Justice with violations at military occupation. The breadth the passive acceptance of much checkpoint. of Israel’s derogation in relation to of the ‘international community’. Palestinians living under occupation While the UN and its members is comprehensive, with most key clearly view the West Bank, East Convention articles sporadically or Jerusalem and Gaza as ‘occupied’, systemically breached. Arguing that the UN Security Council has the land it calls Judea and Samaria is barely urged Israel to uphold its ‘disputed’ and not ‘occupied’, Israel human rights obligations. The does not consider the Fourth Geneva UN General Assembly has been Convention as a legal impediment more vocal, expressing world to implementation of policies which opinion when it overwhelmingly have transformed the areas’ physical endorsed the International Court of and demographic landscapes. Justice’s ruling on the Wall – only Machsomwatch FMR 26 PALESTINIAN DISPLACEMENT 43 Since 2002 NGOs and individual activists have taken an increasingly prominent role in trying to redress the lack of official international protection given to Palestinians in the OPT. The deaths of two members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)2 – Rachel Corrie killed by an armoured Caterpillar bulldozer in Gaza in March 2003 and Tom Hurndall shot in the head by an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Israeli ‘Women in Black’ – who sniper in April 2003 oppose Israel’s – drew global attention occupation of to international non- Palestinian state intervention to territories protect Palestinians. – during their weekly peace vigil on The ISM is but one a Jerusalem Paul Jeffrey/ACT International Jeffrey/ACT Paul of a host of local street corner. and national civil society groups using non-violent and international activists alongside the Israeli Arab soldier responsible action to address the human Palestinians undoubtedly constrains for Hurndall’s death has been rights of Palestinians living under the Israeli army and police in the convicted, it remains significant that occupation. The presence of Israeli degree of violence they use against more senior commanding Israeli legitimate soldiers have escaped prosecution. political protest. These new forms of solidarity face Human rights organisations set up by Palestinians and Israelis include: Stung by other difficulties. Outsiders can act negative in ways in which Palestinians find Badil Resource Centre for Palestinian publicity, Israel inappropriate or presumptuous. Residency & Refugee Rights www.badil.org is now acting to Getting an unregulated group of Al-Haq http://asp.alhaq.org restrict access activists to work with affected Addameer www.addameer.org of external Palestinian communities struggling The Alternative Information Centre www.alternativenews.org civil society with the daily realities of occupation B’tselem www.btselem.org/English actors. The to jointly plan non-violent actions can Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch www.machsomwatch.org deaths of Rachel be a delicate process. Nevertheless, Israeli Committee Against Corrie and non-violent global/local civil society House Demolitions www.icahd.org Tom Hurndall networks have provided vital Ta’ayush www.taayush.org show the protective functions in a situation Rabbis for Human Rights www.rhr.israel.net willingness of where official protection has the Israeli state been devastatingly threadbare. to use lethal International groups include: force against Vivienne Jackson, a postgraduate direct non- student at the University of Operation Dove www.operationdove.org violent action Bristol, is a member of Jews for Christian Peacemakers Teams www.cpt.org but have also Justice for Palestinians (www. Ecumenical Accompaniment brought closer jfjfp.org). For several months she Programme in Palestine and Israel www.quaker.org.uk/eappi the realisation lived as an international volunteer that Israeli trying to assist inhabitants of the Global civil society groups focused on long-term protection issues soldiers should West Bank village of Yanoun to mentioned in the Convention – including the right to pursue a not remain reclaim homes abandoned under livelihood – have sought to establish trade links with the OPT: immune from threat from extremists from the prosecution for Jewish settlement of Itamar. Olive Co-operative www.olivecoop.com violations of Email: [email protected] Zaytoun www.zaytoun.org international Freedom Clothing http://freedom-clothing.co.uk/news humanitarian 1 www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/92.htm 2 www.palsolidarity.org law. While .