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April 2016
Dear friends,
 
Welcome to our  April Newsletter!

The Society of St. Yves wishes you a blessed Easter filled with hope of positive change.
 
The Society of St. Yves was founded in 1991 and is working under the patronage of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to help "the poor and the oppressed" according to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. St. Yves provides gratis legal assistance, counsel and advocacy to all members of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender or religion. Through national and international lobby and advocacy we are able to bring the light of the poor and marginalized to the attention of communities around the world in an effort to bring pressure for change.

This month, read about the most important updates on St. Yves work, including the latest updates on the Cremisan case, a joint diplomatic briefing regarding residency revocations as a form of collective punishment,  St. Yves advocacy campaigns and outreach activities as well as a general update on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 
 
Sincerely,
The Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights
 
Updates from St. Yves

US diplomatic delegation visits Cremisan and Beir Onah
 
On Friday 16/4/2016 a US diplomatic delegation visited the Cremisan valley and Beir Ona, in Beit Jala, to assess the situation and monitor the construction of the annexation wall in the region.The delegation included U.S. Representative to the UN Human Rights Council (Geneva), Ambassador Keith Harper.
The delegation started its visit at the Salesian Sisters Convent in Cremisan, where the Adv. Raffoul Rofa briefed the delegation about the Cremisan case since it started and on the latest legal developments. The delegation then visited the Beir-Onah, where the Israeli army has started the construction of the annexation wall.
Read more

St. Yves Raising Awareness Program continues

Due to the enormous need of awareness raising regarding issues related  to residency in Jerusalem, house demolitions and security ban in the west bank as well as the rights and entitlements of people with disabilities and many others; St. Yves continues to hold awareness raising sessions, widening its target groups and reaching new villages, centres and organizations targeting directly those who are affected and unaware of their social entitlements and legal procedures.
Through its outreach program, St. Yves is in direct contact with beneficiaries that are in need of the society's legal consultation and representation, during the session, the lawyer gives advice and recommendations and the beneficiaries are then transferred to St. Yves offices to proceed with any further procedures.


 
“Punitive residency revocation: the most recent tool of forcible transfer in Jerusalem”

On Thursday 14/4/2016, The Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights launched along with 5 human rights organizations (Al -Quds University's Community Action Center, Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, Badil, Al-Haq and Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic) held a diplomatic briefing to a number of diplomats and representative offices as well as UN and local organizations. This briefing comes as part of an advocacy campaign that aims to contribute to halting Israel’s forced displacement of East Jerusalem Palestinians. 
Read more
 

“The right of people with disabilities to accessibility” campaign
 
The Society of St. Yves – Catholic Center for Human Rights, in partnership with Diakonia and supported by the European Union, concludes its social media campaign by holding a press conference at St. Yves supporting the rights and entitlements of people with disabilities in East Jerusalem as well as their rights to accessibility and movement on a legal and advocacy level.St. Yves believes “in the importance of the role of the community and of each citizen in the improvement of the lives of people with disabilities and in ensuring their right to access all public places and services without any obstacles. Accessibility is the first step for people with disabilities to be able to access health, education, and work equally, independently and freely” expressed Adv. Raffoul Rofa, director of St. Yves.
Read more
 
Updates from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Israel's dangerous new transfer tactic in Jerusalem
Israel is adept at creating new Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons, introducing a dangerous new twist to its long-standing residency revocation policy to force Palestinians out of East Jerusalem.This new concept –"breach of allegiance" to the state of Israel – is now being used to revoke the residency of Palestinian Jerusalemites, in addition to possible demolition of their family homes. The Israeli government is describing these actions as regular law enforcement measures, but analysis shows that they are part of its ongoing policies of forced displacement, with the aim of making long-term demographic changes and maintaining an overwhelming Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
Read more
UN: Four-fold increase in Israeli demolitions this year
UN figures revealed a four-fold increase from last year in the rate of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures, that have left a record-high 808 Palestinians displaced since the start of 2016. 588 Palestinian structures across the OPT since January. A number of homes have been targeted in punitive demolitions of the family homes of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.
Read more
Israeli forces seal home of Palestinian charged with manslaughter
Israeli forces on Monday sealed the home of a young imprisoned Palestinian after evicting his family in the Sur Bahir neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.Israeli officers broke into the house and sealed all the windows and doors with wooden boards as the family was preparing to leave to attend a hearing for Dawiyat at an Israeli court in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities often seal or demolish the homes of Palestinians who have committed attacks against Israelis, a policy that has been condemned by rights groups as collective punishment. 

Read more
Israeli court sets date for hearing on return of 15 Palestinian bodies
Israel’s High Court on Sunday ruled to hold a hearing next month in order to reach a decision on Israel’s return of the bodies of 15 Palestinians who were killed while allegedly carrying out attacks on Israeli forces.Over 200 Palestinians have been killed during the recent unrest -- the majority during alleged attacks -- and Israel held the bodies of least 80 Palestinians for various periods of time before slowly reversing the policy in December, according to UN figures.Last month, senior PLO official Saeb Erekat for his part urged the international community to pressure Israel to release the bodies, saying: "Israel's collective punishments are now being carried out against the living and the dead." Read more
 
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Society of St. Yves · 40 Latin Patriarchate Rd. · Jaffa Gate, Old City · East Jerusalem 91000 · Palestine

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