Promotion and respect of human rights, gender equality and the international humanitarian law

Rights holders:    The protected population in the oPt, specifically women and the most vulnerable categories (minors, detainees, separated families, victims of GBV, farmers and herders in Area C, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, patients in need of urgent and specific medical attention).

Duty bearers:    Israel, Palestinian Authority (PA), de facto Authority in Gaza.

Other stakeholders:    Israeli, Palestinian and international NGOs, the media, the UN agencies in oPt, UN Member States and other international agencies and organizations. 

Protection – Legal Aid: Provision of quality legal aid and social services for improved protection of people, in particular women and the most vulnerable (minors, prisoners, separated families, victims of GBV, farmers and herders in Area C, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and lifesaving referral of patients.

Evidence-based advocacy: The respect of Human Rights and IHL is monitored, violations are properly documented and duty bearers’ are faced to their responsibilities. 

Expected results:  

-    Provision of legal aid and counselling;

-    Access to social and legal rights for women in need, and vulnerable categories;

-    Publications of important research, briefs, reports, position papers, press releases on the current HR / IHL situations in the oPt;

-    Evidence-based principled legal challenges to discriminatory practices;

-    Dialogue with third party representations at local and capital level. Bilateral and multilateral meetings held;

-    Monitoring, documentation and reporting on Palestinian acceded instruments and harmonization in local laws.

Results from previous phases:  

-    Provision of meaningful legal aid services to thousands of Palestinians in the oPt (e.g. 200/year family reunifications cases and access to agricultural lands);

-    Provision of protection support to thousands of individuals victims of SGBV (1075 persons/year), including consultations, case management, sheltering, legal representation and counselling;

-    Facilitation of medical referrals (e.g. 2018 PHR-I raising awareness at Knesset on women cancer patients from the Gaza Strip);

-    Developing the capacities of partner NGOs to deliver high quality monitoring and reporting on human rights and IHL trends;

-    COVID-19 pandemic-related response: Psychosocial and legal support, to extend services to the protected population in need.  

1.    Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel

2.    Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement

3.    HaMoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual

4.    The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH

5.    Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Gaza

6.    Physicians for Human Rights (PHR-I)

7.    The Jerusalem Legal Aid & Human Rights Center (JLAC) West Bank

8.    Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC)

9.    Hamleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

-    Synergies with other Swiss partners and projects, in particular in the Rule of Law portfolio;

-    Coordination with Swiss offices and instruments;

-    Coordination with other interventions conducted by like-minded countries at local level (e.g. informal HR platform; EU Civil society roadmap).