Watan TV Interviews Mr. Shawan Jabarin, Al-Haq general director, about the conferance made at 16th August 2009.

Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?

A RE-ASSESSMENT OF ISRAEL'S PRACTICES IN THE OPT UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

Sunday 16th August 2009 Ramallah

Background:

In 2008, the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (HSRC) assembled a team of scholars and practitioners of public international law from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Israel, including representatives from Al-Haq and Adalah, to examine the suggestion made in the 2007 report of eminent South African jurist Prof. John Dugard, in his capacity as UN Special Rapporteur, that Israel's practices in the OPT had assumed characteristics of colonialism and apartheid. In May 2009 the team concluded its study and published its 300-page report entitled "Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?: A Re-Assessment of Israel's Practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories under International Law". The full report and its 16-page summary are available to download from the HSRC website (hsrc.ac.za/Media_Release-378.phtml). The report ultimately concludes that Israel, through its laws and practices in the OPT, has breached the international legal prohibitions of both colonialism and apartheid. This entails legal consequences not just for Israel and the Palestinians, but also for the UN, individual States, and the international community as a whole. At this symposium, members of the research team will present the findings of the report and discuss their implications as well as potential next steps with representatives of civil society, political parties, and international organisations. Palestinian, Israeli and South African scholars and professionals will also provide observations in response to the report.