Posted on August 10, 2015, by & filed under Personal Experiences.


 

Following our briefing with Al Haq legal centre

On Tuesday 28th July, ICAHD visited Ramallah for a talk from Marya Farah of Al-Haq, a prominent Non Governmental Organisation (NGO). Al-Haq generates its own research on human rights violations and it sends reports to the UN and EU. During the presentation we also viewed a film and saw maps and this was followed by a helpful discussion with Marya.

Recently its focus has shifted towards business and human rights. One example of violations within business is AHAVA, a Dead Sea company based in the illegal settlement of Mitze Shalem. The company makes (US) $150 million annually as of 2010, selling in about 30 countries worldwide, including the USA, Germany and Singapore. It was clear to me that this is such an obvious violation and this has been noticed internationally, with an AHAVA shop having been closed in London. The General Director of Al Haq has commented on their website, “The Israeli authorities are denying Palestinians access to their natural resources … particularly evident in the occupied Dead Sea area. This also clearly demonstrates how Israel is benefiting economically from the occupation. The settlers … should be considered as primary perpetrators of the war crime of pillage.”

– Michael, UK