Consultancy – Reviewing Palestine international law policy brief At ActionAid

Background

ActionAid is recruiting for a consultant to help the organisation to reinforce its international human rights and humanitarian law analysis of the past and ongoing violations of international law happening in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem. The May 2021 escalation of hostilities and insecurity the Occupied Palestinian Territory has been an opportunity for ActionAid to review and strengthen its public communication and key messages about the links between occupation, human rights and humanitarian law violations and ongoing violence, with a particular focus on women and young people. ActionAid has also developed a six month advocacy plan. ActionAid added value and contribution to address the root causes of the conflict is ask governments to undertake individual and collective efforts to pass resolutions, bills, and exercise diplomatic pressure to hold Israel as occupying power accountable of any past and current violations of human rights and humanitarian law.

As basis for this communication pack and advocacy plan, ActionAid prepared a policy brief which outlines the different human rights violations by Israel and how the United Nations Human Rights system is responding. The first purpose objective of this policy brief is to put at the same level all ActionAid’s staff in terms of knowledge about international humanitarian law and human rights law and how that awareness is particularly crucial in the context of Palestine and Israel illegal occupation. Its second aim is to list inquiries and resolutions by UN bodies and Special Rapporteurs and have them as the basic floor for any ActionAid key demands and ask about Palestine and occupation.

Task

The consultant will review the Palestine human rights policy brief. The exact methodology can be discussed with the chosen candidate, but would including the following:

• Extensive review of the policy brief to reinforce and expand any of the references to humanitarian and human rights law.
• Introduce explanatory and simple text boxes about the links and synergies between different bodies of law, between UN Human Rights bodies and individual and State responsibility and any other aspect that will facilitate the understanding of international law as mean to fight occupation.
• Mapping of what HR processes are underway within the UNGA, UNHRC, ICC, etc., which would support the investigation of violations of international law, as well as which member states support these processes, and which don’t.
• Interview several ActionAid staff in 3-4 selected countries to map the civil society activities that are putting pressure on and holding the Israeli government for the violations of Palestinian rights.

The output would be the existing briefing with reinforced references and simple explanations of international law. The briefing will have an annex with a preliminary mapping of civil society organisations in 3-4 countries and of the HR processes.

Timeline

The consultant will start in the middle of July 2021, conduct review and interviews through July, and provide a first draft report in early August, to be finalised in that moment. The exact dates will be confirmed with the consultant.

The number of days will be agreed with the selected consultant. It is likely to be 7 days for research and writing.

Annex – ActionAid’s approach to programming in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

ActionAid Palestine works in both Gaza and the West Bank. The organisation has been in Gaza since the last major conflict escalation in 2014, where the organisation and Palestinian partners responded to the devastation with immediate relief, cash for shelter and support for trauma recovery, especially in schools. During all this time, and well before, the Gaza Strip has been subject to a heavily enforced blockade by the Israeli authorities, limiting the import of many goods, including basics such as construction materials, and preventing freedom of movement, including access to health care outside Gaza. The enclave is densely populated, offers few opportunities to earn a livelihood and is lacking in much basic infrastructure. Many facilities, including power generators and sanitation systems, that were destroyed by the Israeli army in earlier conflicts have not been fully rebuilt. ActionAid presence in the West Bank is longer lasting and is centred around partnership with local community and women’s groups. Some of these communities have been impacted by the settler movement, where land and natural resources are grabbed for the creation of new settler communities with the support of the Israeli government and the protection of the military occupation. This annexation of territory breaks international law.

Conflict crises always warrant a balance between two forms of ActionAid intervention, humanitarian response on the ground, responding to the impact of the conflict, and a political or policy intervention related to conflict resolution and ideally tackling underlying factors.