The lack of legal knowledge and access to legal assistance remains one of the major impediments to communities’ welfare, development, and struggle against the occupation. The Society of St. Yves, as part of its outreach initiatives, organized the second Human Rights Bazaar, titled Know Your Rights, on Thursday May 10th in Bethlehem. St. Yves invited organizations in covering the most critical issues for the affected populations living in Area C of the West Bank—mainly, demolitions and stop work orders, protecting water infrastructure from demolitions, permits for mobility, land registration and confiscation, as well as internal family reunification.

N.A. is a Palestinian woman living in Jerusalem with a Palestinian identity card. In 2001, N.A. married a Jerusalemite resident. They had 3 children ages (6-10 years old), and all have the Jerusalem residency status as they were born and live in Jerusalem. The couple attempted twice to apply for a family reunification application so that N.A. could legally reside in Jerusalem. Both attempts were rejected by the Israeli authorities because N.A. during the first application was less than 25 years old. More recently, the second application was rejected as a result of the police’s opened cases against her husband. N.A tried to apply for a third family reunification application in April 2011, but still has yet to receive a response.

In the wake of the World Water Day, local human rights organizations unite in protest against the illegal demolition of rain collecting cisterns in Area C of the West Bank. The demolition of cisterns is illegal under Human Rights Law (HRL), International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the Oslo Accords and an Israeli–Palestinian Declaration. Following a press release issued by the Israeli Attorney General’s Office, all pending appeals against structure demolitions in front of the High Court will receive a response no later than August 2012. The coalition will therefore demonstrate in front of the Israeli High Court of Justice in Jerusalem on March 22, World Water Day, from 11 to 1pm. With its presence the coalition calls upon the Justices to uphold the rights of the Palestinian civilians under occupation as enshrined in IHL, HRL, and the Oslo Accords. The coalition asks the Justices to remind the State of Israel of its legal obligations.

Since 2010, the Society of St. Yves has represented over 50 cases of demolition orders for water structures. The recent influx of cases mirrors a widespread shift in Israel’s approach to displacing Palestinians, by targeting water resources and other means of livelihood. These demolitions occur in Area C—over 6o percent of the West Bank that is under full Israeli control and in which Israel has designated just one per cent of land for Palestinian development. With such tight restrictions on Palestinian construction, the development of water and sanitation infrastructure is usually done without proper authorization. Many communities are at risk of losing their means for surviving, and face the fear of receiving demolition orders. According to OCHA’s 2011 Factsheet of Area C, over 3.000 demolition orders are outstanding, some even include water structures erected by recognized international aid agencies such as ECHO and the Committee of the Red Cross.