VIENNA, March 27, 2010 (WAFA)- Representatives of non-governmental organizations, activists and others attending Friday's United Nations Meeting of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People in Vienna reported on actions taken against the wall built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and especially around the village of Bil'in, highlighting the importance of the July 2004 advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding the wall.
The one-day event followed the conclusion of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, which took place in Vienna on 24 and 25 March. Both events were held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. With today's meeting, the Committee continued its programme of cooperation with civil society, as mandated by the General Assembly, by providing venues and opportunities for civil society organizations and individuals to exchange views and broaden international networks in support of the Palestinian people.
Zahir Tanin, Vice-Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, said in opening remarks that more than 1,000 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists had come together in the Palestinian village of Bil'in last month, to mark five years of popular struggle against the wall despite serious risks. 'We are humbled by what members of civil society are sacrificing personally in order to fight against a great injustice.'
As the Meeting ended, Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine at the United Nations, said: 'I am honoured and humbled to be in the company of fighters in the field who fight on a daily basis against the wall and the occupation.' Noting that civil society and the Palestinian Authority complemented each other, and that all actions, big or small, contributed to the struggle of the Palestinian people to end the occupation and establish an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital, he urged participants to 'always concentrate on what unifies us and not what divides us'.
Saviour F. Borg ( Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee, also made closing remarks.
The Meeting consisted of two panel discussions under the themes 'Civil society actions against the Separation Wall in the Occupied West Bank', and 'The importance of upholding international law, including with respect to the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion regarding the Wall'.
In sometimes emotional presentations, panellists provided updates on the situation with regard to the wall's construction; reported on their non-violent actions in protest against the wall; and discussed ways in which civil society could raise public awareness about its impact on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Two films were screened: Walled Horizons, a documentary prepared by the United Nations in Jerusalem and featuring Roger Waters of the band Pink Floyd; and Refuse to Die in Silence, which documents non-violent and creative demonstrations in Bil'in.
One Palestinian panellist, activist and community organizer Lubna Masarwa, could not attend the Meeting because she missed her flight after having been subjected to four hours of humiliating security procedures at the airport in Tel Aviv. 'I felt trapped and couldn't handle it any more,' she wrote in an e-mail message to the Meeting's organizers.
