The Middle East Quartet – the diplomatic grouping bringing together the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States – met at UN Headquarters in New York on the margins of the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.

The meeting is the first time in one and a half years that the members of the Quartet have met at the level of principals and it follows the most recent round of direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians held last month. The Quartet called on all parties to take every possible step to promote conditions conducive to the success of the negotiating process and to refrain from actions that undermine trust or prejudge final status issues.

“The Quartet reaffirmed its determination to lend effective support to the efforts of the parties and their shared commitment to reach a permanent status agreement within the agreed goal of nine months,” the group said in a statement.

It commended the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and their commitment to remaining engaged in sustained and continuous negotiations to address all of the core issues.

During the meeting, the Quartet received an update from US Secretary of State John Kerry on the progress in the talks since talks resumed on 29 July, as well as a joint briefing on the negotiations by the chief negotiators from both sides.

The group also discussed efforts to boost support to the Palestinian economy, as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of both sides demonstrating a commitment to improving the atmosphere for the negotiations.

The other principals participating in the meeting were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton.

They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair and by Israeli chief negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat.

“The sewage treatment facility would have served to further entrench Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, now universally considered to be a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions,” said the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk.

“It is encouraging that international corporations are taking corporate social responsibility seriously and weighing the legal consequences, financial costs and reputational risks of involvement in the maintenance and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.”

In a statement Royal HaskoningDHV, which is Holland’s largest engineering company, said that “in the course of the project, and after due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law.”

Mr. Falk praised the decision as a major acknowledgement of the arguments made by legal experts and human rights activists about the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.

“The Dutch firm’s decision is part of a growing momentum against Israel’s failure to comply with international law in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention governing belligerent occupation,” he said.

Mr. Falk also recalled the new European Union (EU) guidelines which establish that all agreements between Israel and the EU for grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU must now explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.

“It is hoped that other companies engaged in business relationships with the illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine will follow Royal HaskoningDHV’s lead and terminate their involvement out of respect for corporate responsibility and international law,” Mr. Falk said.

The Special Rapporteur will present a report on corporate complicity in the Israeli settlement enterprise to the General Assembly next month. The report will set out a model for legal analysis of the specific ways in which business activities potentially implicate companies in international crimes.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes.

The government demolishes Bedouin homes based on discriminatory laws and rules, and without respect for the Bedouins’ dignity or the country’s human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said, adding that the government should also withdraw proposed legislation that would discriminate against Bedouin with harsh rules on land and property rights and authorize large-scale displacement of Bedouin from generations-old communities, while severely restricting their ability to appeal.

Government officials have estimated that implementing the law would displace 30,000 Bedouin, while Israeli rights groups say the figure could be 40,000 or more.

“Israel has been shoving Bedouin out of their communities and into ever-shrinking space while encouraging and even helping Jewish Israelis to move in,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Netanyahu should end the appalling discrimination against Israel’s Bedouin citizens, not support legislation that enshrines it.”

According to government figures, 200,000 Bedouin live in the country’s southern Negev region, the majority in 7 government-planned townships, and several thousand more in 11 Bedouin communities that the government is in the process of “recognizing.”

However, Israeli state planning documents and maps exclude 35 “unrecognized” Bedouin communities, where the government estimates that 70,000 to 90,000 people live.

Israel demolishes Bedouin homes in the Negev on the basis that they were built without permits, often in unauthorized communities. Israel has for decades refused either to legally recognize these communities or to allow their residents to gain title to ancestral land. The Israeli government has rejected or delayed discussion of proposed plans submitted by groups seeking authorization for Bedouin communities, making it impossible for residents to obtain building permits.

In contrast, the government takes an active role in planning and expanding Jewish communities in the region, and has retroactively authorized construction there by Jewish citizens. 

Bedouin have ancestral claims to lands on which their families have lived for generations.

However, Israeli authorities do not recognize Bedouin land claims without official ownership documents, which few have. Israel claims state ownership of Negev lands that are not registered to individual owners. While Israel has frequently granted Jewish communities and individual Jewish farmers long-term leases to use “state lands,” including lands expropriated from Israeli Bedouin, it has largely refused to grant Bedouin similar use.

Human Rights Watch has long documented the Israeli authorities’ discriminatory practices toward Bedouin and the discriminatory demolition of their homes.

Since March 2013 Human Rights Watch has documented demolition of 18 Bedouin homes and 11 other structures, including 8 tents where victims of previous demolitions were living.

The government should fully compensate Bedouin whose homes and property it has destroyed in violation of the right to housing and non-discrimination, Human Rights Watch said.

“The prime minister’s office has led the drive to push through this law that will forcibly displace thousands of Bedouin families,” Stork said. “Israel’s allies should tell the prime minister in no uncertain terms to shelve this discriminatory law.”

B’Tselem said that since November 2009, it has received testimonies from dozens of Palestinian residents of the Bethlehem and al-Khalil, most of them minors, saying that they were subjected to threats and violence, sometimes amounting to torture, during their interrogation at the police station at Gush Etzion.

The testimonies describe interrogations in which the minors were forced to confess to alleged offenses, mostly stone-throwing.

The report included the testimony of a minor, aged 14 from Husan in Bethlehem. He said “The interrogator made me go into a room. He grabbed my head and started banging it against the wall. Then he punched me, slapped me and kicked my legs. The pain was immense, and I felt like I couldn’t stand any longer.”

“Then he started swearing at me. He said filthy things about me and about my mother. He threatened to rape me, or perform sexual acts on me, if I didn’t confess to throwing stones,” the child added.

He said: “His threats really scared me, because he was very cruel and it was just the two of us in the room. I remembered what I’d seen on the news, when British and American soldiers raped and took photos of naked Iraqis.”

B’Tselem reported that until July 2013 its field researchers collected 64 testimonies from residents of eight communities in the southern West Bank who reported such incidents. “Fifty-six of them were minors at the time of their interrogation.”

“I am encouraged that Israelis and Palestinians have re-engaged in direct dialogue. But for these negotiations to have a chance at success, they need to be meaningful,” Mr. Ban said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I know that when a problem has remained an open wound for decades, causing hardships and casualties on both sides, it might sometimes seem that the problem will never be solved,” he continued.

“Dealing [with] the symptom might seem easier in the short term. It takes courage, vision, and creativity to decide that the long-term cost of that problem is actually too high. That is what is happening now with the Israeli-Palestinian issue.”

Direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians stalled in September 2010, after Israel refused to extend its freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. Following recent efforts by United States Secretary of State John Kerry, the two sides resumed negotiations this week.

“I am here to urge all the leaders to continue along the path to peace and to underscore a shared commitment to work together to make 2013 a decisive year for Israeli-Palestinian peace and peace in the region,” stated Mr. Ban, who is visiting Israel for the sixth time as Secretary-General.

In addition to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Ban also met with Israeli President Shimon Peres. Speaking to reporters along with Mr. Peres, the Secretary-General noted that direct negotiations remain the “single most credible path” to a solution.

He also urged all parties to avoid actions that risk undermining the negotiations. “Both sides need to sustain an environment conducive for the peace process to move forward. People need to see improvements on the ground, including economic progress for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and greater security for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Mr. Ban also held meetings with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon and the Leader of the Opposition, Shelly Yachimovich. A separate meeting with Ambassador Martin Indyk, the US Special Envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, covered the resumption of direct negotiations between the parties.

In addition, Mr. Ban took part in an Israeli Model UN event at the UN headquarters in Jerusalem, at which he said students everywhere should have both passion and compassion, and lift their vision beyond boundaries. While at the UN headquarters, the Secretary-General met the new head of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), Major-General Michael Finn.

Also today, Mr. Ban visited the grave site on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who the UN chief noted lived through the war to become “a champion of peace and security” for Israel and the region.

“As Secretary-General of the United Nations it is a great honour for me to work together with the people of Israel to build upon his legacy,” Mr. Ban said, adding that he hoped that both parties, Israelis and Palestinians, will remember Mr. Rabin’s legacy and realize a two-State solution.

Mr. Ban’s two-day visit to the region also took him to Jordan and Palestine.

In a statement, the Quartet members – the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States – welcomed the announcement by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the talks between the two sides resumed in Washington yesterday.

The two lead negotiators at the US-brokered talks were Israeli justice minister Tzipi Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat.

“The Quartet commends both President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu for taking this courageous decision in the interest of their peoples,” the statement said, adding that the group is determined to lend its effective support to the efforts of the parties and their shared commitment to achieve a negotiated two-State solution within the agreed timeframe of nine months.

Further to the statement, the Quartet reiterated its calls on all parties to take every possible step to promote conditions conducive to the success of the negotiating process and to refrain from actions that undermine trust.

“The Quartet expresses its appreciation for the efforts of President Obama and Secretary Kerry in helping the parties reach agreement to resume negotiations,” the statement said, also commending the Arab League for its constructive role in support of renewed negotiations, including its reaffirmation of the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Quartet also recognized many others in the international community for their important contributions, and expressed hope that such efforts will continue.

“While noting that much hard work lies ahead, the Quartet expresses its hope that renewed negotiations will be substantive and continuous and set a clear path towards a two-State solution, the end of conflict, and lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the diplomatic envoys said, expressing the intention to meet soon to discuss next steps.

“As citizens of Israel, the Arab Bedouins are entitled to the same rights to property, housing and public services as any other group in Israel,” said High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. “The Government must recognize and respect the specific rights of its Bedouin communities, including recognition of Bedouin land ownership claims.”

The first reading of the proposed bill, known as the Prawer-Begin Bill, passed by a narrow margin in the Knesset on 24 June, and is expected to go through the second and third readings before the end of July, according to a news release issued by the High Commissioner’s office (OHCHR).

Pillay said she was “alarmed” that the bill seeks to legitimize the forced displacement and dispossession of indigenous Bedouin communities in the Negev desert in southern Israel, without recognizing that they traditionally owned land titles in the region.

Instead, the bill offers Bedouins limited compensation on the condition that they move to one of the seven officially recognized urban Bedouin townships the Government has created.

“If this bill becomes law, it will accelerate the demolition of entire Bedouin communities, forcing them to give up their homes, denying them their rights to land ownership, and decimating their traditional cultural and social life in the name of development,” Pillay said.

The High Commissioner also pointed out that the 2008 Goldberg Commission set up by the Israeli Government recognized that the Negev Bedouins must be viewed as equal citizens with historic ties to the land, and that they were legitimate residents of the Negev.

“Respect for the legitimate rights of minorities is a fundamental tenet of democracy,” she said, adding that it was regrettable that the Government continues to actively pursue a discriminatory policy against its own Arab citizens.

Pillay added that a reconsideration of the bill must involve a genuinely consultative and participatory process that involves all representatives of Bedouin communities in the Negev.

This comes amid reports that Israel will release a small number of prisoners as per Palestinian condition to restart negotiations. Israeli official sources announced that 80 prisoners most of them imprisoned prior to Oslo accord will be released. This came as the Palestinian Authority (PA) demanded this step as a condition to resume frozen negotiations.

UFree, however,  calls on releasing all Palestinian prisoners and not only a limited number.

“The peace process has always proved a dishonest intention from the Israeli side as more thousands have been imprisoned since Oslo accord signed in 1993 between Israel and PA,” UFree said in a statement.

Khaled Waleed, UFree coordinator said in a press statement that Israel is demanded to release all prisoners as “a goodwill for true peace”.

“Thousands of Palestinian prisoners are in Israeli jails under made-up accusations and have been persecuted illegally. This includes women, children and sick prisoners. The continuation of detaining those segments of prisoners is illegal as per international law, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” stated Waleed.

In the same context, the family of Dirar Abu Sisi, who was kidnapped in Ukraine over 2 years ago, called on the Palestinian Authority to include Dirar within the list of names predicted to be freed. Abu sisi has been subject to constant torture and interrogation which caused him health complications.

The Settlement Subcommittee of the Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration is expected to meet Wednesday to approve the plans.

Peace Now said that a government committee was expected to grant initial approval for plans to build 339 homes at Galgal and Almog settlements in the Jordan valley, Kfar Adumim northeast of Jerusalem and at Kochav Yaacov and Shilo near Ramallah, and another 732 new units in Modi’in Ilit, the West Bank’s biggest settlement, AFP reported.

“These approvals are part of an unprecedented wave of advancing settlement plans. This is yet another message by Israel to the US and the Palestinians that this government is not ready for peace,” Peace Now said in a statement.

The news came as US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Amman at on a fresh trip to the Middle East focused to revive stalled peace talks.

Meanwhile, Israel condemned new guidelines by the European Union on Tuesday which ban EU funding and cooperation with Israeli institutions that operate in territory captured by Israel in 1967.

According to Israeli Haaretz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to call European leaders on Wednesday and ask them to help postpone the publication of the new European Union guidelines concerning Israeli settlements.

The guidelines are expected to be officially released on Friday and go into effect on January 1, 2014.

The Palestinians are demanding that Israel stop building settlements in the West Bank as a condition for getting back to the negotiating table which have stalled since 2010. Israel says talks should restart without preconditions.

At a previous hearing, the state attorney told the court that the military would pledge not to use white phosphorus in populated areas “for the time being,” with two “very narrow exceptions” that it would not make public for unspecified security reasons. The state attorney shared information about the exceptions with the court during a hearing from which the petitioners were excluded. In her ruling, Justice Edna Arbel accepted the state’s pledge and rejected the petition as unnecessary, and said she was “convinced” that the secret exceptions were “very limited” and that it is “doubtful if they would have any practical implications.”

The seven-paragraph ruling requires the military to notify the petitioners, including 117 Israeli citizens and human rights organizations, in the event the policy changes. The court also ordered the military to conduct a “comprehensive check” concerning its policies on the use of white phosphorus, but did not set a time limit for the check, or require that any results be made public.

“The military’s pledge to limit the use of white phosphorus is a positive step, but it shouldn’t be hedged with secret exceptions,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “And Israel’s highest court missed a chance to clarify as a matter of law, not just policy, that the military shouldn’t be using airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas.”

The court rejected the state’s position that the court could not review the military’s selection of means of warfare, which can be a crucial element in a war crimes case, although it limited its review to “exceptional special cases,” Human Rights Watch said. The ruling urged the military to use alternatives to white phosphorus munitions “whenever possible.”

Human Rights Watch documented Israeli forces’ unlawful use of airburst white phosphorus munitions during fighting in Gaza in 2008-2009. Subsequent Israeli military investigations have held no one responsible for international humanitarian law violations regarding white phosphorus.

White phosphorus generates a dense white smoke and ignites on contact with oxygen. It is considered an incendiary rather than a chemical munition, and is not banned by international treaty. However, the use in populated areas of white phosphorus munitions, which spread burning toxic substance over large areas, violates the prohibition against attacks that cannot discriminate between civilians and combatants, Human Rights Watch said.

White phosphorus munitions are generally designed to serve as smokescreens and to illuminate targets, but they are harmful, regardless of their intended purpose. Human Rights Watch has been working to strengthen Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons by urging states parties to prohibit the use of all incendiary weapons in civilian areas, while working toward a complete ban. Israel has joined the Convention on Conventional Weapons, but has not ratified the protocol on incendiary weapons.