Translation from the original Arabic version   We, the undersigned Palestinian human rights organisations, hereby declare the establishment of the Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organisations as a permanent forum of coordination between the organisations, and which will also be open to other organisations meeting the criteria to join.
The undersigned organisations share a strong mutual belief in the import of having a permanent coordination body in order to share experiences and information, to compliment each other's work, and to advance a legal discourse with coordinated positions among the organisations on the main human rights issues faced by the Palestinian people, whether relating to violations and crimes committed by the Israeli occupying authorities, or by official or non-official Palestinian factions.
The human rights situation in the occupied territory continues to deteriorate, primarily due to the prolonged Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, with the practices of the Occupying Power continuing to systematically affect all aspects of Palestinian life – practices that include killings of civilians, collective punishment and siege policies, home demolitions, confiscation and annexation of land, forcible transfer and displacement, and the subjection of the occupied Palestinian population to severe living conditions for the expediency of long-term political goals.
All of this serves to disregard the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the right to self-determination, obstructing the exercise of that right and precluding its future realisation, in contravention of clear international legal norms and obligations, and of UN resolutions and the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice.
These violations persist in the absence of any political will on the part of the international community to ensure respect for international law by the Israeli occupying authorities, or to respect their own international legal obligations in their relations with the State of Israel.
Further, the divisions within the Palestinian political realm are entailing severe consequences, both presently and in the long-term, on the Palestinian national cause and on the freedoms and rights of the Palestinian people – the right to life, to freedom from torture and ill-treatment, to freedom from arbitrary arrest, and more.
The Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organisations recognise the above-mentioned issues as the main challenges to all organisations working to promote and protect Palestinian human rights.
Facing such immense challenges requires unity and coordination of efforts towards advancement of respect for human rights and the rule of law.
In order to defend our human rights, particularly the right to self-determination, and the right to return of refugees and displaced persons, the Palestinian human rights community must develop its work and its relationships on a professional and principled belief in the mutual benefits of collective efforts.
    Signed in Ramallah, West Bank and Gaza City, Gaza Strip on 6 April 2009 Al-Haq Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre ADDAMEER Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association AL-DAMEER Association for Human Rights - Gaza Defence for Children International – Palestine Section Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling ENSAN Association for Democracy and Human Rights Ramallah Centre for Human Rights Studies