Palestinians are looking to the Arab League's Summit, to be held on 28 and 29 March 2008, in Damascus, as Israel escalates its aggression against them.
Palestinians hope that the outcome of this summit will be better than previous ones.
Arab states may agree on mechanisms that would provide better protection for Palestinian civilians and alleviating the consequences of the IOF's violence and blockade against them, which have gravely impacted their lives.
According to Al Mezan documentation, the IOF has seriously escalated its aggression since the last summit.
The IOF killed 502 people in the Gaza Strip, including 103 children.
The IOF also destroyed 1,128 homes; 198 of them were destroyed completely.
The number of people who used to live in these homes was 11,578 people, including 6,205 children.
Additionally, the IOF bulldozed 2,217 dunams of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip.
The number of people who used to live off these lands was 9,095 people.
The IOF also destroyed 48 commercial and industrial installations, 15 of them completely.
The number of the public installations that were destroyed during the same period was 68 installations; 14 of them were destroyed completely.
This includes schools, mosques and governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Other 76 vehicles were also destroyed; 34 of them completely.
According to Al Mezan's information, the IOF carried out 121 incursions and launched 444 artillery and missile attacks on the Gaza Strip since the last summit.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights expresses its hope that the Arab Summit will take measures that ensure effective protection of civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
Al Mezan also urges the Arab states to provide aid, which is necessary to curb the repercussions of the humanitarian crisis and help Palestinians enjoy their human rights.
Al Mezan stresses the necessity of an Arab agreement on a legal framework that highlights the status of IOF; a belligerent occupying force that acts in violation of the rules of international humanitarian law and dozens of United Nations resolutions.
The Summit is also called to follow up on the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) 2004 Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank.
The wall represents part of the current Israeli policy in OPT, which bears striking similarities with the former Apartheid regime in South Africa.
Regional and international solidarity are necessary for bringing to an end Israel's illegal occupation of the OPT.
Al Mezan points out that the Arab states are parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention and are therefore bound by its provisions.
They must join their efforts with the international community to ensure that Israel respects its legal obligations under the Convention.
Al Mezan also stresses that the Arab states must act promptly as the pace of settlement in the West Bank and the Judaization of Jerusalem increases rapidly.
The failure of Arab leaders to effectively intervene in the current situation in OPT will only allow abolishing any hopes for the Palestinian people to achieve its fundamental rights to self-determination, independence and statehood.
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