In Brief
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Silencing Opposition
ACRI strongly condemned the Central Election Committee's disqualification of the Balad and Ra'am-Ta'al (United Arab List) parties in January, purportedly because of the parties' rejection of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The Supreme Court accepted
the parties' appeal against the decision and the parties will be allowed to run in the upcoming elections, yet ACRI views the initial decision as very alarming. "The trend toward silencing opposition voices and violating the rights to vote and to be elected
inherent in the decision are liable to have disastrous implications on the viability of Israel's parliamentary system," said ACRI's Chief Legal Counsel Dan Yakir, in response to the Election Committee's decision.
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"Chaining" of Migrant Workers
In November, ACRI and our partner organizations received the overwhelming support of the Supreme Court in response to a contempt of court request we submitted against the State, because of its de facto refusal to annul the "chaining" of migrant workers.
The Court had denounced the practice previously as an "illegal form of modern slavery." "Chaining" puts workers at risk for arrest and deportation if they cease working for the specific employer that endorsed their entry to Israel, even if that employer exploited
or abused them.
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Safeguarding Due Process
On January 4, an expanded High Court of Justice panel of 9 justices held a hearing on a petition against the Criminal Procedure (Detainees Suspected of Security Offenses) Law (Temporary Order) submitted by ACRI and our partner organizations.
During the five-hour hearing, the justices criticized various aspects of the law which allows individuals suspected of security offenses to be held for 21 days with no judicial oversight, to have their detention extended in their absence, and not to be given
information regarding the extension of their detention. A ruling has yet to be issued.
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The Semantics of Occupation
ACRI Director Hagai El-Ad argues that although semantics do matter when it comes to the Occupied Territories, it is more critical that we focus on ending Israel's continuing violation of human rights there, in an op-ed published by the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Click on the following
link for the full text.
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Narrowing Gaps in Health Care
Following demands by ACRI and partners, the Health Ministry in January announced it would issue a tender for licenses to acquire MRI equipment according to which "priority will be given to a bidder from a hospital in the northern or southern
district." ACRI applauds the new initiative and views it as an important step toward reducing gaps in access to health care between the center and periphery.
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Privatizing Justice
In November, ACRI appealed to the Director of Courts, demanding that court interpretation services be subject to full court supervision. The services were privatized in 2003 and since then they have decreased significantly in quality.
This decline has jeopardized access to justice for individuals requiring interpretation services. Following ACRI's appeal, the Director of Courts requested that the courts publish a new, independent tender that will ensure the professional quality of interpreters
and their ethical obligations, independently of the Finance Ministry.
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Rights of the Negev Bedouin
ACRI expressed mixed feelings at the conclusions of the Goldberg Committee, commissioned to recommend solutions to the lack of land and planning policies for Israel's Bedouin population in the Negev. ACRI presented a detailed
position paper in its testimony before the committee. Though the committee's call to recognize the villages is promising, the suggestions for implementation are not satisfactory, and it is left to be seen which recommendations will be implemented and how.
View ACRI's complete response
here. In addition, ACRI together with Physicians for Human Rights - Israel and the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages in the Negev in September submitted a
petition to the Supreme Court demanding the construction of a health clinic in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Tel Al-Melach.
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The Rules of War
In times of armed conflict, it is incumbent on nations to follow basic rules and principles concerning the protection of civilians during armed conflicts. These guidelines are enshrined in International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In partnership
with Diakonia, ACRI has conducted workshops and public events for the past several years to promote these values among pre-army youth and other influential groups in Israeli society. In the wake of the conflict in Gaza and the south, when IHL is particularly
relevant, ACRI launched the second installation of its Training of Trainers (TOT) program for NGO workers, journalists, and educators. For more information, contact Ronit Piso at
ronit@acri.org.il.
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| ACRI's Public Hotline
ACRI operates a “Public Hotline” for consultation and information on rights entitlement: 02-6521218 (Jerusalem and the south), 03-5608185 (Tel Aviv, the Sharon area and the center of the country), and 04-8526333/4/5
(Haifa and the north of the country).
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Unsubscribe
If you would like to stop receiving ACRI's e-newsletter, please send an email to
news@acri.org.il
and we will remove you from the list.
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A Message from Hagai El-Ad, ACRI's Executive Director
 “ACRI did not abandon its principles when the cannons rumbled and the warplanes’ roar almost silenced our conscience…ACRI’s
workers, Jewish and Arab, passed the test at the darkest hour…and salvaged Israel’s dignity and respect.” This quote comes from a recent letter to ACRI’s staff, by our President and renowned author, Sami Michael.
True, the crisis in Gaza and the south has posed many challenges to human rights in the region. With violence and extremism exacerbated, ACRI's work is even more important now than in calmer days. Yet, sadly, at such
times, we not only witness gross violations of human rights but also a desire to silence the moral ethos from which our values stem: justice, equality, and human rights for all.
Throughout the conflict, we witnessed widespread civilian casualties. Israeli civilians in the south endured continuous rocket attacks from Gaza; this suffering followed years of such attacks, which were rightfully condemned by many, including ACRI, as intolerable.
But these human rights violations cannot be used to justify other violations. I find it especially relevant to include here a quote from US President Barack Obama’s recent inaugural speech: “Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as
we please.” As such, ACRI continues to demand that Israel respect international law and basic moral principles. Read on for a complete summary of our response to the crisis.
In the wake of both the conflict and the global economic crisis, we are especially grateful for the support of our friends and partners. On behalf of ACRI’s staff and board, I express my heartfelt thanks for your notes and expressions of support during
these trying times. Now, in the aftermath and given the urgent need to fight human rights abuses wherever they arise, ACRI’s work is more critical than ever. I encourage you to continue supporting ACRI by
donating and by urging friends and colleagues to receive this e-newsletter by sending an email to
news@acri.org.il.
May 2009 bring peace for all of us,
Hagai El-Ad
Executive Director
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ACRI Responds: in Gaza and the South
In recent weeks, in light of Israel’s military operation in Gaza and the attacks by Hamas on Israel’s south, ACRI was at the forefront of efforts by Israeli civil-society organizations to condemn the damage inflicted on civilians in Gaza and Israel. Together
with a coalition of Israeli human rights organizations, we conducted a public campaign under the slogan, “Civilians are Not Cannon Fodder. Not in Gaza. Not in Sderot,” highlighting the need to protect civilians during the fighting. In the legal arena, we submitted
several important interventions, including an appeal regarding the illegal arrests and interrogations of participants in lawful demonstrations against the military actions in Gaza, and we are representing several of these individuals in criminal proceedings
before the Court. On January 20, ACRI and its partners intervened to Attorney General Meni Mazuz to investigate several incidents which may have constituted violations of International Humanitarian Law. We also submitted an intervention to Mazuz and the Military
Judge Advocate General regarding the appalling conditions in which prisoners from Gaza were held during the fighting. At the outset of the conflict, we joined our fellow human rights organizations in submitting two urgent petitions to the Supreme Court concerning
the humanitarian needs of Gaza residents.
In addition, ACRI has established a special hot line for residents of Israel's south in tandem with SHATIL, offering information in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, Tigrit, and English about various rights and procedures in the context of the conflict. A complete
summary of ACRI's response to the crisis is available
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Human Rights Week 2008
Photo by Mike Horton
Also during Human Rights Week, ACRI released its "State of Human Rights Report for Israel and the Occupied Territories 2008."
This year, the report examined Israel's fulfillment of a selection of the Declaration's articles. It succeeded in stirring healthy debate, generating extensive media coverage, and earning recognition as a crucial document from a broad cross-section of Israelis,
including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who called the report "a document that assists the efforts of all of us to ensure, to the greatest degree possible, that the rights of all persons are preserved.” The report was also the subject of the
editorial in Haaretz on December 8, 2008.
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Education for Human Rights
In the lead-up to Human Rights Week, ACRI produced a poster representing a selection of rights from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through caricatures in Hebrew and Arabic, in cooperation with War Child Holland and the Education Ministry. ACRI distributed
the poster to every school in Israel (5,000), as well as to 3,000 community centers, youth movements, and educational institutions. The poster, along with an accompanying booklet of guidelines on how to teach children about human rights, received rave reviews
from teachers and educators as well as the Education Ministry. ACRI is currently seeking funding to expand this important project. If you are interested in providing support, please contact Gila Orkin at
gila@acri.org.il.
Also during Human Rights Week, ACRI concluded its annual "Children Draw Human Rights" program in Arab elementary schools - now in its seventh year - with a lively exhibition in Ramle, featuring the best artworks produced in the program.
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Protecting the Rights of East Jerusalem Residents
During the past period, ACRI's East Jerusalem project staff have launched several important initiatives. Following a petition by ACRI and partners demanding that the Jerusalem Municipality find an alternative location for the Shuafat Boys' School, currently
located next to a metal factory in a former goat pen, the Court ordered the Municipality to do so. At the same time, ACRI succeeded in finding places for 17 East Jerusalem children who had been left without an educational framework by the Jerusalem Municipality,
following our submission of an administrative petition. To protest the Municipality's ongoing failure to provide sufficient public educational facilities for East Jerusalem's children, local parents and children, ACRI, and the Community Action Center of East
Jerusalem set up a mock classroom outside of Jerusalem City Hall during the first week of the school year.
Building and Planning: In November, ACRI and Bimkom petitioned the Jerusalem District Court on behalf of residents of the Silwan neighborhood to demand that plans for infrastructure work in the neighborhood be cancelled. The Palestinian residents
of Silwan in East Jerusalem are not permitted to build or expand houses on their land since no valid, detailed master plan exists for the area. Yet, the lack of a plan has not prevented the Ir David Foundation (El-Ad) from expanding the City of David archeological
site in Silwan, disrupting the lives of residents. The
petition remains pending. Photo: The Shuafat Boys' School in East Jerusalem
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