Issue no.8 June 2007 | Donate  | Subscribe 
In Brief
Fighting Racial Profiling

In a petition to the High Court of Justice, ACRI demanded that the state authorities no longer use Arab nationality as a criterion when performing security checks at Israeli airports. The petition described the differential and humiliating treatment encountered by Arab passengers at airports, who are often subject to rigorous security checks, well beyond those normally performed on Jewish passengers. For more on ACRI's petition, click here.
 
ACRI Protests Friedman's Move to Re-Enact the Intifada Law

In June 2007, ACRI submitted an urgent intervention to Justice Minister Daniel Friedman, after he ordered his staff to draft a legislative bill for re-enacting the amendment to the Civil Wrongs (Liability of State) Law, also known as the "Intifada Law". The Intifada Law blocks Palestinians from suing the State of Israel for compensation when they sustain injuries to their person or property caused by the Israeli security forces outside the context of a military operation. In December 2006, an expanded panel of nine High Court justices unanimously struck down the Intifada Law and ruled that it violated Israel's Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. In response, Friedman recently ordered his staff to draft an amendment to the Basic Law to allow for the re-enactment of the Intifada Law. ACRI stressed that amending a Basic Law is a dangerous and unprecedented step that threatens the limited constitutional protection granted today to some of the human rights in the new Basic Laws. To read the complete text of ACRI's intervention, click here.

 
ACRI Challenges Procedure for Dealing with Pregnant Migrant Workers


In response to a petition submitted by ACRI and several other human rights organizations, the High Court of Justice ordered the State to explain within 90 days why it has not cancelled its “policy for dealing with pregnant migrant workers.” The current policy states that a migrant worker who is legally residing in Israel, and is in at least her sixth month of pregnancy, must leave the country three months after giving birth. This forces migrant workers to choose between their livelihood and their right to bear children. To read more about the case, click here.
 
ACRI Demands that the Interior Ministry Publish its Population Registry Regulations

In May 2007, ACRI and four other human rights organizations, submitted a joint petition to the Jerusalem Administrative Court demanding that the Interior Ministry publish the updated list of Population Registry regulations. The petition stressed that the Population Registry has extensive authority concerning the realization of people's basic rights and freedoms in Israel. Nonetheless, the regulations which govern the work of the Population Registry officials are not published in an effective manner; are not accessible to the public; are hidden from the Knesset Committee of the Interior; are often withheld from the courts; change frequently; and are sometimes even unknown to the Population Registry staff who are responsible for their implementation. As a result, the rights of thousands of individuals across the country are severely infringed. The petition demands that the full and up-to-date regulations be made easily available to the public, in order to safeguard the rule of law and freedom of information.

 
Social Welfare in East Jerusalem

In response to ACRI's intervention, the Jerusalem Municipality authorized the allocation of five additional social workers to East Jerusalem to address the severe shortage of social service professionals there. In light of the socioeconomic distress that exists within the Palestinian community of East Jerusalem, the need for welfare services is especially acute. In addition, the Municipality announced it would build a new building in East Jerusalem to house an office of the Social Welfare Ministry.
 
ACRI Challenges Discriminatory Hiring Practices

ACRI submitted a petition to the Supreme Court demanding that the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor cease to post discriminatory job postings through its national employment service and that Ministry clerks rigorously check all the job offers they advertise for prejudicial conditions. Discriminatory job postings, including those explicitly favoring younger people, are illegal according to the Equal Opportunity in Employment Law and the Israeli Employment Service's mandate. For more on the petition, click here.
 
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).

 
 
© ACRI 2007
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
PO Box 34510
Jerusalem 91000
Israel

Tel: +972-2-652-1218
Fax: +972-2-652-1219
E-mail: mail@acri.org.il
www.acri.org.il
 
A Letter from Rachel Benziman
ACRI's Executive Director



Dear Friends,

We at ACRI have marked several meaningful anniversaries and accomplishments recently. As always, our victories have been tempered with challenges and there remains much important work to do.

On July 9, ACRI's Chief Legal Counsel, Attorney Dan Yakir, received the prestigious New Israel Fund UK Human Rights Award in London for his groundbreaking work in the field of human rights and civil liberties in Israel. We warmly congratulate him on this formidable achievement, and I would like to personally thank Dan for being a constant source of inspiration to all of us here at ACRI.

Last month, ACRI celebrated its 35th anniversary with a lively benefit concert by popular singer Yehuda Poliker. The concert was a resounding success and brought more than 2,500 people together in a massive show of support for our work and mission.

June 2007 also marked 40 years of occupation. In addition to our legal and public outreach efforts to address human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, ACRI made a special effort this year to expose Israelis to the heavy toll that the ongoing occupation is taking on Israeli society and democracy. You can read more about these and our other recent activities in the rest of this newsletter.

Finally, I am happy to present to you ACRI's 2006/7 Annual Report which provides a selection of our activities and achievements over the past year. You can view the complete report by clicking here, or contact Melanie Takefman at melanie@acri.org.il to receive a print copy by mail.


May we all have a quiet and safe summer.


Rachel Benziman
Executive Director
 
 

ACRI's Legal Counsel, Dan Yakir, Wins Prestigious Human Rights Award




This month, Attorney Dan Yakir, ACRI's longtime Chief Legal Counsel, was awarded the New Israel Fund Human Rights Award, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the field of human rights in Israel. Often referred to as the "high priest" of ACRI on account of his vast experience and expertise, Dan is one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers and has brought a wide variety of precedent-setting cases to the Supreme Court. Dan specializes in human rights in the Occupied Territories, freedom of speech, and gay and lesbian rights.

At the Awards Dinner in London on July 9, Dan was presented with a cheque for $10,000 to support a project of his choice. Dan chose to donate his prize money to ACRI's important and much-needed Social and Economic Rights Initiative. Through this project, ACRI seeks to ensure that all members of society can access the full spectrum of rights to which they are entitled, including the right to work and workers' rights, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to health.

 
 
ACRI Celebrates 35 Years with Rock Legend Yehuda Poliker


To celebrate our 35th anniversary, ACRI organized a special benefit concert featuring legendary Israeli singer Yehuda Poliker. This year's concert was a resounding success, with 2,500 people in attendance, including major figures and opinion-makers from Israel's media, business world, and cultural scene. The event also served as a massive show of support for ACRI's mission and its important contribution to the protection of human rights in Israel.
 
 
"Open Your Eyes" – A Public Event Marking 40 Years


In June 2007, ACRI, as part of a coalition of nine prominent Israeli human rights organizations, held a daylong series of lectures and artistic representations, highlighting the effects of the occupation on Israeli society and on Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories. "Open Your Eyes" took place at the Tel Aviv Port, a popular weekend spot for Israelis of all ages and backgrounds. Passersby were encouraged to attend the events, browse through the audio-visual exhibits, and express their views on the significance of the anniversary in a "Hyde Park"-style speakers' corner. The sessions ranged from panels on society and the arts to photo and video exhibits, and live performances. The dynamic event attracted more than 1,200 people and generated extensive media coverage.
 
 
A Democracy on Paper Only?
To mark 40 years since the Six-Day War, ACRI published a position paper entitled "A Democracy on Paper Only?" The paper, that examines the impact of the prolonged Occupation on Israel's democracy, was distributed to Israeli legislators, media, academics, and key decision-makers:

All Israeli schoolchildren learn that they live in a democratic state. Western nations, as well, see us as part of the democratic world. But for the past forty years, our actions have been steadily undermining that general consensus. A democratic nation is one in which each and every citizen has a voice; each has a chance, through representatives, to take part in the decision-making process; and each is entitled to the same rights, regardless of religion, race, nationality, and gender.

Since 1967, Israel has controlled all of the territory between "the sea and the river" and all those people within it—a population that includes some four million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, living under occupation. During this entire period, Israel has denied these Palestinians the basic rights guaranteed by democracies and has prevented them from taking part in decisions affecting their fate. The establishment of the Palestinian Authority and the elections it has conducted have not altered the situation in any meaningful way. In the West Bank, the PA has control over very few matters and relatively minute territorial enclaves. In the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to control vital aspects of the residents' lives, even after the disengagement.

To read the full text of the position paper, "A Democracy on Paper Only?", click here.
 
 
The Right to Pride



ACRI's staff marching in Jerusalem's gay pride parade.
ACRI's staff proudly participated in the Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance in June 2007. ACRI has been a key leader in the struggle to ensure gay and lesbian rights throughout Israel. Shortly before the parade, ACRI strongly condemned draft legislation that would empower Jeruaslem's mayor to cancel such parades, in a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "If these proposed laws pass, they will violate the right of many Israeli members of the LGBT community to march in the streets of Jerusalem and to express themselves freely and publicly. Thus, the draft proposals constitute a clear contradiction to Israel's democratic principles, especially freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate," wrote ACRI's Executive Director Rachel Benziman. Despite threats of violence and disruption as well as petitions to the Supreme Court to cancel the march, the event attracted several thousand people and went on as planned without any major incidents.