Issue No. 1 September 2005

In Brief

Children of Migrant Workers:

ACRI, together with the Hotline for Migrant Workers, submitted a petition to the Supreme Court challenging the government's criteria for granting citizenship to children of migrant workers.

Separation Barrier:

In response to a petition submitted by ACRI, the Supreme Court issued a precedent-setting ruling, ordering the state to re-route the separation barrier in the area of Alfei Menashe.

The Right to Subsidized Contraception:

ACRI petitions the Supreme Court to demand the inclusion of contraceptives in the basket of health care services funded by the state.

Connect Cancer Patient's Home to Electricity:

ACRI, in partnership with Physicians for Human Rights, petition the Supreme Court demanding that the home of a three-year-old Bedouin girl suffering from cancer be connected to electricity to ensure access to life-saving medical treatment.

The Right to Harvest:

As a result of a petition submitted by ACRI and Rabbis for Human Rights, the Supreme Court severely criticized the policy of closing off agricultural lands and demanded that the state secure the Palestinians' right to harvest their olive crops.

Information Leaflet Outlining the Rights of Palestinian Victims of Jewish Settler Violence:

ACRI recently produced a series of leaflets available in Arabic, Hebrew and English to empower Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories with the necessary information to demand and realize their basic rights.

Privatization of Prisons:

Following a lengthy legal battle, ACRI ensured that a large part of the documentation relating to the tender for building and operating the first private prison in Israel was made available to the public.

ACRI Attorney in List of Top Ten People Positively Influencing Israeli Economy:

ACRI Attorney Sharon Abraham-Weiss was chosen by Israel's leading business magazine, The Marker, as one of the ten people who have had the most “positive influence” on the Israeli economy through her work to promote social and economic rights.

Message from Rachel Benziman, Executive Director of ACRI
I am delighted to present the first issue of our English-language e-newsletter. ACRI's bimonthly newsletters will provide regular updates on our ongoing work to protect and promote human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories. For more than three decades, ACRI has been working tenaciously to safeguard the entire spectrum of human rights and civil liberties. In the current political and economic climate, our efforts to address human rights abuses are now more critical than ever. But our work would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters. On behalf of everyone here at ACRI, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued interest and support. As we approach the Jewish New Year, I am sure that you will join me in my fervent hope for a year that brings us closer to our vision of a just society that respects the equal rights of all its members.

Sincerely

Rachel Benziman

Disengaging from Responsibility: Denying Palestinians the Right to Compensation
With practically no echoes in the media, the Knesset last week passed one of the most despicable laws ever to enter the Israeli law books. Despite its innocent-sounding name – "The Civil Damages Law (State Responsibility), Amendment 7" – this law sweepingly denies any Palestinian residents living in areas defined by the defense minister as confrontation zones of the right to compensation, apart from a few exceptions. Thus, for example, a Palestinian passerby who is blinded by negligent Israel Defense Forces' gunfire (a bullet accidentally discharged during non-operational activities, for example), and who lost his livelihood due to the incident, will receive no compensation. Even if it is proved that the bullet was fired maliciously or contemptuously, the victim will receive no compensation unless the guilty soldier is found and convicted – an eventuality which reality has proven to be extremely rare.

Click here to read the full article

Fighting the Civil Wrongs (Liability of the State) Law
In September 2005, ACRI, together with eight other human rights organizations, filed a petition to the Supreme Court demanding that the Court declare void amendments to the Civil Wrongs (Liability of the State) Law, which block Palestinians from suing the state for damages inflicted by the Israeli security forces. In the petition, the organizations emphasized that the Law grossly violates the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which apply in the Occupied Territories. It also breaches basic rights in contravention of Israel’s Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, and is therefore unconstitutional. The petitioners further argued that the Law sends out a dangerous and extreme message that the lives and rights of those injured in a “Conflict Zone” have no value, as the courts will not come to their aid, and those who caused their injuries will face no punishment. As a result, the Law is both immoral and racist. The petitioners also argued that the articles of the Law de facto terminate monitoring of the Israeli military’s activities in the Occupied Territories, discourage investigations and bringing those responsible for cases of death or injury before the courts, including in cases in which damages were caused by the random or deliberate opening of fire, torture and abuse, and looting and theft of civilian property. The Law thus violates the fundamental rights to life, bodily integrity, equality, dignity and property, as well as the constitutional right of access to the courts.

For more information on the petition, click here