Issue No.5 October 2006

In Brief

ACRI urgently intervened to protest against the excessive use of force against Lebanese civilians during the recent conflict with Hezbollah on Israel's northern border. Click here and here for additional examples of ACRI's intervention.

The Right to Freedom of Expression

As a result of a petition submitted by ACRI and the Jerusalem Open House to demand permission to hold the Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance, the municipal authorities agreed to hold the march on the 10th of November.

Right to Access Personal Investigative File

The Supreme Court accepted the petition submitted by ACRI and ruled that a defendant will be allowed access to their personal investigative file (compiled throughout the interrogation process) in the event that it is closed for lack of sufficient evidence.

The Right to Adopt a Child

ACRI successfully appealed to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare on behalf of an Israeli citizen and her Palestinian spouse, and achieved a revocation of the decision to deny them the right to begin the procedure to adopt a child.

The Right to Access Agricultural Lands

In a precedent-setting ruling on a petition submitted by ACRI and the organization Rabbis for Human Rights, the Supreme Court ordered the IDF and the Israel Police to protect Palestinian farmers and their property from attacks by violent settlers, and to act immediately and decisively to permanently uproot this phenomenon.

The Right to Equitable Land Distribution

Following a further hearing of the petition submitted by ACRI to the Supreme Court, to protest the state’s decision to renege on its promise to allocate plots of land to dozens of Bedouin families in the town of Laqia, the court demanded that a comprehensive solution be found by November.

Ensuring Equal Access to Education

In response to a petition submitted by ACRI, the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa Administrative Court ordered the Ramle municipality to register children from the Dahmash neighborhood to educational institutions within its jurisdictional area.

Message from Rachel Benziman, Executive Director of ACRI

Dear Friends

The current turbulent climate in Israel poses many challenges for human rights and democracy. In the aftermath of the conflict in Lebanon, the government's budget and strategic priorities are now heavily focused on strengthening the defense establishment and rebuilding the north. Whereas before the war we felt that the time was ripe for our efforts to strengthen the government's commitment to social and economic rights in Israel, these urgent issues have now been pushed far down the agenda. In addition, following the war, racist rhetoric and sentiment increasingly permeates the political establishment, the media and society, creating an atmosphere in which many of the harsh measures taken by the state in the occupied territories go unnoticed. These measures have greatly exacerbated the existing inhuman conditions suffered by the Palestinian civilian population in these areas.

In this challenging context, we continue to work intensively to challenge injustice and hope that with your continued support we can help bring about greater respect for the values of human rights and human dignity.

Interview with ACRI Attorney, Limor Yehuda
The following is an in-depth interview with ACRI Attorney Limor Yehuda. Limor has worked for ACRI for over two years and during that time has succeeded in pinpointing and addressing severe human rights abuses in the occupied territories, through extensive litigation and legal advocacy work, as well as the the provision of hands-on critical information to Palestinian residents.

Question: In the face of so many egregious and far-reaching rights violations in the occupied territories, how do you pinpoint the most critical areas to address?

Answer: I think that in the current situation, with the level of violations of the Palestinian civilian population’s rights there are three or four major concerns. The first of course is the direct impact of the route of the separation barrier; the second is freedom of movement in the occupied territories. When we talk about freedom of movement, we are referring to issues such as blockades, checkpoints, and all travel by road (as the majority of the central roads in the occupied territories are not open to Palestinians). The situation in the city of Hebron is another central issue as it incorporates a wide range of disproportionate and extreme measures that are taken against the Palestinian civilian population in a specific geographical area; and the final major issue is the widespread and unchecked violence against Palestinian civilians that is perpetrated by Jewish settlers.

Question: With regard to the excessive use of open-ended closures, which in some cases includes the blocking off of all access roads to and from Palestinian villages: how prominent is this phenomenon and could you describe its effects on the daily lives of Palestinian civilians.

The current situation is that, in effect, the army has imposed hundreds of permanent blockades over a number of years in the West Bank. For example, the city of Nablus has been under closure since the beginning of the present Intifada.

Click here for the full text

The law as roadkill on Highway 443
The following article by Akiva Eldar appeared in Ha'aretz on 26 September 2006 and explores the issue of racial discrimination against Palestinian residents who are prohibited from using the 443 Highway. ACRI was the first organization to address this issue and is currently drafting a petition to the Supreme Court to challenge this discrimination.

The masses of Israelis who regularly travel to Jerusalem via Modi'in are familiar with the large cement cubes near the signs that indicate the approach roads to the Palestinian villages on either side of the main road known as Highway 443. Anyone who bothers to look to the sides will be able to see, beyond the cubes, at the side of the ride, cars bearing Palestinian Authority license plates. Those who have sharp eyes will be able to descry the passengers climbing up and down the hills.

Few are aware that for six years now, ever since the outbreak of the intifada, the highway has been serving Israelis only. Palestinians are forbidden to travel even along the segment that is nine and a half kilometers long and passes through West Bank territory, including lands that have been confiscated and where trees have been cut down "for public needs." Israel Defense Forces soldiers ensure that only lucky people who have been granted a temporary permit can enjoy the shortcut.

For the full article click here.

ACRI also...

Produced an information leaflet with critical information in three languages for Palestinian farmers who have been illegally denied access to their farmland. Click here for leaflet;

Participated, with another leading oganization, in developing a pilot project for community volunteer groups throughout the country to promote active citizenship. The program will focus on maximizing the participants' potential to effect change for the multiple target groups they represent.

Prepared and distributed a questionnaire to assist Palestinian residents in the submission of a formal complaint against personal injury or damage to their property. Click here for questionnaire.