B’Tselem Marks 20 Years Saving Lives and Preventing Torture
December 2, 2009
An ad placed last week in the Hebrew edition of Haaretz by NIF grantee B’Tselem – The Israel Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was framed like a death notice, and said: "B'Tselem regrets reaching its 20th birthday. We are fed up, and you are fed up with us. But 4 million people in the West Bank and Gaza are still denied their basic rights and they are even more fed up. When they live in dignity and freedom we will go away. We promise." Read>
Police Stats Demonstrate Declining Violence Against Women
December 2, 2009
As the world marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Israel Police released figures showing an encouraging decline in violence against women over the past year. According to the police, 5 women were murdered by their partners in the first 11 months of 2009 compared with eleven in the corresponding period last year. This year, the police reported investigating 15,000 complaints of violence against their partners, down 24 percent from 2008. Read>
Israel Appoints First Ambassador with Gay Spouse
December 2, 2009
Mikie Goldstein is set to become the first-ever gay spouse of an Israeli ambassador. Goldstein, 44, will accompany his partner Yitzhak (Izzy) Yanouka to Angola when he takes up his appointment as the next Israeli ambassador in Luanda. Goldstein is Resource Development Director of NIF grantee Masorti (Conservative) Movement and chairman of Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, Israel’s largest LGBT organization. Read>
Israel Marks International Poverty Day at SHATIL's Urging
December 2, 2009
At the behest of SHATIL and its organizational partners, Israel publicly recognized the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty for the first time on November 17. The day, which was marked by Knesset plenary and committee meetings, included testimonies from individuals that put a human face on the scourge facing 20 percent of Israel's population. Read>
Improving Arab-Jewish Relations in the Galilee
December 2, 2009
More than 150 Jewish and Arab activists, public officials and concerned citizens convened in the northern town of Sakhnin for an intense discussion on ways to alleviate the rising tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations of the Galilee. The conference was the culmination of an extensive, first-of-its-kind SHATIL-led assessment of initiatives working to promote Jewish-Arab relations and equality in the Galilee.
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Palmahim Beach one Step Closer to Remaining Free
December 2, 2009
After a two-year public struggle, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss confirmed the land sale deal of the contested Palmachim Beach site was indeed problematic. He then called on the Attorney General to investigate the sale and planning process. Read>
High Court of Justice Rules against Segregated West Bank Road
November 18, 2009
Israel’s High Court of Justice has ruled against a military order preventing Palestinians from driving on a highway in the South Hebron Hills in the West Bank. The petition was presented on behalf of 22 Palestinian villages by flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
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US State Dept. Report Slams Religious Intolerance in Israel, Praises NGOs
November 18, 2009
The US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor’s “International Freedom of Religion Report 2009 ” is heavily critical of Israel’s policies regarding religious pluralism and tolerance. In its introduction the report notes, “Government allocations of state resources favored Orthodox (including Modern and National Religious streams of Orthodoxy) and ultra-Orthodox (sometimes referred to as "Haredi") Jewish religious groups and institutions, discriminating against non-Jews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.”
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NIF Unites Arab and Jewish Jerusalem
November 18, 2009
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat hosted a discussion organized by NIF on racism in the city. NIF’s campaign against racism in soccer brought dozens of Arab and Jewish youth players from eight teams in Jerusalem to sit together in the municipality council chamber and hear a discussion on racism in soccer led by the city's biggest stars. Media coverage of the event focused on the courageous statement by Betar Jerusalem captain Aviram Bruchian, "Personally I would be happy to have an Arab player on Betar." Read>
