December 11, 2007

Israel Office

• ACRI Annual Report Highlights Increasing Racism and Rights Violations
• Israeli Courts Rule in Favor of Petitions on the Citizenship Process and Lesbians

SHATIL

• Government will form Committee of Ministers to Address Domestic Violence Among Ethiopian Immigrants
• Kiryat Shmona Residents Plan New City Center

Message From Larry Garber

On December 10, the international community marks Human Rights Day, commemorating the 1948 approval by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As indicated below, the NIF family celebrates this important anniversary through events and publications that focus attention on the principles incorporated into the Declaration. And appropriately, while celebrating the progress that has been made during the past year through advocacy, litigation and public education, the leading human rights organizations use the anniversary to highlight some of the most serious problems in Israeli society.

This year, the credibility of many well-respected Israeli and international human rights organizations have been attacked by those who view any criticism of Israel as tantamount to political war against the legitimacy of the state. I find this perspective dangerous to the concept of human rights work and potentially dangerous for those engaged in the on-the-ground gathering of data related to serious human rights violations. The cheap shots taken at organizations like ACRI, B’Tzelem and Bimkom demonstrate the uphill battle we all fight against self-serving invective, intolerance, and injustice.

Mainstream human rights organizations follow professional standards, which have evolved considerably over the past 60 years. Their respective methodologies are described in painstaking detail in their published reports. We should applaud efforts to bring sunshine to the often dark and abusive practices that take place throughout the world, including in democracies such as the United States and Israel.

Certainly, NIF is proud of the human rights organizations that we support. On a daily basis, they provide reassurance that the values of Israel’s founders are being sustained . And often, although certainly not often enough, their activities are rewarded through changes in law and policy, which bring Israel closer to the democratic ideal of a state that unequivocally respects fundamental human rights.

I would like to mention two other matters. A couple of years ago and again this fall with the NIF Forum, we were disappointed by a decision taken by certain National Public Radio affiliates to prevent NIF from becoming a sponsor, on the grounds that anything having to do with the Middle East is too political. Last week, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority decided to prevent an ad produced by NIF grantee Bimkom from being broadcast. The ad sought to draw attention to the plight of the Bedouin community in the Negev, and was run for two weeks before being pulled in response to an organized right-wing letter-writing campaign As the leading organization advancing democratic change in Israel, we are troubled and concerned by the actions of the IBA. Israel often cites its free and lively press as evidence of its democratic values, and compromising those values at the behest of narrow and intolerant agitators certainly contradicts that evidence.

In our own community, NIF was proud to join in sponsoring the Washington Jewish Film Festival’s showing of the movie Jerusalem is Proud to Present. The movie depicts the battle waged by Jerusalem Open House, originally an NIF grantee, to organize a World Pride parade in Jerusalem during the summer of 2006. The enmity directed towards supporters of these Israeli citizens, who sought to exercise their democratic rights, was difficult to comprehend. The outcome was first a postponement of the parade due to the war in Jerusalem and then a decision to hold a rally (as opposed to a parade) in a closed venue. Yet, these democratic activists persevered and last summer a parade was allowed in the streets of Jerusalem.

Clearly, NIF’s work remains critical. We will continue to support human rights organizations and their efforts to promote freedom and equality in Israel. And as we are nearing the year’s end, I will add that I hope we can count on your support in these efforts. Happy Hanukah!

In this week’s NIF News, we feature the annual report of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), published on the eve of Human Rights Day, which is marked around the world to celebrate the passing of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. The ACRI report exposes alarming trends in racism, discrimination, deprivation and human rights violations in Israel. We also report on two landmark decisions defending human rights following petitions by NIF grantees. SHATIL reports on the formation of a new Knesset committee that will address domestic violence in Ethiopian immigrant families and an interactive process that involves the citizens of Kiryat Shmona in decisions regarding the rehabilitation of the city center.