Twenty-three Israeli human rights organizations, the majority NIF grantees, have put out a joint statement protesting the ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court greenlighting the deportation of Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine Director Omar Shakir. The statement warned that the decision by the court to uphold Interior Minister Aryeh Deri’s expulsion order is a major blow to the freedom of expression of all human rights activists as well as Israelis and Palestinians who oppose the occupation.

This joint statement is a powerful display of solidarity among Israel’s human rights community following the disappointing court decision.

The statement reads, “The Supreme Court not only approved the deportation of human rights defender Omar Shakir, country representative of Human Right Watch, but also severely harmed us all, Israeli and Palestinian human rights activists who oppose the occupation. The Supreme Court continues to legitimize the Israeli government’s policy to silence criticism of its human rights violations in the occupied territories. Israel is trying to hide the occupation from view, but we will continue, together with Omar Shakir, to support peace activists and human rights activists who strive to expose the injustices of the occupation and bring it to an end.”

List of organizations:
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Adalah
Akevot Institute for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Research
Amnesty International – Israel
B’Tselem
Bimkom
Breaking the Silence
Coalition of Women for Peace
Combatants for Peace
Emek Shave; Gisha
HaMoked
Haqel
Human Rights Defenders Fund
Ir Amim
Machsom Watch
New Israel Fund
Peace Now
Physicians for Human Rights Israel
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
Rabbis for Human Rights
Torat Tzedek
Yesh Din
Zazim – Community Action
http://www.hamoked.org/Document.aspx?dID=Updates2109