Israel

OVERVIEW

Human rights defenders in Israel are subjected to threats, violent attacks, stigmatisation, restrictions on freedom of movement, long periods of arbitrary detention usually under administrative detention orders and ill-treatment. Non governmental organisations who defend the rights of Palestinians encounter great difficulty in registering in Israel.

The situation for human rights defenders in Israel is complicated as many of the issues which they face are dominated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The UN SRSG on the situation of human rights defenders has indicated that all of the communications which she has sent to the Israeli Government have been concerned with Palestinian or international human rights defenders. A number of non governmental organisations exist in Israel which monitor the situation of Palestinians in the OPT and others which encourage religious pluralism and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Many of these organisations document human rights abuses against Palestinians who are harassed, ill-treated, tortured or illegally detained. The UN SRSG states that defenders in Israel are also “engaged with child rights, housing rights and campaigning against house demolitions, labor rights, the rights of migrant workers, the right to education, health and of persons with disabilities, LGBT rights, land-rights and environmental protection”. The SRSG also identifies individual human rights defenders in Israel who are not affiliated with an organisation including “ lawyers, journalists, pacifists and conscientious objectors who refuse to serve the Israeli Occupation”. Defenders of LGBT rights in Israel have been the subject of threats and violent attacks by religious extremists and their right to demonstrate has been greatly curtailed as previous Pride marches have been forced to be cancelled for the safety of the participants. The rights of women and instances of gender discrimination are also issues in focus in Israel. Ms. Hina Jilani, the UN SRSG on the situation of human rights defenders carried out an official country visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 5 – 11 October 2005.

CASE INDEX

2008/09/22

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of the arrest of human rights defender Yehuda Shaul on 10 September in the city of Hebron. Yehuda Shaul is co-founder of 'Breaking the Silence', an organisation of veteran Israeli soldiers which conducts tours of the...

2009/02/4

Front Line is concerned following reports that a travel ban has been imposed on Mr Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al Haq, an independent Palestinian non-governmental organisation based in Ramallah, West Bank. Al Haq was established in 1979, has special...

2009/03/19

Front Line is concerned following the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to uphold a travel ban against Palestinian human rights defender, Mr Shawan Jabarin, on 10 March 2009. Shawan Jabarin is the General Director of Al Haq, an independent Palestinian non-...

2009/06/3

Front Line is concerned following reports of the judicial harassment of Israeli human rights defender, Mr Ezra Nawi, who has been accused of assaulting an Israeli border police officer.

2009/08/24

At the sentencing hearing on 16 August 2009 Emily Schaeffer testified on behalf of ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’. She explained that over 20,000 people from around the world knew Ezra, supported him, and demanded that he not be jailed for his courageous nonviolent...