Palestinian Center for Human Rights' Ties to the PFLP Terror Group
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Israel: Background and U.S
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations Casey L. Addis Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs February 14, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33476 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Israel: Background and U.S. Relations Summary On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence and was immediately engaged in a war with all of its neighbors. Armed conflict has marked every decade of Israel’s existence. Despite its unstable regional environment, Israel has developed a vibrant parliamentary democracy, albeit with relatively fragile governments. The most recent national elections were held on February 10, 2009, ahead of schedule. Although the Kadima Party placed first, parties holding 65 seats in the 120-seat Knesset supported opposition Likud party leader Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, who was designated to form a government. Netanyahu’s coalition includes his own Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), Shas, Habayet Hayehudi (Jewish Home), the United Torah Judaism (UTJ), and the new Ha’atzmout (Independence) party. The coalition controls 66 of 120 Knesset seats. Israel has an advanced industrial, market economy with a large government role. Israel’s foreign policy is focused largely on its region, Europe, and the United States. Israel’s foreign policy agenda begins with Iran, which it views as an existential threat due to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism. Achieving peace with its neighbors is next. Israel concluded peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, but not with Syria and Lebanon. Recent unrest in Egypt is rekindling latent anxiety in Israel about the durability of the peace treaty Egypt and Israel have relied upon for 30 years. -
Additional Documents to the Amicus Brief Submitted to the Jerusalem District Court
בבית המשפט המחוזי בירושלים עת"מ 36759-05-18 בשבתו כבית משפט לעניינים מנהליים בעניין שבין: 1( ארגון Human Rights Watch 2( עומר שאקר העותרים באמצעות עו"ד מיכאל ספרד ו/או אמילי שפר עומר-מן ו/או סופיה ברודסקי מרח' דוד חכמי 12, תל אביב 6777812 טל: 03-6206947/8/9, פקס 03-6206950 - נ ג ד - שר הפנים המשיב באמצעות ב"כ, מפרקליטות מחוז ירושלים, רחוב מח"ל 7, מעלות דפנה, ירושלים ת.ד. 49333 ירושלים 9149301 טל: 02-5419555, פקס: 026468053 המכון לחקר ארגונים לא ממשלתיים )עמותה רשומה 58-0465508( ידיד בית המשפט באמצעות ב"כ עו"ד מוריס הירש מרח' יד חרוצים 10, ירושלים טל: 02-566-1020 פקס: 077-511-7030 השלמת מסמכים מטעם ידיד בית המשפט בהמשך לדיון שהתקיים ביום 11 במרץ 2019, ובהתאם להחלטת כב' בית המשפט, מתכבד ידיד בית המשפט להגיש את ריכוז הציוציו של העותר מס' 2 החל מיום 25 ליוני 2018 ועד ליום 10 למרץ 2019. כפי שניתן להבחין בנקל מהתמצית המצ"ב כנספח 1, בתקופה האמורה, אל אף טענתו שהינו "פעיל זכויות אדם", בפועל ציוציו )וציוציו מחדש Retweets( התמקדו בנושאים שבהם הביע תמיכה בתנועת החרם או ביקורת כלפי מדינת ישראל ומדיניותה, אך נמנע, כמעט לחלוטין, מלגנות פגיעות בזכיות אדם של אזרחי מדינת ישראל, ובכלל זה, גינוי כלשהו ביחס למעשי רצח של אזרחים ישראלים בידי רוצחים פלסטינים. באשר לטענתו של העותר מס' 2 שחשבון הטוויטר שלו הינו, בפועל, חשבון של העותר מס' 1, הרי שגם כאן ניתן להבין בנקל שטענה זו חסרת בסיס כלשהי. ראשית, החשבון מפנה לתפקידו הקודם בארגון CCR, אליו התייחסנו בחוות הדעת המקורית מטעם ידיד בית המשפט בסעיף 51. -
ABUSING the LEGACY of the HOLOCAUST: the ROLE of Ngos in EXPLOITING HUMAN RIGHTS to DEMONIZE ISRAEL Gerald M
ABUSING THE LEGACY OF THE HOLOCAUST: THE ROLE OF NGOs IN EXPLOITING HUMAN RIGHTS TO DEMONIZE ISRAEL Gerald M. Steinberg In the wake of the Holocaust, as human rights norms have come to the fore, NGOs have become major actors in international politics in general and in the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular. These organizations and their leaders form an extremely powerful “NGO community” that has propelled the anti-Israeli agenda in international frameworks such as the UN Human Rights Commission and the 2001 UN Conference against Racism in Durban. Through their reports, press releases, and influence among academics and diplomats, these NGOs propagated false charges of “massacre” during the Israeli army’s antiterror operation in Jenin (Defensive Shield) and misrepresent Israel’s separation barrier as an “apartheid wall.” This community has exploited the “halo effect” of human rights rhetoric to promote highly particularistic goals. In most cases small groups of individuals, with substantial funds obtained from non- profit foundations and governments (particularly European), use the NGO frameworks to gain influence and pursue private political agendas, without being accountable to any system of checks and balances. Jewish Political Studies Review 16:3-4 (Fall 2004) 59 60 Gerald M. Steinberg This process has been most salient in the framework of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The ideology of anticolonialism (the precursor to today’s antiglobalization) and political correctness is dominant in the NGO community. This ideology accepted the post-1967 pro-Palestinian narrative and images of victimization, while labeling Israel as a neocolo- nialist aggressor. Thus, behind the human rights rhetoric, these NGOs are at the forefront of demonizing Israel and of the new anti-Semitism that seeks to deny the Jewish people sovereign equality. -
Israel's Treatment of Palestinian Prisoners
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT POLICY BRIEFING Violating international legal obligations: Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners Abstract Nearly five thousand Palestinians are held by Israel in a 'parallel' justice system reserved for those accused of offenses against the state. Instead of entering the Palestinian legal system, these prisoners are tried by Israel's military courts and often held in Israel, in conditions that violate international humanitarian and human rights conventions. Children and elected officials are among them, subject to ill-treatment — including prolonged solitary confinement, abuse and a lack of due process— by Israeli military authorities. A number of prisoners have gone on hunger strike and increasing numbers of protestors have demonstrated to demand that Israel guarantee basic prisoners' rights and end its deplorable prison conditions and indefinite detention without charges or fair trial. One prisoner has been on strike for more than 200 days; he and a number of others are in critical condition and require urgent medial treatment. While the United Nations and other international bodies have condemned Israel's systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners as a blatant violation of international law, the situation has only recently attracted widespread international calls for action. The European Union has expressed its concern, but action is now required. DG EXPO/B/PolDep/Note/2013_95 March 2013 PE 491.484 EN Policy Department, Directorate-General for External Policies This Policy Briefing is an initiative of the Policy Department, DG EXPO AUTHORS: Nasser ISHAQ under supervision of Pekka HAKALA Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union Policy Department WIB 06 M 071 rue Wiertz 60 B-1047 Brussels Editorial Assistants: Agnieszka PUNZET and Delphine FUMEY CONTACT: Feedback of all kinds is welcome. -
1 Submission of the Institute for NGO Research for the List of Themes in Advance of the 99Th Session Review of the “State of P
10 Yad Harutzim St. Jerusalem, Israel 9342148 Phone: +972-2-566-1020 Fax: +972-77-511-7030 [email protected] www.ngo-monitor.org Submission of the Institute for NGO Research for the List of Themes in advance of the 99th Session Review of the “State of Palestine” Introduction The Institute for NGO Research1 brings this submission for the List of Themes in advance of the 99th session meeting for the review of “State of Palestine” and its compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. We hope that this submission will aid the Committee in its preparation of the List of Themes to the Palestinian Authority. This submission focuses on the rampant campaign of antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement within the Palestinian Authority (PA). This campaign of incitement is endemic throughout Palestinian society and is especially aimed at inculcating hatred within many generations of Palestinian children. Palestinian incitement undergirds the ongoing armed conflict with Israel and is responsible for countless deaths of both Palestinians and Israelis. It also underlies the extensive recruitment and use of Palestinian children as combatants. Any review of the PA’s compliance with the CERD must address this issue in depth. Failure to do so will represent a significant lapse in evaluating the PA’s adherence to and compliance with the CERD. We are also highly disturbed that the PA’s report to the Committee and several NGO submissions appear to excuse or diminish the PA’s obligations under the CERD due to the ongoing armed conflict with Israel and control of Gaza by Hamas. -
2 Israeli Attacks on Human Rights Organizations and Activists Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 2019 3
2 Israeli Attacks on Human Rights Organizations and Activists Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 2019 3 Contents Introduction 8 Part I 11 Isolation of the Victim :Shrinking Space for NGOs in the oPt by the Israeli occupation 1. The belligerent occupation attempts to criminalize the victim: Smear 13 campaigns against human rights defenders 2 .Sanctions and the Restrictions on Freedom of Movement 29 3 .Attempts to Defund Human Rights Organizations 33 4 .Threatening human rights defenders 35 Part II 38 International Standards for Human Rights Defenders 1. International Conventions 39 2 .States ’Obligations towards Human Rights Defenders 44 Conclusion and Recommendations 46 4 Israeli Attacks on Human Rights Organizations and Activists Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 2019 5 Preface From the moment we took it upon ourselves to defend human rights and civilians in times of war, we were conscious to both the dignity in our mission and the dangers it bears on our lives and security as human rights defenders. Nonetheless, human dignity and advocating for the rights of victims were at the heart of our mission, our life goal and purpose. We were armed with the international law’s rules and mechanisms, which is the fruit of many peoples’ experiences and struggles to identify justice from injustice, in our mission to protect humans and their rights to live a dignified life. Decades passed and we fought via every legal route we had available tirelessly, without a single moment of hesitation in the face of the Israeli occupation’s restrictions and threats. As the occu- pation continued without rest to put hurdles in our path, and enjoyed the illusion of depriving us from the means and mechanisms to defend the defeated and oppressed, our will never waned and we were never persuaded to drift from the path we chose to tread, because it is our deep belief that we have no choice but to stand tall and defend, as Palestinian people, our existence, dignity and right to self-determination. -
THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR and ITS CONSEQUENCES for HEZBOLLAH by Benedetta Berti
DECEMBER 2015 THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR HEZBOLLAH By Benedetta Berti Benedetta Berti is a TED Senior Fellow, a Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and an independent human security consultant. Her work focuses on human security and internal conflicts, as well as on post-conflict stabilization and peacebuilding. Dr. Berti is the author of three books, including Armed Political Organizations. From Conflict to Integration (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013) and her work has appeared, among others, in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Al- Jazeera. In 2015 the Italian government awarded her the Order of the Star of Italy (order of Knighthood). Beginning as a largely non-violent, non-sectarian political mobilization, the Syrian revolution gradually morphed into a protracted and bloody civil war as well as into a regional proxy conflict that has directly involved both regional states and non-state actors alike. Today, the Syrian conflict remains deeply internationalized, militarized and fractionalized. The domestic battlefield is characterized by a crucible of different political and armed movements. But while the fragmentation and proliferation of armed groups within the anti-Assad camp is well known, the Syrian regime has also been relying on a number of non-state allies. These include Syrian local ‘community-defense’ groups and other pro-regime paramilitary organizations; Shiite militia groups (mostly from Iraq) and, most notably, the Lebanese Hezbollah. Indeed since the very beginning of the Syrian revolution, Hezbollah clearly sided with the Bashar-al Assad regime, shifting from offering political support and solidarity to becoming one of the warring parties. -
NGO MONITOR: SHRINKING SPACE Defaming Human Rights Organizations That Criticize the Israeli Occupation
NGO MONITOR: SHRINKING SPACE Defaming human rights organizations that criticize the Israeli occupation A report by the Policy Working Group September 2018 PWG Policy Working Group Table of content 3 Foreword 6 Executive Summary 11 Chapter 1: Ideological bias and political ties Background Partisan people One-sided focus, intrinsic bias Connections with the Israeli government and state authorities 19 Chapter 2: Lack of financial transparency 23 Chapter 3: Faulty research and questionable ethics Baseless claims and factual inaccuracies Dismissing and distorting thorough research 28 Chapter 4: Foul tactics Framing the occupation as an internal Israeli affair Branding NGOs as an existential threat in order to deflect criticism of the occupation Using BDS to defame Palestinian and Israeli NGOs Accusing Palestinian NGOs of “terrorist affiliations” 40 Notes 2 Foreword NGO Monitor is an organization that was founded in 2002 under the auspices of the conservative think tank JCPA (the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) and has been an independent entity since 2007. Its declared goal is to promote “transparency and accountability of NGOs claiming human rights agendas, primarily in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict”.1 This is a disingenuous description. In fact, years of experience show that NGO Monitor’s overarching objective is to defend and sustain government policies that help uphold Israel’s occupation of, and control over, the Palestinian territories. Israeli civil society and human rights organizations consistently refrained from engaging with NGO Monitor. Experience taught that responding to its claims would be interpreted in bad faith, provide ammunition for further attacks and force the targeted organizations to divert scarce resources away from their core mission – promoting human rights and democracy. -
Hizbullah Under Fire in Syria | the Washington Institute
MENU Policy Analysis / Articles & Op-Eds Hizbullah Under Fire in Syria by Matthew Levitt, Nadav Pollak Jun 9, 2016 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Matthew Levitt Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute. Nadav Pollak Nadav Pollak is a former Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation fellow at The Washington Institute. Articles & Testimony Last month's assassination of a senior Hizbullah commander, apparently by Syrian rebel groups, demonstrates the growing threat the organization faces from fellow Arabs and Muslims. he death of senior Hizbullah commander Mustafa Badreddine in Syria in May left the group reeling, but not for T the reason most people think. True, it lost an especially qualified commander with a unique pedigree as the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, with whom Badreddine plotted devastating terror attacks going back to the Beirut bombings in the 1980s. And, at the time of his death, Badreddine was dual-hatted as the commander of both the group's international terrorist network (the Islamic Jihad Organisation or External Security Organisation) and its significant military deployment in Syria. The loss of such a senior and seasoned commander is no small setback for Hizbullah. But the real reason Badreddine's death has Hizbullah on edge is not the loss of the man, per se, but the fact that the group's arch enemy, Israel, was seemingly not responsible. Hizbullah, it appears, now has more immediate enemies than Israel -- and that has the self-described "resistance" organisation tied up in knots. -
Countering Iran in the Gray Zone What the United States Should Learn from Israel’S Operations in Syria
APRIL 2020 Countering Iran in the Gray Zone What the United States Should Learn from Israel’s Operations in Syria Ilan Goldenberg, Nicholas A. Heras, Kaleigh Thomas, and Jennie Matuschak About the Authors Acknowledgments Ilan Goldenberg is a Senior Fellow and The authors would like to thank Sarit Zehavi and Tal Beeri Director of the Middle East Security at the Alma Institute for their input into this report and their Program at the Center for a New feedback, as well as for spending a day with the authors American Security (CNAS). He previously visiting Israel’s northern border. They would also like to served at the State Department as a chief thank Israeli government and defense officials who engaged of staff for the small team supporting with them on this project and they are grateful to Norman then–Secretary of State John Kerry’s Roule, Lt Col Stewart Parker, and Loren DeJonge Schulman initiative to conduct permanent-status for reviewing drafts and offering helpful comments; and to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Formerly Melody Cook and Maura McCarthy, who assisted with the a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign production of this report. Relations Committee, he focused on the Middle East. Prior to that, he served as a special advisor on the Middle East About the Middle East Security and then as the Iran team chief in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Program The Middle East Security Program conducts cutting-edge Nicholas A. Heras is the Middle East research on the most pressing issues in this turbulent Portfolio Manager at the Institute for region. -
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Boasts of the Organization's Ability
May 28, 2006 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah boasts of the organization’s ability to maintain a balance of deterrence with Israel. By doing that he justifies, in the internal Lebanese arena, its refusal to disarm and repels the demands of his opponents, the supporters of the “New Order” in Lebanon. Nasrallah speaking at a meeting of The Resistance Culture [i.e., terrorism] Committee: “The resistance [i.e., Hezbollah] has more than 12,000 rockets… All of northern occupied Palestine [i.e., Israel] is within range of the rockets of the resistance…” (Al- Manar TV, May 23). Overview aaa In a fiery speech on the sixth anniversary of the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nassrallah boasted of the organization’s ability maintain a balance of deterrence with Israel. It has, he said, more than 12,000 rockets in its possession, posing a serious threat to Israel’s northern regions. He also spoke of his commitment to free Lebanese prisoners (terrorists) held in Israel and to liberate the Shebaa Farms in the near future. He thus presented himself as Lebanon’s protector and rejected demands from home and abroad that Hezbollah disarm. In an equally fiery speech he encouraged the Palestinians to continue their terrorist campaign against Israel, boasting that Hezbollah was the first to use suicide bombing attacks in the conflict with Israel. TTThhheee bbbaaaccckkkgggrrrooouuunnnddd ooofff ttthhheee tttwwwooo ssspppeeeeeeccchhheeess aaannnddd ttthhheeeiiirrr gggoooaaalllsss aaa Every year on May 25 Hezbollah celebrates Resistance [i.e., terrorism] and Liberation Day to mark the anniversary of the IDF’s withdrawal from the security zone in southern Lebanon. -
Watching the Watchers: the Politics and Credibility of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1 Ben-Maimon Blvd
Introduction “Watching the Watchers” 1. The NGO Forum of the 2. NGO Implementation of 3. Human Rights NGOs 4. Eyewitnesses, Evidence and Durban Conference and the Durban Strategy and the “Halo Effect” Credibility: The Methodology of the “Durban Strategy” anti-Israel NGO Campaigns Watching the Watchers: The Politics and Credibility of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1 Ben-Maimon Blvd. Jerusalem, Israel 92262 Phone: +972-2-566-1020 Fax: +972-77-511-7030 [email protected] www.ngo-monitor.org NGO Monitor was founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation © 2008 NGO Monitor. All rights reserved. 2nd printing (revised edition) Contents Introduction “Watching the Watchers” 1. The NGO Forum of the Durban Conference and the “Durban Strategy” 2. NGO Implementation of the Durban Strategy 3. Human Rights NGOs and the “Halo Effect” 4. Eyewitnesses, Evidence and Credibility: The Methodology of anti-Israel NGO Campaigns Conclusion Footnotes Introduction “Watching the Watchers” Officials of powerful NGOs exploit the rhetoric of their influence is most keenly felt is in the Middle East, within the context of universal human rights and international law to the highly-charged Arab-Israeli conflict. Global NGOs, based in Europe and North America with multi-million dollar budgets and access to media and promote ideological and political campaigns. Instead policy makers, increasingly focused their activities on this dispute. These of careful verified research, “reports” alleging human include the so-called NGO “superpowers” - Human Rights Watch, Amnesty rights violations, particularly in areas of conflict, International, Christian Aid, Oxfam, the International Federation of Human have been exposed as based on evidence from Rights Leagues (FIDH), and many more.