PowerPoint Discussion Guide Human Rights The following guide provides a suggested script (in italics) and tips for your PowerPoint presentation. The text in bold will appear on the slide (it is not necessary to read this text out loud). We suggest that you go through the PowerPoint beforehand to familiarize yourself with the flow of the presentation and the order in which information appears on the slides. Thank you for taking the time to educate your community on social justice issues in Israel, and to inform people about the work of the New Israel Fund. CHECKLIST Computer enabled to show PowerPoint and video (internet or DVD player) Copy of Discussion Questions (for facilitator to lead discussion) Copies of UN Reference Map of West Bank and Gaza Strip (to distribute during presentation) Optional: Copies of NIF 101, Participant Handout and Related Articles (to distribute at end of presentation) Optional: copies of Evaluation Form for Program Participants Before you start the PowerPoint, you may show Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue (~12 min) to provide an overview of NIF. (Click on link in Facilitator’s Packet or insert DVD) PRESENTATION Slide 1: Introduction a. State the purpose of the event: We are here to discuss the issue of human rights in the Occupied Territories. b. Explain NIF’s stance to the group: The New Israel Fund does not work directly on the peace process nor to influence Israel’s overall policies in the Occupied Territories. NIF does, however, concern itself with human rights issues, including those outside the Green Line (demarcation borders set in 1949), as a critical part of its mission. c. You may want to start with an icebreaker, such as asking what experience each person has had with human rights issues. Slide 2: Israel’s Declaration of Independence Ask a person in the group to read the quote. Point out that this is the ideal NIF works to uphold. “The State of Israel…will be based on freedom, justice and peace…it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or gender…” Israel’s Declaration of Independence, 5 Iyyar 5708 / 14 May 1948 Slide 3: What is NIF? The New Israel Fund is the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. NIF’s primary focus is supporting the creation, development and operations of organizations working towards these goals (choose a participant to read the following): • To protect the civil and human rights of all Israelis, • To close the social and economic gaps between Israel’s diverse communities, and • To promote religious pluralism and tolerance. SAY YES TO A BETTER ISRAEL. WWW.NIF.ORG PowerPoint Discussion Guide Human Rights Slide 4: How does NIF work? 1. Grant making Since its founding in 1979, NIF has granted over $200 million to more than 800 non-profit organizations. 2. Capacity-building In 1982, NIF established SHATIL (“seedling” in Hebrew) to provide organizational development and training for organizations. SHATIL teaches skills such as fundraising, coalition-building and working with the media. 3. Leadership Development NIF has leadership programs for Israelis and Diaspora Jews who want to work in the field of social justice. 4. Public Advocacy Advocacy includes educational events and campaigns to create public awareness about social justice issues in Israel, such as NIF’s campaign to kick racism out of soccer. Slide 5: Now to our main topic of discussion, Protecting Human Rights. Slide 6: Background Distribute the UN Reference Map of West Bank and Gaza Strip. From 1967 to 2005, Israel occupied both the West Bank and Gaza. Although Israel no longer physically occupies Gaza, it retains control of its borders. In the West Bank, Areas A and B are nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority although Israel reserves the right to act to protect its security interests there. Area C is fully under Israeli control. Difficulty accessing basic rights: Freedom of movement Education Health Right to livelihood Due to the conflict, and since Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are not citizens of Israel and do not enjoy the rights of citizens, they face great difficulties in accessing basic rights. Until this conflict is resolved, Israel maintains responsibility for upholding the human rights of the people living under its occupation, according to Israeli and international law. Slide 7: Challenges Human Rights Abuses “Administrative detention” Against Israeli law Even though Israeli law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, Palestinians may be held under “administrative detention” by military judicial authorities without being charged for a crime, and often without access to an attorney for months at a time. SAY YES TO A BETTER ISRAEL. WWW.NIF.ORG PowerPoint Discussion Guide Human Rights Unequal Treatment Lack of protection from settlers In 2011, Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din released a report revealing that out of 642 investigations by Israeli police of offenses against Palestinians, only 9% have resulted in indictments filed against defendants. Many of these cases include violence and destruction of property committed by settlers against Palestinians, yet few of the cases are fully investigated by the Israeli authorities. Water supply in the West Bank Israel controls approximately 85% of the water supply in the West Bank. On average, 63 gallons of water per person per day are allocated to Israeli settlers, and only 16 gallons of water per person per day to Palestinians. Palestinians in East Jerusalem As permanent residents of Israel, Palestinians in East Jerusalem are entitled to full and equal services by the Jerusalem Municipality under Israeli law. However, resources allocated for education, social services, infrastructure and emergency planning are significantly less than those allocated to Jewish neighborhoods. Slide 8: Challenges Freedom of Movement and Access to Resources Separation barrier Difficulty reaching schools, workplaces, family or even accessing emergency healthcare The separation barrier has a debilitating impact on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. External and internal closures in the Occupied Territories, delays at checkpoints, and road blocks (within the West Bank and between the West Bank and Israel) affect all aspects of life. On two occasions, after lawsuits brought by NIF grantees, the Israeli High Court ruled that the barrier must be constructed along a route which would minimize the negative impact on Palestinians. Nevertheless, the barrier continues to severely impact the lives of many Palestinians. Slide 9: Now we will watch an episode of Against All Odds (~20 min). (Click on link in module or insert DVD) Afterwards, open the discussion by asking the group for their thoughts on the episode, or by referring to the Discussion Questions. But first, propose some of the following discussion guidelines: Participants should listen with curiosity—ask questions to expand their view before offering a different /opposing view. Participants should express their perspectives in terms of how a situation impacts them, instead of labeling it (e.g., “I strongly agree/disagree with …” instead of “S/he is right/wrong”) Participants should not interrupt one another. Everyone’s voice should be heard (people should not monopolize the conversation). Remember… SAY YES TO A BETTER ISRAEL. WWW.NIF.ORG PowerPoint Discussion Guide Human Rights Clarify points of confusion by restating individual contributions to confirm understanding and ensure that they are heard by the whole group (e.g., “I hear your view as …., is that right?”). The facilitator reserves the right to redirect the conversation. In the last few minutes of the discussion, ask for two final comments and continue to the next slides to wrap up. Slide 10: Responding to the Challenges Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel are working to protect the human rights of Palestinians in the Territories. These are some of the goals of NIF and its grantees (Ask participants to read the following points as they appear on the slide): Monitor security checkpoints to prevent abuse and humiliation of Palestinian civilians Petition the route of the barrier where it disproportionately affects lives Protect the rights of prisoners and detainees, including monitoring, preventing and investigating abuse Ensure that human rights standards are upheld during military operations, such as preventing the use of Palestinian civilians as “human shields” Prevent the demolition of homes of Palestinians suspected of terrorism without judicial review, and ensure compensation for homes demolished for security operations Protect Palestinians from attacks by settlers Provide legal aid to workers in Israel and Israeli settlements who have suffered from withheld payment, underpayment, confinement and/or criminal abuse, and Create public awareness amongst Israelis of human rights abuses in the Territories and of the impact of service on soldiers. Slide 11: Making a Difference on the Ground These are two examples of human rights organizations and their work: Breaking the Silence Raising public awareness about the moral dilemmas faced by soldiers serving in the Occupied Territories Veteran combatants who served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada have exposed military actions that have violated the human rights of Palestinians in the Territories. The organization has collected more than 700 testimonies of soldiers. Breaking the Silence engages in public outreach by holding exhibitions, lectures, and offering guided tours to Hebron where former combatants share their experiences. B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Documenting and educating the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Territories and combating the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public An example of one of B’Tselem’s projects is a video blog, entitled “Gaza: an Inside Look.” It is a compilation of short videos for Israelis to see daily life in Gaza. It was featured in Ynet, Israel’s leading news website, in 2010.