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Mission | Strategic Litigation | International Advocacy

Download Adalah's Brochure (.pdf)

Mission

Adalah ("Justice" in Arabic) is an independent human rights organization and legal center. Established in November 1996, it works to promote and defend the rights of Palestinian Arab citizens of , 1.2 million people, or 20% of the population, as well as Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

To achieve equal individual and collective rights for Palestinian Arabs in Israel and the OPT, Adalah:

 Presents impact litigation cases and interventions to Israeli courts and state authorities  Provides legal consultation to individuals, NGOs, and institutions  Appeals to international institutions and fora, including the UN, EU, and national governments  Organizes seminars and conferences  Publishes reports and analysis of critical legal issues  Reaches out to media in Israel and abroad  Trains legal apprentices and new lawyers in human rights

Strategic Litigation

Adalah’s Current Litigation Docket (.pdf)

Adalah's strategic legal achievements include:

Precedent-setting cancellation of 51 demolition orders on homes of 500 Arab in the Naqab (Negev) Adalah submitted the petition in 2007 on behalf of the residents of the unrecognized village of Asira to the Kiryat Gat Magistrate Court, which cancelled the demolition orders in December 2011, calling them ‘disproportionate.’ The 70 families of Asira have lived on their lands for at least 7 generations. Their land claims were recognized by the British Mandate, but the State has viewed them as illegal squatters until now.

Overturn of Admissions Committee block on Arab Palestinian couple’s wish to live in small community Adalah successfully fought a case on behalf of married Arab couple Ms. Fatina Ebriq Zubeidat and Mr. Ahmed Zubeidat against the community town of Rakefet and the Israel Land Authority (ILA). The Admissions Committee of Rakefet rejected the couple’s application to live in the town on several occasions, claiming that they were "socially unsuitable" to live in the community town. Adalah brought the petition in 2006, which the Supreme Court accepted only in 2011. Adalah is now petitioning against the Admissions Committee Law, passed by the in March 2011, which permits 400 small communities in Israel to reject homebuyers on the same basis.

Right for Arab Palestinian MKs and parties to run in elections Twice in the run-up to national elections, Adalah represented all Arab Members of Knesset (MKs) and political parties targeted by disqualification motions. In 2003 and 2009, the Supreme Court overturned the decisions of the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Arab MKs and parties.

Compensation for Palestinians in OPT harmed by Israeli military In a unanimous ruling, a nine-justice Supreme Court panel decided in 2006 that Israel cannot exempt itself by law from paying compensation to Palestinians in the OPT who have been injured and harmed by the Israeli military.

Banning of use of Palestinians as “human shields” in violation of international law In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that the Israeli army's use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields" in military operations constituted a violation of international humanitarian law and banned the use of this practice. Adalah continues to demand investigations into reported incidents.

Current major representations include:

Petition against discriminatory Citizenship Law Adalah challenged the 2003 Citizenship Law, which bans family unification between Palestinian citizens of Israel and their Palestinian spouses from the OPT. Thousands of Palestinian families are forced to live apart as a result of the racist law. In 2006, a 6-5 Supreme Court majority dismissed the case. Adalah has launched a legal challenge against harsh new amendments to the law.

Opposition to Jewish-only JNF policy Adalah continues to challenge the state's policy of allocating lands controlled by the (13% of land in Israel) only to Jewish individuals before the Israeli courts and international forums. Most of this land was confiscated by the state from Palestinian refugees and then transferred to the JNF.

Representation of Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel killed in demonstrations in October 2000 Adalah represented the families of 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel killed by police during demonstrations in October 2000 before the Official Commission of Inquiry. In its final report of 2003, the Commission recommended criminal investigations into the killings. In 2008, the Attorney General issued a discriminatory decision not to indict any of those responsible for the killings. Adalah continues to demand justice and accountability for the families.

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International Advocacy

Adalah appeals to international and national bodies to increase Israel’s compliance with treaties and conventions and national and international law.

Adalah has raised numerous issues at the UN have been adopted in the Concluding Observations of the UN human rights treaty bodies such as the Committee Against Torture and the Human Rights Committee.

In 2005, Adalah obtained Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

See Why International Advocacy? and International Advocacy Outreach by Year. Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services1

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