ADC Condemns Israeli Use of Deadly Force on al-Nakba Commemorators

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ADC Condemns Israeli Use of Deadly Force on al-Nakba Commemorators

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | May 15, 2011 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee strongly condemns the use of deadly force by Israeli forces on Palestinians commemorating al-Nakba or the catastrophe. For Palestinians and others in the Middle East, May 15th marks the destruction of historic Palestine and the massive forced expulsion and displacement of Palestinians by Israeli forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. News reports indicate that Israeli forces opened fire on commemorators in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as in the border areas including Lebanon and the Occupied Golan Heights.  The use of deadly force on peaceful civilians, by any nation, must not be tolerated by the international community. Immediate action by the international community must be taken to ensure that the Israelis stop using excessive force on the demonstrators. Further, a clear message must be sent that the use of force will not be tolerated and Israel will be held accountable for its actions.  According to media reports, and at the time of this release, at least nine Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured after Israeli snipers opened fire on the peaceful demonstrators.

Al-Nakba was not a singular event – displacement continues to this day, affecting thousands of Palestinians throughout the Middle East.  There are approximately seven million Palestinian refugees and 450,000 internally displaced persons, representing 70% of the entire Palestinian population worldwide (9.8 million). Internal displacement continues, unabated, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) due to the Israeli construction of the wall, house demolitions, evictions, and land confiscation.

Similar patterns of forced displacement for Palestinians living in Israel occur as well. Urban development plans for the exclusive benefit of Jewish communities are displacing indigenous Palestinian communities in places like Naqab (Negev) and the Galilee. In 2010, the Netanyahu government approved the development of 1,600 new housing units in Occupied East Jerusalem, a policy condemned by the U.S.  This development will also forcibly displace several Palestinian families from their land and homes.

ADC is committed to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Any peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict requires the dismantlement of the Israeli Wall (the wall was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice), the cessation and dismantlement of all settlements, an end to the collective punishment imposed on the Palestinian population as a result of Israeli occupation policies, respect for the exercise of democratic rights of Palestinians in electing their government, the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state, and the upholding of the right of return of the Palestinian refugees under international law. ADC will continue to advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination in an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest grassroots Arab-American civil rights and civil liberties organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC has a national network of chapters and members in all 50 states.om

ADC Congratulates President Obama on killing of Bin Laden

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ADC Congratulates President Obama

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | May 5, 2011 - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) congratulates President Barack H. Obama and his Administration Team for the successful operation that eliminated Osama bin Laden. Justice has been rendered to the leader of the terrorists who killed thousands of innocent people on the worst foreign attack on American soil in our Nation’s history.

To paraphrase the President’s own statements: We will never forget our loss, or waiver in our commitment for equality and justice, or the pursuit of peace and human dignity for all people. On that day of 9/11 and today – no matter where we came from or what our citizenship is, no matter what our faith is, or what race or ethnicity we are – we are united as one family in our commitment to each other, our love of community and country, and our standing up for our values in our pursuit of liberty and justice for all.

We remain: “E Pluribus Unum,” or “Out of Many, One.”  

Related article: May 3: ADC Op-Ed in Detroit Free Press "Obama began to erode bin Laden's power long ago"

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest grassroots Arab-American civil rights and civil liberties organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC has a national network of chapters and members in all 50 states.

Adalah, ACRI, Parents and School Alumni Petition Supreme Court: Nakba Law is Unconstitutional, Allow Freedom of Speech

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PRESS RELEASE

5 May 2011

Adalah, ACRI, Parents and School Alumni Petition Supreme Court:

Nakba Law is Unconstitutional, Allow Freedom of Speech

Schools, universities, local councils and cultural institutions may suffer budget cuts if they commemorate the day of the establishment of Israel as a day of Nakba; Court asked to issue order suspending implementation of law, which was passed in March 2011

(Haifa and Tel Aviv, Israel) In a petition submitted to Israel's Supreme Court yesterday (May 4) by human rights groups, activists and parents, the petitioners asked the court to rule that the “Nakba Law” is unconstitutional and should be annulled, as it violates the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and equality, and severely infringes on the rights of Israel's Arab citizens to preserve their history and culture concerning the Nakba.

The petitioners demanded that the court issue an interim order suspending the implementation of the law until a decision is delivered. An immediate order would prevent the possible self-censorship of institutions and harm to the minority as Israel’s Independence Day and the Nakba Day are marked in the coming days (May 10 and May 15 respectively).

The petition was submitted jointly by Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI); five parents of children who study at “Galil”, a joint Jewish-Arab bilingual school in the Misgav region of the Galilee; an NGO of alumni from the Arab Orthodox school in Haifa; and Prof. Oren Yiftachel, a leading researcher from Ben Gurion University whose theories challenge Israel's definition as a Jewish and democratic state.

The "Nakba Law", which was added as an amendment to the Budget Foundation Law in March 2011, authorizes the Ministry of Finance to cut budgets to any body or institution receiving monetary support from the state that engages in any action in which the “existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state” is negated, or that marks the date of Israel's establishment “as a day of mourning”. In a debate held in the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, chairperson MK David Rotem stated that marking a day of mourning does not need to coincide with Israel's official Independence Day.

Adalah Attorneys Sawsan Zaher and Hassan Jabareen and Attorney Dan Yakir of ACRI argue in the petition that the law infringes on the rights of freedom of speech, political and artistic expression; equality; education; academic freedom; and freedom of occupation. The law carries particular harm to the rights of the Arab minority. The vague wording of the law, and the fact that it gives the Finance Minister the power to decide on its implementation, raises concern that the law will be enforced in a discriminatory manner, which will enhance the already existing political oppression of Arab citizens in Israel.

Attorney Sawsan Zaher of Adalah: “This is an ideological law aimed against the national identity of Arab citizens in Israel and against their collective memory. It harms their legitimate status as equal citizens and punishes them for having a different identity and being the 'other'. The incitement and racism against Arab citizens, and the alienation in Israeli society, stand to increase as a result of this law.”

Attorney Dan Yakir, ACRI's Chief Legal Counsel: “A law that seeks to limit the public debate over principled questions concerning the character of the state not only violates freedom of speech of all Israeli citizens, but also harms the public interest of the society as a whole. For a democratic and open society to flourish, free speech must be upheld particularly when sensitive and political issues are at hand. Silencing the minority stands in clear contrast to basic democratic principles.”

Arik Kirshenboim, whose daughter attends the Arab-Jewish school “Galil” in Misgav: “Our daughter is studying in this unique school because we did not wish her to grow up in a climate of 'we are right – they are wrong', which unfortunately prevails in both Jewish and Arab societies in Israel. All we are asking is to allow our daughter and her school mates to hear the point of view of the other side. This is not about politics but about education without censorship. There were people who suffered when the state was founded, why should we hide it? Why not choose to acknowledge the pain and heal it?"

See ACRI’s position paper on the law:
http://www.acri.org.il/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Nakba_Bill_ACRI_Position_March-2011_ENG.doc.doc

See Adalah’s new “Discriminatory Laws Update”:
http://www.adalah.org/upfiles/2011/Discriminatory_Laws_update_April_2011.pdf

Case Citation:  HCJ 3429/11, The Alumni Association of the Arab Orthodox School in Haifa et al. v. The Knesset, et al.<http://www.acri.org.il/he/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/hit-4.5.11.pdf>

For further details and interviews with the petitioners: