For many years, ACRI has worked tenaciously in the legal and public arenas to ensure that Israel strikes a balance between protecting national security and upholding human rights and the rule of law. ACRI firmly believes that in order to protect democratic values and contribute to sustainable security, it is essential that Israel’s efforts to combat terrorism and protect national security respect human rights.
In a post-9/11 world, it is especially significant to highlight that many of Israel’s national security policies and practices have already been in use for decades. In Israel, the effects of September 11 have mostly been to foster a general sense that the limits of what is acceptable in the “war against terror” have now changed. Israel has been in a declared state of emergency since the establishment of the State, and has occupied Palestinian territories and subjected them to a military regime for more than forty years. Throughout this period, and especially since the start of the second Intifada, Israel has developed and implemented a slew of policies and measures designed to thwart terrorist activity which violate human rights and undermine democratic values. These include: sweeping restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement; the construction of the Separation Barrier within the occupied West Bank; the denial of access to legal counsel and effective judicial review for security detainees; interrogation techniques; family reunification and the Citizenship Law; the widespread practice of administrative detention; racial profiling at airports; the policy of “targeted killings” by the armed forces; and house demolitions. In recent years, a number of draconian anti-terrorism measures have been enshrined in legislation and temporary (but, in practice, lasting) orders.
Resources on Democracy and Security:
Striking a Balance between Security and Human Rights: ACRI submits position paper on draft counter-terror bill, July 2010
ACRI Launches Groundbreaking Human Rights Program for Security Prison Staff, August 2008
ACRI: Discourse about Statehood does not Threaten Israel’s Security, July 2008
