The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) sent an urgent appeal today to Israel’s Prime Minister urging him to allow demonstrations and to avoid exerting disproportionate force in dealing with the protests expected to follow the reported killings on the international flotilla to Gaza.
Hagai El-Ad, Executive Director, ACRI: “The tragic lessons of October 2000, in which 13 people were killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations in the country’s North, still resonate strongly. Unfortunately, history teaches us that there is a genuine danger that the security forces will use disproportionate force – even lethal force – especially in dealing with Arab demonstrators. ACRI calls on the security forces to act with restraint and in accordance with the conclusions of the Or Commission (see below) on the events of October 2000, which urged them to refrain from using inordinate force and to allow demonstrations to take place peacefully and according to law.
“ACRI reminds the government at this time that it is their primary responsibility to protect the security of citizens, particularly those who are exercising their basic right to express outrage at today’s horrible events relating to the flotilla.”
Further, during “Operation Cast Lead”, and thereafter, we witnessed the suppression of lawful demonstrations against the operation and the arrest of hundreds of peaceful protesters, the majority of them Arab. Though these incidents did not result in physical harm to demonstrators, they point to an unacceptable policy of suppressing lawful demonstrations.
Background on the Or Commission
Following the deaths of 13 demonstrators in October 2000, the Or Commission, a government-appointed inquiry commission, published the most voluminous, comprehensive, and momentous report to date on the plight of Arab citizens of Israel. It detailed the grave inequalities between Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations, and called on the government and the public to narrow this gap.
The Or Commission also recommended that the Department for the Investigation of Police Activities open criminal investigations for those responsible for the killings. Despite this explicit directive, all of the investigations against police officers were terminated.
