ACRI in the News: Jan 9 – Jan 13 2012

Law Banning the Word “Nazi” and Third Reich Symbolism
 
Israel cabinet supports bill to prohibit use of Nazi symbols in protests
9 January 2012 (Haaretz)
“The Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted Monday to support a controversial bill that would make it a crime to call someone a ‘Nazi’ or wear a yellow star as a means of protest. The bill is expected to pass a preliminary vote in the Knesset plenum on Tuesday.
The draft bill, which was introduced a week after symbols of the Holocaust were used in demonstrations by ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim neighborhood, calls for a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to NIS 100,000 for anyone convicted of breaking the law […]
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel criticized the legislative proposal. ‘Precisely because of the importance and centrality of the Holocaust, the attempt to dictate when and in what context it can be referenced is very problematic,’ ACRI said in a statement.”
 
Israeli bill would prohibit Nazi comparisons

10 January 2012 (BBC News)
“Draft legislation in Israel would make it a crime in the country to use the word “Nazi” or symbols of the Holocaust for purposes other than teaching. There will be a preliminary hearing in parliament on Wednesday for the bill, which would impose penalties of up to six months in jail and a $25,000 fine. […]
‘Precisely because of the importance and centrality of the Holocaust, the attempt to dictate when and in what context it can be referenced is very problematic,” the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in a statement.
‘This bill seeks in effect to control the public debate, its content and tone, with force, using criminal prohibitions and the threat of prison.'”
 
Israel Moves to Ban Use of the Word “Nazi” and Third Reich Symbols
10 January 2012 (The Lede – New York Times Blogs)
“In a letter to the country’s justice minister on Tuesday, a lawyer for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel strongly opposed the measure, arguing that ‘freedom of expression means the right to say difficult things that might be even hurtful.’ The lawyer, Lila Margalit, added: ‘it is precisely because of the importance and gravitas of the Holocaust that the attempt to dictate how and in what contexts it can be discussed is particularly egregious.'”
 
Israeli Rights Groups Defend Use of Nazi Imagery
10 January 2012 (The Media Line)
“Civil rights groups have been on the defensive as lawmakers have pushed legislation in the last year that would construct freedom of speech, such limits on Palestinians’ marking Israel’s Independence Day as the Nakba (catastrophe) and on public calls for a boycott of Israel or West Bank settlements.
But, with the Jews’ suffering during the Holocaust, the ban on Nazi imagery has put civil rights activists in Israel in an awkward position of defending their use as an example of freedom of expression.
‘We see this as another encroachment on freedom of speech in Israel,” Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), told The Media Line. ‘Obviously this is something that is very sensitive in Israel. But the true test for freedom of speech is exactly when people are using language or symbols that are offensive to some or even all members of society.’”
 
Israeli Bill Would Prohibit Use Of Nazi Comparisons
10 January 2012 (NPR News Blog)
“In Israel, it might become a crime to use Nazi comparisons to criticize someone […] Civil rights groups are opposing the bill. ‘Freedom of expression means the right to say difficult things that might be even hurtful. It means the right to give bold and extreme expression to positions, feelings, and thoughts, and also includes the right to make rhetorical use of provocative and harsh images,’ The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement. ACRI also said because of the “importance and centrality of the Holocaust, the attempt to dictate when and in what context it can be referenced is very problematic.'”
 
Proposed law would ban calling people Nazis or wearing yellow stars in Israel
10 January 2012 (NY Daily News)
“A new bill would make it illegal to call someone a Nazi or wear a yellow star as a form of protest in Israel. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the measure, which passed a preliminary vote this week, would include a prison term of up to six months and a maximum fine of $26,000 for offenders.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which is akin to the ACLU in the U.S., called the bill ‘very problematic.’ ‘This bill seeks in effect to control the public debate, its content and tone, with force, using criminal prohibitions and the threat of prison,’ the group said in a statement to Haaretz.”
 
Israeli bill would ban Nazi imagery, epithets
10 January 2012 (USA Today)
“A bill that would make it a crime to call someone a “Nazi” in Israel or wear a yellow star as a means of protest has the backing of the Cabinet and will likely pass a preliminary vote in the Knesset on Wednesday, Haaretz reports […] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has criticized the legislative proposal. ‘The question of the social legitimacy of the use of Holocaust symbolism in the public and political discourse is indeed a big question, which deserves a robust and free public debate,” ACRI lawyer Lila Margalit says in statement. ‘It is not a question that should be handled through criminal law.'”
 
Knesset approves bill banning use of Nazi symbols
10 January 2012 (The Jerusalem Post)
“Anyone who uses Holocaust imagery or Nazi epithets in public may soon face a NIS 100,000 fine and up to six months in jail, following the approval of a bill by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Monday […] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel strongly criticized the bill, calling it an attempt to forcibly control public discourse through criminal prohibitions and threats of imprisonment. […] ‘The question of the social legitimacy of the use of Holocaust symbols in public and political discourse is a big question, fitting for free debate in the ‘market-place of ideas.’ It is not a question that should be dealt with through the means of criminal law.'”
 
Israel moves to outlaw use of Nazi symbols
11 January 2012 (Reuters)
“Israel’s parliament gave initial approval on Wednesday to laws to curb public use of Nazi symbols after ultra-Orthodox protesters caused outrage by calling police Nazis and wearing concentration camp garb […] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said the new laws violated free speech.
‘Freedom of expression means the right to say difficult things that might even been hurtful,’ a statement on the group’s website said. While the use of Holocaust symbolism was ‘indeed a big question which deserves a robust and free public debate, it is not a question that should be handled through criminal law.’
 
Israeli lawmakers advance legislation banning use of ‘Nazi’ symbols
12 January 2012 (Haaretz)
“The Association for Civil Rights in Israel also decried the provisions, calling it ‘very serious,’ precisely due to the centrality of the Holocaust, that legislation would seek to dictate when and in what context reference could be made to the Holocaust. ‘Freedom of expression is the right to say difficult, sharp and even hurtful things. It’s the right to give crude and extreme expression to positions, feelings and thoughts and includes the right to make rhetorical use of difficult and provocative images,’ the group said in a statement.”
 
 
“Law to Prevent Infiltration” Passes Final Reading
 
Israel, Expecting Syrian Collapse, Braces for Refugees
10 January 2012 (New York Times)
“Earlier Tuesday, before General Gantz spoke, Parliament approved harsh new penalties on illegal migrants, a measure aimed at stopping the flow of African asylum seekers and economic migrants across Israel’s southern border with the Egyptian Sinai.
The amendment, to the existing Law to Prevent Infiltration, makes it possible to detain illegal migrants and their children for up to three years without a trial. Anyone caught aiding illegal migrants found to be carrying weapons, or trafficking in humans or drugs, could face prison terms of 5 to 15 years.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, a human rights organization, denounced the new legislation as ‘draconian and immoral,’ saying that ‘its entire purpose is to deter refugees from entering Israel.'”
 
Knesset approves bill to deter illegal migrants
10 January 2012 (The Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
“Israel’s Knesset approved a bill that would allow authorities to arrest and hold illegal migrants for up to three years. The bill passed on its second and third readings Monday night by a vote of 37 to 8. The bill also metes out a jail sentence of up to 15 years for anyone who assists illegal migrants, including providing them with housing, while they are in Israel […]
‘This law is draconian and immoral, and its entire purpose is to deter refugees from entering Israel,’ the Association of Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement. ‘The law blatantly disregards Israel’s most basic commitments as a member of the community of nations and as a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The State of Israel has the right to protect its borders, but not by trampling human rights and ignoring democratic values.'”
 
Israel passes draconian law on illegal immigrants
11 January 2012 (The Independent)
“Israel’s parliament approved harsh new penalties on illegal immigrants yesterday in an effort to stop mainly sub-Saharan Africans seeking refuge from conflict and poverty […] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel labelled the law ‘draconian and immoral.’ ‘Its entire purpose is to deter refugees from entering Israel,’ it said.”
 
 
High Court Rejects Petitions against “Citizenship Law”
 
Israel’s top court backs bar on Palestinian spouses
12 January 2012 (Reuters)
“By a 6-to-5 vote, the Supreme Court late on Wednesday rejected petitions against the 2003 ban, which civil liberty groups denounced as racist for potentially forcing members of Israel’s 20-percent Arab minority who wed Palestinians to emigrate […] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, one of four petitioning groups, accused the Supreme Court of perpetuating a ‘racist law’ and ‘failing to uphold basic human rights in the face of the tyranny of the Knesset (parliament).'”
 
Israel upholds citizenship bar for Palestinian spouses
12 January 2012 (BBC News)
“Israel’s Supreme Court has upheld a law banning Palestinians who marry Israelis from gaining Israeli citizenship […] ‘It is a dark day for the protection of human rights and for the Israeli High Court,’ lawyers from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel told AFP.”
 
Israeli high court upholds controversial citizenship law
12 January 2012 (World Now – Los Angeles Times Blogs)
“Among the reasons for Israel’s lack of a clear immigration policy are the demographic concerns for a Jewish majority, sometimes aggravated by security issues and clashing with constitutional rights. The anti-infiltration law was decried as ‘draconian’ by the Assn. for Civil Rights in Israel and labeled a ‘disgrace’ in newspaper editorials.”
 
ACRI slams High Court decision to uphold citizenship law
12 January 2012 (The Jerusalem Post)
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) Thursday leveled sharp criticism against the High Court of Justice for rejecting a petition against the Citizenship and Entry Law Wednesday. The court, two ACRI attorneys wrote in a statement, “has failed to uphold basic human rights in the face of the tyranny of the Knesset majority.”
 
Israel citizenship ruling slammed as ‘racist’
12 January 2012 (The Vancouver Sun)
“Israeli rights groups and parliamentarians on Thursday criticized a court ruling upholding a law that prevents Palestinians married to Arab Israelis from obtaining Israeli citizenship or residency. […] ‘It is a dark day for the protection of human rights and for the Israeli High Court,’ attorneys Dan Yakir and Oded Feller from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in a statement.
ACRI was one of three rights groups that had appealed to the High Court over a law preventing the Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens from obtaining either Israeli citizenship or residency.”
 
Israel’s Supreme Court upholds limit on family reunifications
12 January 2012 (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
“Israel’s Supreme Court voted by a narrow margin to uphold a law that prevents Israelis who marry Palestinians from living in Israel […] ‘The court has failed to uphold basic human rights in the face of the tyranny of the Knesset majority. The majority opinion has stamped its approval on a racist law, one will harm the very texture of the lives of families whose only sin is the Palestinian blood that runs in their veins,’ said attorneys Dan Yakir and Oded Feller from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) in a statement.”
 
NGOs, Arab officials slam Israel citizenship ruling
12 January 2012 (The Daily News Egypt)
“Rights groups and parliamentarians on Thursday slammed a court ruling upholding a law that prevents Palestinians married to Arab Israelis from obtaining Israeli citizenship. ‘It is a dark day for the protection of human rights and for the Israeli High Court,’ attorneys Dan Yakir and Oded Feller from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in a statement.
ACRI was one of three rights groups that had appealed to the High Court over a law preventing the Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens from obtaining citizenship.”
 
Israeli Citizenship Law Upheld by Court, Blasted by Arabs, Liberal Parliamentarians
12 January 2012 (International Business Times)
“Human rights activists and others have condemned a decision by Israel’s Supreme Court to uphold a law prohibiting Palestinians from gaining Israeli citizenship by marrying an Israeli citizen […] ACRI attorneys Dan Yakir and Oded Feller further said: ‘The majority opinion has stamped its approval on a racist law, one [that] will harm the very texture of the lives of families whose only sin is the Palestinian blood that runs in their veins.'”
 
 
Ethiopian Israelis Rally against Racism
 
Ethiopians Rally Against Racism in Israel

10 January 2012 (The Forward)
“Hundreds of demonstrators hit the streets of the Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi on Tuesday afternoon, protesting what they call the discrimination of Ethiopian immigrants. According to Ethiopian residents of Kiryat Malachi, housing committees in the city have been refusing to sell them apartments […]
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel also condemned the phenomenon, requesting that the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs dedicate a portion of a meeting scheduled for tomorrow to the matter. The association said the committee must clearly state that they do not condone racism and discrimination and that they ‘are taking clear and decisive steps to eradicate’ the phenomena.”
 
Absorption Minister: Ethiopian immigrants should be grateful to Israel
11 January 2012 (Haaretz)
“Immigration Absorption Minister Sofa Landver responded Wednesday to recent protests against discrimination of Ethiopian immigrants, and said that they should be grateful for what they have received from Israel […]
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel issued a statement condemning discrimination against the Ethiopian community. The organization said the extraordinary session of the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs convening tomorrow to discuss the issue should put forth legislation prohibiting discrimination in housing.
‘The authorities must clearly state that they do not accept displays of racism and discrimination, and are taking clear and decisive steps to eradicate them,’ ACRI said in the statement. The organization is seeking a legal amendment that would give the Real Estate Registrar the authority to suspend or even cancel the license of a real estate agent who discriminates against clients on the basis of their ethnic origin.”
 
 
Tel Aviv Named World’s Best Gay City 2011
 
Tel Aviv named ‘world’s best gay city’ for 2011
11 January 2012 (The Jerusalem Post)
“If anyone needs further evidence of the gulf separating Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, they might check out the LGBT travel website Gaycities.com, which has named Tel Aviv the best gay city of 2011 […]
Hagai El-Ad, executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and former head of the Jerusalem LGBT community’s ‘Open House’ center, said he found such recognition ‘heartwarming,’ though he added that acceptance of LGBT people in Israel varies widely by geography.
‘Many parts of Tel Aviv are super-gay-friendly,’ he explained, ‘but that doesn’t mean that in other parts of the city or parts of Israel it’s not a different story.’ El-Ad said that the gay community in Israel is ‘a strong, successful, viable community’ with a long list of achievements to be proud of, specifically in such fields as equality in the workplace, pension rights and protection against discrimination. He added, however, that further efforts have to be made in the realm of social acceptance. When asked about so-called ‘pinkwashing,’ or efforts by Israeli activists to promote the country by highlighting its tolerance of LGBT people, El-Ad said that he hoped the complex reality would not be used to ‘hide human rights violations.’
‘For those at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel who devised the strategy of pitching Israel as a ‘gay promised land’ in the hope that this would somehow make people… look away from very serious and worsening human rights violations here, that’s a strategy that any decent person should reject wholeheartedly.'”
 
 
Privatization of Treatment Centers for Drug Addicts
 
Don’t privatize treatment of drug addicts
12 January 2012 (Haaretz)
“Three rights groups have recently filed a petition to the High Court of Justice against the Health Ministry’s tender for privatizing the treatment of drug addiction with substitutes. The arguments raised by the Association for Civil Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Adva Center in their petition are a reminder of the anti-humane, anti-social element concealed in many privatization processes […] The petitioners argue that every time the Health Ministry involves private companies in the supply chain, it leads to a dangerous spillover of methadone into the streets, where it is traded in the black market as a drug to all intents and purposes. The Health Ministry does not deny this.”