Dear Friends,<\/p>\n
Our government dislikes the\u00a0image of Israel\u00a0as reflected in the visual documentation of the Occupied Territories. Yet why bother to repair the reality when one can smash the camera.<\/p>\n
This week, the Knesset passed a preliminary reading of\u00a0a bill\u00a0that would limit the ability of NGOs, journalists, and citizens to document soldiers’ conduct\u00a0in the Territories, threatening them with 5-10 years imprisonment. The bill is expected to undergo changes before it is voted next, given that the Attorney General has concluded\u00a0it is unconstitutional and a violation of freedom of speech, freedom of press, and the public’s right to know. Despite the\u00a0legal opinion of the AG, the coalition nevertheless voted in favor of this unconstitutional bill.<\/p>\n
Injustice, violence, clashes, and multiple\u00a0rights violations typically characterize a military occupation. Cameras serve as a tool for human rights organizations, the media and activists to expose, document and publicize\u00a0the harsh realities of the Israeli\u00a0occupation. Through this bill, the government seeks to prevent disclosure of the military’s conduct in the Territories, as it is not interested in either exposing violence and abuse or ensuring accountability of soldiers and policemen.<\/p>\n
Anyone following Israeli\u00a0news in recent years can see that\u00a0the new bill is one of many attempts to silence criticism of the government, and more specifically limit\u00a0human rights groups. The bills that the government and coalition partners are promoting damage\u00a0the foundations of our\u00a0democracy and further entrench the military occupation. These attempts shrink our democratic space, limit freedom of speech and protest, violate human dignity, and delegitimize the pluralistic civil society we wish to advance.<\/p>\n
Yours,<\/p>\n
Ronit Sela
\nDirector, Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Unit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Friends, Our government dislikes the\u00a0image of Israel\u00a0as reflected in the visual documentation of the Occupied Territories. Yet why bother … Read more