Copy

Adalah’s News

New Israeli government must confront police violence and impunity

21 June 2021

On 13 June 2021, the Israeli Knesset narrowly voted (60-59) to confirm a new coalition government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. The inauguration of the new government marks the end of, or at least an interlude in, the Netanyahu era after 12 years, the last two of which have been marked by political turbulence, with four elections in rapid succession.

The swearing in of the new government comes immediately after the recent round of deadly violence in Israel and the OPT in May 2021. While the violence in Israel has largely abated for now, none of the root causes have been resolved.

One of the critical tasks that now falls to the new government, including the new Minister of Internal Security, responsible for the police, the new Minister of Justice and the Attorney General, is to root out police brutality against Palestinian citizens of Israel, including protestors, and to hold those responsible to account. The new government must show itself to be willing and able to end mass arrests and detentions of Palestinians, tackle escalating violence within Palestinian towns and villages in Israel, and investigate the failure of the police to protect Palestinian citizens of Israel and their property from attacks by ultra-right-wing Jewish Israelis, including settlers, and even police collusion with these violent groups. In short, it must bring an end to discriminatory policing and police violence against Palestinian citizens and impunity for the perpetrators.

Over the coming months, Adalah will continue to provide legal advice and assistance to those detained and/or indicted, in close coordination with the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, volunteer lawyers and local lawyers’ committees. Adalah will provide legal representation in some cases entailing blatant violations of freedoms of expression, such as that of religious leader Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib. In parallel, Adalah will file complaints of police violence against protestors and by-standers to the Police Investigations Department (Mahash), and demand investigations and prosecutions of those responsible. Notably, few Jewish Israelis responsible for harming Palestinian citizens or their properties have been arrested or indicted, a fact that raises serious concerns of selective prosecution that Adalah will monitor closely.

Demanding an end to “Operation Law and Order”, the Israeli police’s mass arrest campaign against Palestinians, including protestors

Adalah sent an urgent letter to senior Israeli officials demanding the immediate end to this militarized operation, launched on 23 May, which the police announced was intended to intimidate and serve as ‘deterrent’. Adalah argued that the mass arrests amounted to collective punishment. The campaign ended on 3 June, with 2,142 people arrested, approximately 91% of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel or residents of East Jerusalem, and 614 remaining in custody, and with 184 indictments filed against 285 people. Keep reading

Exposing the ‘Torture room’ at Israel’s police station in Nazareth

Adalah submitted a complaint to senior Israeli officials regarding rampant, systemic Israeli police attacks and brutal beatings of Palestinian citizens of Israel – protesters, minors, and innocent bystanders – inside the city’s police station during May 2021. Many of the detainees were additionally denied medical treatment. Keep reading

Read coverage in the Washington Post, Haaretz, +972 Magazine

Representing Islamic Movement leader, freed from detention after one month for alleged speech offenses

Adalah is leading a legal team representing Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was arrested on 14 May in a violent Israeli police raid on his home in Kufr Kanna, that also left dozens of local residents wounded. He is indicted for incitement based on three Facebook posts, none of which call for violence. On 20 June, the Nazareth District Court accepted our appeal and overturned the lower court’s extremely unreasonable decision to remand him. Keep reading

Read coverage in the New Arab, Haaretz, The Middle East Monitor

Fighting draconian restrictions on Palestinian fishermen’s access to Gaza’s sea space

Gisha, Adalah, and Al Mezan (Gaza) issued an urgent appeal to Israeli authorities demanding they immediately remove all ongoing restrictions on access to the fishing zone in Gaza and put a stop to the Israeli navy's attacks on and harassment of fishermen. The fishing sector in Gaza was badly hit during Israel's recent massive airstrikes (starting 11 May), which targeted civilian buildings and infrastructure, causing damage to boats and equipment, and damaged the livelihoods of over 50,000 people who depend on fishing. Keep reading

Landmark resolution of UN Human Rights Council and statement of grave concern by UN human rights experts

Watch video of Adalah’s statement to UN HRC
On 27 May 2021, the UN HRC held a special session on Israel’s serious human rights violations against Palestinians both in the OPT and in Israel, at which 24 of 47 member states voted in favor of a resolution calling for the establishment of an ongoing commission of inquiry into the grave human rights situation in the OPT and in Israel. Adalah welcomes this decision, which marks first time that the UN HRC has resolved to address the root causes of systematic Israeli racial discrimination against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line.
Read UN coverage of the UN HRC vote
 
Read statement of UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, which strongly condemned violent attacks on Palestinian citizens of Israel
Help us meet the coming challenges and to continue with our critical work.
Facebook
Twitter
Link
Website






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel · 94 Yaffa Street · PO Box 8921 · Haifa 31090 · Israel