Advanced search

UK in Israel
London 20:45, 16 May 2012
Tel Aviv 22:45, 16 May 2012
   

Human Rights: Quarterly Update

Hebron - A Palestinian girl watches as Israeli troops guard a Jewish holiday procession (Copyright: Mati Milstein)
                                                                                                 Mati Milstein 

Latest update: 31 December 2011

The UK welcomes Israel’s decision on 4 October to raise the age of legal majority for Palestinian children in the Israeli military justice system. When fully implemented, this will be an important step towards protecting children’s rights in the West Bank. We continue to lobby for further improvements, including a reduction in the number of arrests that occur at night and the introduction of audio-visual recording of interrogations. We are in close discussion with the Israeli government on this issue.
 
The UK remains concerned by legislation proposed in the Israeli Knesset that would limit foreign funding of NGOs. This would have a serious impact on projects funded from the UK and elsewhere to support universal rights and values and would be seen as undermining the democratic principles the Israeli state is founded on. The passing of legislation is a matter for the Israeli Knesset and we note Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to suspend discussion of the bills. We will continue to monitor this issue and raise our concerns with senior Israeli officials as needed. We are also concerned about draft legislation to ban mosques from using loudspeakers during the call to prayer.
 
The previous three months saw a worrying number of “price tag” attacks apparently carried out by extreme right-wing groups, including vandalism of Muslim and Christian cemeteries in Jaffa, hate graffiti on the homes and offices of Peace Now activists, and arson attacks on mosques. We condemn these attacks, with Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt saying after the attack on a mosque in Tuba Zangria, northern Israel that an “intentionally provocative attack on a place of worship is appalling”. We welcome the Israeli government’s statements that it is determined to deal with the perpetrators of these attacks and bring them to justice.
 
We continue to monitor and lobby on the Praver Plan which authorises the relocation of 30,000 Bedouin from unrecognised villages. We have raised our concerns with the Israeli government.
 
The tragic death of Palestinian protester Mustapha Tamimi on 9 December underlines our concerns about the policing of demonstrations in the West Bank.  Often, this involves using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a non-violent crowd.  Along with Mustapha’s death, a number of other injuries have been reported recently through the firing of high-velocity tear gas canisters directly at demonstrators.  The British Government strongly supports the right to peaceful protest anywhere in the world, including the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We deprecate the disproportionate use of force under any circumstances.  We ask that protest demonstrators eschew violence, and that such demonstrations be policed with a sense of responsibility, on the basis of mutual respect for human dignity.  The British Consulate in Jerusalem and EU Partners monitored the demonstration in the village of Nabu Saleh twice in December and have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities.
 
A cousin of Mustapha Tamimi, Basem, is still in prison while his trial continues for inciting protests in the same village.  The UK and our European Partners are concerned that his arrest was intended to put pressure on the non-violent protest movement, and have designated Basem a ‘Human Rights Defender’.   We also have concerns about the way the evidence was gathered, including the testimony of two children who did not have a lawyer or parent present during a long interrogation.  On 28 November, the British Consul-General attended the trial with his German, French and Spanish counterparts.  We will continue to have an EU diplomatic presence at every trial and remain deeply concerned by the way children are handled in the military court system.  Recent changes to the age of legal majority are welcome, but significant issues remain.   In September 2011, a high level legal delegation came to the OPT’s to produce an FCO funded report on this issue which is due for publication early next year.

Israel

Quarter three update: 30 September 2011

The Embassy has focused significant effort on Israel’s Arab community over the last three months. This included allocating £225,000 for projects which aim to redress the marginalisation of minorities in Israel, including helping the Israeli Arab community integrate better into the Israeli economic mainstream, particularly its high tech sector; integrating Arab teachers into Jewish schools; and empowering Arab leaders with skills to leverage opportunities for their constituencies.

We continue to monitor legislation that could have negative repercussions on Israel’s minorities. We have lobbied the Israeli government at a senior level on the potential discriminatory repercussions of a new affirmative action bill for those who do not undertake military service, including Israeli Arabs, the ultra-Orthodox and the disabled. We have also raised our concerns with Israeli officials over the Prawer report, approved by the Israeli government on September 11, which authorises the relocation of 30,000 Bedouin from unrecognised villages.

Quarter two update: June 2011

The last quarter has seen violent clashes on Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon in protests commemorating the anniversaries of the establishment of the State of Israel and the 1967 war. We have made clear that we respect Israel’s right to defend itself, but have expressed concern about civilian deaths and injuries during these protests, and urged restraint. We welcome the Israeli Government’s 6 April announcement that a criminal investigation will be opened in all cases of Palestinian civilian deaths in the West Bank at the hands of Israeli authorities (with the exception of deaths as a result of exchange of fire and all civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip). This decision is a solid step towards improving accountability.

We remain concerned about the progress of certain Knesset draft bills that could discriminate against minorities and limit the operations of NGOs which are critical of government policy. It is reassuring that so far the checks and balances of the several stages of Knesset scrutiny, and the recommendations of the Knesset legal advisor, have proved sufficient to block or dilute the most discriminatory drafts.

We continue to be concerned about land issues affecting the Bedouin community in the Negev. We are discussing with the government and the Bedouin community the Prawer Report, which sets out the Government’s initial policy for the relocation of 30,000 Bedouin from unrecognised villages to expanded areas of existing Bedouin towns. We are also monitoring the Bedouin counter-proposal, which should be presented at the end of June.

On 25 June, the fifth anniversary of the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas in Gaza, the Foreign Secretary reiterated our call for Shalit’s immediate and unconditional release, and for Hamas to allow Red Cross access to him.

Quarter One update: 31 March 2011

During the first quarter of 2011 we welcomed the efforts, including by the Israeli government, to tackle discrimination and reduce inequality between Jews and Arabs in Israel.  In particular, we welcome continuing progress in developing new housing units, sewage infrastructures, transport networks, internal security reforms and agricultural developments in Arab areas.  However, we remain disappointed that that the demolition of Bedouin houses and villages in the Negev continues.  We urge the Israeli government to find a solution that offers an agreeable compromise.  The Al Araqib Bedouin village in the Negev, which has been demolished 21 times in total and nine times since the beginning of the year, is of particular concern.

We also remain concerned by the growing climate of intolerance in Israeli society, and in particular by the progress of proposed Knesset bills that discriminate against minorities and human rights defenders.  These include:

  • The “Naqba Bill”, which seeks to withdraw government funding from NGOs participating in events that mark Israel’s Independence Day as a day of mourning.
  • The “Anti Boycott Bill” that seeks to impose fines on Israeli citizens participating in or encouraging boycotts against Israel (including the settlements).

We continue to urge the Israeli government to do more to speak out against such discriminatory proposals.

In January, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt visited Arab community leaders in Israel.  He listened to their concerns about the growing rift between Arabs and Jews.  During the visit, Alistair Burt raised these concerns with the Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.  Following Alistair Burt’s visit, we are working to upgrade our support to initiatives that tackle discrimination, reduce inequality and promote integration and coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

Occupied Palestinian Territories

Quarter three update: 30 September 2011

The Palestinian village of Al Walaja is located 9 km South West of Jerusalem near to the ‘Green Line’ (pre-1967 border).  The village is currently being encircled by the Israeli constructed barrier which, once complete, will create a Palestinian enclave cutting the village off from the surrounding area and its agricultural land.  The 2,000 residents will be connected to Bethlehem only by a single access road which runs parallel to the Israeli settlement of Har Gilo.  This encirclement will increase substantially the journey time for residents of the village to access basic amenities and schools for their children.

Following extensive legal battles in Israeli courts, half the village has been declared to lie within the Jerusalem municipal boundary.  However, few of the residents have been issued Jerusalem identity cards and are therefore considered to be living illegally in their own homes.  45 homes have been demolished, with a further 45 demolition orders waiting to be implemented.  The rest of the village is in the West Bank, but has not been zoned for residential construction.  This has meant that no new building is allowed, preventing the village from developing basic amenities, such as schools and clinics, for its residents.

Following the condemnation of this process by the EU High Representative for International Affairs, Baroness Ashton, the UK organised visits with EU colleagues to the village on 8 and 15 September to see first-hand the impact of these actions on the residents.  On 27 September, the UK attended the final Israeli Supreme Court hearing on the route of the barrier around the village.  We are also exploring suitable human rights projects to fund in the area.

Quarter two update: June 2011

In recent months, there has been a sharp increase in the number of house demolitions carried out by the Israeli Authorities against Palestinian homes in Area C of the West Bank. Since the beginning of 2011, the Israeli Civil Administration has demolished 121 residential structures, displacing 621 people including 330 children. In June alone, 34 homes were demolished. These structures are predominantly tin shacks, tents and wooden huts; home to some of the most vulnerable Palestinian communities in the OPTs. In the first six months of 2011, the number of demolitions has almost reached the total number carried out in 2010 when 137 residential structures were demolished, which in itself represented a 60% increase compared to 2009.

Under the Oslo Accords, Israel has full security and administrative control over Area C which makes up 60% of the West Bank. The Israeli Civil administration is responsible for planning and building, including creating outline plans for Palestinian communities. However, according to the UN only 1% of Area C is covered by area plans for Palestinian communities and much of this land is already developed, while 50% of Area C is zoned for Israeli settlements. It is virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain a permit to build legally in Area C. The UN report only 4% of Palestinian planning applications are approved, consequently many are forced to build illegally.

Quarter One update: 31 March 2011

The Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan lies in occupied East Jerusalem adjacent to the Old City and only a few hundred metres to the south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount in a large area of religious significance known as the Historic or Holy Basin. Children in Silwan are detained and interrogated by the Israeli authorities on an almost weekly basis. But unlike in the West Bank where children are subject to Israeli military justice, this occurs under the Israeli civil system. The Israeli authorities say that this reflects the upsurge in stone-throwing incidents and confrontations with their security forces.  War Child, the human rights NGO, states that many of these arrests occur during night raids, which often result in children being taken from their beds, handcuffed and blindfolded.

Israeli NGOs report that the police have detained children under 12 (the age of criminal responsibility) and in one case last year, a child of eight was taken from his bed during the night for questioning because he had the same name as another child suspected of stone throwing. According to the Research and Documentation Unit at the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER), Israeli soldiers and police officers have detained more than 80 Palestinian children in Occupied East Jerusalem since the beginning of 2011.  According to NGOs, a high proportion of these children reported that they were subject to abuse during their detention. In addition, many of the children detained are reportedly questioned in the absence of a parent or legal guardian.   The UK is supporting the work of Defence for the Child International in promoting and protecting the rights of children to reduce the number directly and indirectly affected by the Israel/Palestine conflict.

We also remain concerned about recent allegations of human rights abuses by Palestinian security forces.  Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt raised our concerns with Prime Minister Fayyad on 18 January and received assurances that the Palestinian Authority (PA) would investigate the allegations and take appropriate action.  Our Consulate General in Jerusalem remains in close touch with the PA on human rights matters and runs a range of projects designed to improve professionalism and ensure adherence to international standards.