At the beginning of October 2000 13 Arab citizens were killed and hundreds injured in Israel as a result of being shot by the Israeli police. Although it was known that the direct reason for the death cases and the injuries was the opening of fire by the police, the Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigation Unit (Mahash) did not carry out its duty under the law and failed to conduct any serious investigation into any of the killings. This was in spite of Adalah’s approaches in this regard to the Israeli government’s then-Attorney General (Elyakim Rubinstein) and then-Director of Mahash (Eran Shendar), during October 2000 (on 18 October 2000), and at the beginning of November 2000 (on 5 November 2000) demanding the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the killing of 13 Arab citizens by the police. Read more about Criminal Responsibility: The killing of thirteen Palestinian citizens of Israel in October 2000
After seven years of legal and bureaucratic struggle, on 30 June 2005, the Northern District Appellate Committee decided to accept Adalah’s appeal on behalf of Adel and Itaaf Sawaed and to grant a permit to the couple to build a family home on their privately-owned land in the Jewish community town of Kamoun, in the north of Israel. The NDAC acceptance of the appeal is subject to the fulfillment of a number of conditions, toward which the Sawaed family is currently working. Adel and Itaaf Sawaed, both of whom are Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel, are currently living with their children in a temporary home constructed on their land in Kamoun. Read more about After Seven Years, Arab Bedouin Family Allowed to Build Home on their Own Land in the Galilee
On 28 April 2005, Adalah wrote to the Attorney General (AG), the Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigations Unit (Mahash), and the Military Prosecutor General, in the name of Member of Knesset (MK) Muhammad Barakeh. Adalah demanded the immediate opening of an investigation into an incident in which members of the Israeli security forces assaulted demonstrators, including MK Barakeh, and the prosecution of those responsible. Read more about Knesset member demands criminal investigation into conduct Israeli forces against protesters of the Wall
In response to a petition filed by Adalah to the Supreme Court of Israel, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ruled yesterday, 26 January 2004, that the Israel Lands Administration cannot discriminate against Arab citizens of Israel in the marketing and allocation of the lands it manages, even lands belonging to the Jewish National Fund. The ILA has managed JNF-owned land since 1961. Until now, ILA bids for JNF-owned lands have been open to Jews only. “One the one hand, the decision is positive,” said Adalah’s Attorney Suhad Bishara. The Attorney General also decided whenever a non-Jewish citizen wins an ILA tender for a plot of JNF-owned land, the ILA will compensate the JNF with an equal amount of land. “This allows the JNF to maintain its current hold over 2.5 million dunams of land, or 13% of the total land in Israel,” said Bishara. Read more about Adalah critical of Attorney General's response to petition against Jewish-only land sales
The Israeli State Prosecutor has filed an indictment to the Tel Aviv district court against a Border Police officer who shot Salah Amer, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Kufr Qassem on September 11, 2003. The indictment followed a detailed letter of complaint sent by Adalah soon after the shooting to the director of Mahash, demanding that Mahash immediately open an investigation, and recommend the criminal prosecution of any officer found responsible. The indictment charged the Border Police officer with causing grievous harm. A sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment can be imposed for this criminal offense. Read more about State Prosecutor Indicts Border Police Officer who Shot Palestinian in Kufr Qassem
On 21 November 2004, Adalah submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of Israel to compel the Minister of Religious Affairs to issue regulations for the protection of Muslim holy sites in Israel, after consultation with Muslim religious leaders, as has been done for Jewish holy sites. The Minister of Religious Affairs has used his powers in a discriminatory manner by setting forth regulations which specify only Jewish holy places. The Protection of Holy Sites Law requires the Minister of Religious Affairs to regulate holy sites in general, and not selectively on the basis of religious grouping. Thus far, however, the Minister has only used his powers to promulgate regulations for Jewish holy sites. A petition was filed by Adalah Attorney Adel Bader. Read more about Adalah: Muslim sites need to be protected
Today, 8 November 2004, the Supreme Court of Israel held a first hearing on a petition filed by Adalah on behalf of Member of Knesset (MK) Dr. Azmi Bishara, head of the National Democratic Assembly party (NDA), in the political speeches case. The petition was filed on 24 December 2003 against the Knesset, the Attorney General (AG) and the Nazareth Magistrate Court following the Magistrate Court’s decision of November 2003 not to dismiss the indictment against MK Bishara. Read more about Supreme Court: Azmi Bishara's Parliamentary Immunity Must be Resolved Pre-Trial
Today, the Supreme Court of Israel will hold its first hearing on Azmi Bishara in the political speeches case. The petition was submitted on 24 December 2003 following the Magistrate Court’s decision of November 2003 not to dismiss the indictment against MK Bishara. For the first time since 1948, the Knesset lifted the immunity of an MK for political speech in order to file an indictment against him. This is an unprecedented event in the history of Israeli politics. The two legal questions now before the Supreme Court are whether or not the Magistrate Court can legitimately proceed with the trial of MK Bishara without first deciding on the status of his parliamentary immunity; and what is the scope of an MK’s parliamentary immunity regarding political speech. Read more about First hearing Supreme Court in political speech case, Azmi Bishara
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Prisoner Association, Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), Adalah, B'Tselem, Mossawa Center, HaMoked and Public Committee Against Torture in Israel27 August 2004
Nine human rights organizations placed an advertisement in the Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz, stating that the rights of thousands of incarcerated Palestinians are being violated and that the Israel Prison Service must respect the basic and universal principals of prisoners’ human rights. Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent diginity of the human person.The groups include ACRI, The Prisoner Association, The Arab Association for Human Rights, Adalah, B’Tselem, Mossawa, Ha’moked, and the Public Committee Against Torture. Read more about Human Rights groups: "Prisoner Rights are Human Rights"
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Adalah submitted a petition to the Supreme Court yesterday on behalf of seven attorneys and additional human rights organizations against the Israel Prison Service. The petition demands that the court order the IPS to allow prisoners who are classified as security prisoners or detainees, and are currently on hunger strike, to meet with their attorneys. The first hearing of the petition, which was submitted by Adalah Attorney Orna Kohn and ACRI Attorney Sonia Boulos, is on Wednesday at 11.30 am. At the beginning of August the prisoners and detainees declared their intention to begin a hunger strike in protest of the poor and deteriorating prison conditions. Read more about ACRI and Adalah petition High Court on hunger strike prisoners
