SAN DIEGO – The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Americans for Peace Now (APN) and Amnesty International (AI) all have issued statements criticizing Israel’s Knesset for passing a law that assesses penalties against those backing boycotts of Israel. The statements of the three organizations follow:
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Anti Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has expressed concern about a law passed in the Israeli parliament which imposes legal liability for damages against anyone calling for a boycott of Israel, including economic, academic, cultural, and other blacklisting.
The law enables Israeli citizens to bring civil suits against people or organizations instigating anti-Israel boycotts, and bars companies which participate in any boycott, including of goods produced in the West Bank, from bidding for Israeli government tenders.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, who is currently in Israel, issued the following statement:
The Anti-Defamation League has a long history of vigorous opposition to any and all boycotts of Israel, and works every day to expose and combat those who seek to cause damage to the Jewish state. We are, however, concerned that this law may unduly impinge on the basic democratic rights of Israelis to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Among Israel’s many assets is its vibrant democracy – a fact clearly supported by the six-plus hour debate of this bill in the Knesset. To legally stifle calls to action – however abhorrent and detrimental they might be – is a disservice to Israeli society. We hope Israel’s Supreme Court will quickly take up a review of this law and resolve the concerns it raises.
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Americans for Peace Now
APN is deeply concerned by the escalation in attacks on Israel’s democracy coming from the Israeli Knesset (the parliament).
On July 11, the Knesset passed a measure making it illegal to in any way call for boycotting Israel or West Bank settlements. This legislation, a flagrant attack on freedom of speech in Israel, comes on the heels of a series of bills – some of them already enacted – which aim to stifle dissent and restrict the rights of civil society organizations, including groups working to promote peace, human rights, and civil rights within Israel.
The Knesset adopted the so-called “Boycott Law” despite a legal opinion submitted by the Knesset’s own legal advisor, which characterized the bill as “a blow to the core of political expression in Israel.”
Commenting on the new law, APN’s President and CEO, Debra DeLee said: “Yesterday was a black day for Israeli democracy. It is alarming that the Knesset, the very institution charged with safeguarding democracy, is systematically shrinking the space for free speech in Israel.”
“West Bank settlements threaten Israel’s character as a Jewish state and a democracy. They force Israel to rule over a huge disenfranchised population, contrary to basic democratic values. They extinguish hope among Palestinians that Israel is serious about peace. They destroy the credibility of Palestinian moderates who reject violence and tell their people that negotiations will deliver a viable state. They are a security risk and a drain on Israel’s economy.”
“Because of all that, West Bank settlements have always played a major role in Israel’s public and political discourse. This outrageous law attempts to shield the settlements from public debate.”
“Israel’s Supreme Court will now examine the constitutionality of this measure. We very much hope that the Court, a bastion of Israeli democracy and common sense, will strike this draconian law.”
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Amnesty International
A law passed by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) making it an offence to call for a boycott against the state of Israel or its West Bank settlements will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Israel, Amnesty International said.
The controversial law, passed on Monday night, makes it a civil offence to call for an economic, cultural, or academic boycott of people or institutions in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) for political reasons. Anyone making such calls could face a lawsuit and other financial penalties.
Sponsors of the bill, originally proposed in July 2010 by Knesset member and coalition chairman Ze’ev Elkin, have made it clear that one of the main aims of the law is to penalize those using boycott calls to campaign against Israel’s illegal settlements in the OPT or highlight the ongoing violations of Palestinian rights caused by the settlements.
“Despite proponents’ claims to the contrary, this law is a blatant attempt to stifle peaceful dissent and campaigning by attacking the right to freedom of expression, which all governments must uphold,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“The broad definition of boycott could apply to anyone seeking to use this non-violent means of dissent to criticize any individual or institution involved in human rights violations or violations of international law in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Promoted and supported by the Netanyanhu government, the law was passed by 47 votes to 36, even though top legal advisers to the Knesset and Israel’s Attorney General said it was “borderline illegal”. Several Israeli human rights NGOs have indicated that they plan to challenge the law in Israel’s High Court of Justice.
Parties filing lawsuits would not have to prove that a call to boycott has resulted in actual damages, as courts can order people or organizations calling for a boycott to pay compensation independently of the damages caused.
The law also allows the Minister of Finance to revoke the tax-exempt status of NGOs calling for a boycott, which threatens the funding on which many Israeli human rights NGOs rely. Companies or organizations participating in a boycott could also be disqualified from applying for government contracts.
This is only one of many laws recently passed or being considered by the Knesset which have been criticized by Israeli human rights NGOs for restricting freedom of expression, the work of Israeli civil society organizations, or the rights of Palestinian citizens and their political representatives.
Israel’s policy of establishing settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime, according to the statute of the International Criminal Court.
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to end settlement construction as a first step towards completely removing unlawful Israeli settlements from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Amnesty International has taken no position on boycotts anywhere in the world, but fears that this law will lead to violations of the right to freedom of expression of those calling for boycotts.
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Preceding compiled from news releases issued by ADL, APN and AI