Yossi Mekelberg

By : Yossi Mekelberg

:: There is an obsessiveness in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s and his political associates’ relentless campaign against human rights organizations in Israel. In their preoccupation with these organizations they are ready to compromise the country’s democratic values and its standing in the world. This week his campaign against the human rights organizations, Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem, reached new absurd levels. In an act of hollow defiance he canceled a meeting with the visiting German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who despite Israeli pressure, met with representatives of these organizations. When Netanyahu tried to climb down from his high horse and called Gabriel he found his call unanswered. Moreover, German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave full and public backing to her foreign minister, putting Netanyahu in his place and enhancing the international reputation of B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence.

The Israeli government is not unique in disliking criticism, especially from human rights organizations, but in recent years it pursues a witch-hunt against them, which ranges from harassing them through legislation to inciting against them. They are portrayed as traitors that cause damage to Israel’s reputation in the world to an extent that would bring calamity on the country. A member of Knesset from the ruling the Likud party called Breaking the Silence activity a “poison” that had to be brought to an end. They are frequently accused of spreading lies, though there is no shred of evidence to these allegations.

Instead of smearing the names of these dedicated human rights activists and irresponsibly inciting against them, the state should thank them and work with them to eliminate abuses of human rights and war crimes by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. After all these are what the Israeli law, government officials and senior security force commanders claim to want.

To be absolutely clear, no Israeli human rights organization accuses all IDF soldiers of being war criminals, for the very simple reason that this would be categorically false. However, in 50 years of occupation there have been many incidents in which soldiers killed, injured, and beat Palestinians, damaged their property or used them as human shields. Since the second intifada started in September 2000, B’Tselem has demanded an investigation into 739 such cases. The lack of responsiveness of the law enforcement system is staggering. The vast majority of cases were either not investigated, or no further action was taken. Only 25 charges were brought against soldiers who allegedly committed war crimes.

Instead of smearing the names of dedicated human rights activists, the state should thank them and work with them to eliminate abuses of human rights and war crimes.

Yossi Mekelberg

Since the State of Israel, celebrating its 69th independence anniversary this week, was established it prides itself on being a vibrant democracy with the most moral and ethical military in the world. Some would take Israel to task, especially with the latter assertion. Nevertheless, if it genuinely believes in a moral army it should eradicate even the slightest sign of human rights abuse within its ranks instead of closing ranks around members of the security forces, who break not only international law but also the Israeli law. Shouldn’t citizens that help to bring to justice those who break the law be praised instead of condemned? Unless, heaven forbid, there is a chasm between what the Israeli government says about the importance of adhering to moral values and laws of war and what it really believes, it has no reason to chastise and delegitimize those who hold the country, its society and its military to these standards.

The case of the Israeli soldier Elor Azaria who shot a Palestinian in the head when he was immobilized on the ground last year, and was captured on camera by a B’Tselem activist, highlights the importance of such organizations. It provided indisputable evidence that war crimes did take place and led to Azaria’s indictment and conviction. It would take someone very naive, in denial, or with something to hide to argue that this was a completely isolated case.

Regrettably, it is not only the members of the coalition government that slur the watchdogs of Israeli behavior in the West Bank, but also some of the major opposition parties. It is a testimony to their weakness and pandering to what they think will help them gain public opinion. It is not Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem that diminish Israel among nations, but the ruthlessness of the occupation and the efforts to sweep it under the carpet by almost the entire Israeli political system.

Those who attack human rights organizations are using them as their human shield against reality and accountability in order to justify the perpetuation of the occupation and ineptitude in bringing the conflict with the Palestinians to a peaceful, just and lasting conclusion. By doing so Israeli leadership is doing a disservice to the country and risking breaking the very fragile democracy when the silence has already been broken.

Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media.

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