Human Rights Watch is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1978 under the name of Helsinki Watch. The founders of Human Rights Watch are: Robert L.Bernstein, Aryeh Neier and Jeri Laber. When Helsinki Watch was founded it began investigating rights abuses in countries behind the iron curtain. Countries which are signatories to the Helsinki accords. What are the Helsinki accords?
The Helsinki accords or the Helsinki declaration of August 1975 was a great turning point in the cold war relation especially between countries of Europe. The Warsaw pact led by the defunct USSR celebrated mainly the acceptance & recognition of their boundaries since the end of the Second World War whereas the Western European countries celebrated the Warsaw pact countries willingness to adopt a programme of ten major points of International diplomacy. But the most important for Helsinki Watch is the clause seven which is an agreement to uphold Human Rights. Human Rights Watch today operates in more than 90 countries. It is one of the World’s leading International Human Rights organisation.
In a recent video “Israel / West Bank: grant Palestinian equal rights Human Rights Watch said that Israel should grant Palestinians in the West Bank rights protections at least equal to those afforded to Israeli citizens. The 92-page report “BORN without civil rights: Israel’s use of draconian military orders to repress Palestinians in the West Bank” Human Rights Watch analyses (in depth) Israeli military orders that criminalise nonviolent political activity including peaceful protests, publishing materials which are detrimental to the interests of Israel or / and joining any group which is perceived as being hostile to Israel.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH has analysed several case studies to prove that Israel uses these undemocratic sweeping orders to jail Palestinians for:
- Anti-occupation speech which can mean any speech asking, for example Israel to respect United Nations resolutions;
- Political activism… again it can encompass leafletting to petition the Secretary General of United Nations to request Israel to respect basic-Human Rights obligations;
- Political affiliations, meaning joining any group or organisations to change the order of things;
- Outlawing (no need to go before the Supreme court of Israel) political and other governmental organisations;
- For censoring & shutting down media outlets for any period of time.
Some examples:
Israeli military order 101 states:
“A person who organises a procession, assembly or vigil without a permit, calls for or instigates their being held or encourages them or participates in them in any way… shall be liable for imprisonment for ten years or a fine of ten thousand liras or both”.
Furthermore the Israeli military order 101 states:
“It is forbidden to hold, wave, display or affix flags or political symbols except in accordance with a permit from the military commander”.
Do you for a nano of a second believe that the Israeli commander will give a permit? I leave you to wrestle with your conscience! The following military order is not a joke and must be analysed seriously by any Human Rights activists:
“It is forbidden to print or publicise in the region any publication of notice, poster, photo, pamphlet or other document containing material having a political significance, unless a license is previously obtained from the military commander of the place in which it is intended to execute the printing or publication.” Forbidden even within the four walls of a Palestinian home…
What are unlawful associations! The expression means anybody of persons… which by its constitution or propaganda or otherwise advocates, incites or encourages… the bringing into hatred or contempt of, or exciting of disaffection against local authorities. See defence (emergency) regulations of 1945.
Israeli prosecutors have cited the sweeping definition of incitement under ISRAELI MILKITARY LAW to criminalise speech advocating any form of resistance. Even strict nonviolent demonstrations. For example Nariman Tamimi was detained by the army because she posted on FACEBOOK a livestream of an encounter between the brutish Israeli soldiers and her daughter AHED, then aged 16, in her front yard in December 2017.
Do you know that Israeli authorities rely on military orders to ban 411 organisations?
And Israel is continuing to use the military laws in place since 52 years ago to deprive the Palestinians or basic Human Rights… for 52 years … and do you know the origin of these military laws? Invented by the British during the British mandate-era.
What the world must do?
- Force (can we force Israel when we know that the Zionist lobby worldwide will act swiftly against all those who dare do so?) Israel to grant Palestinians full civic or other rights at least equal to what it grants Israeli citizens. Human Rights Watch has proposed that governments and International organisations must fight to make it possible.
- Force Israel to respect all United Nations resolutions and failing which severe sanctions, outright boycotts and disinvestment must be done in a concerned way.
- Get rid of Trump as soon as possible and all other governments which support Zionist policies…
- Arab countries and other Muslim countries must stop exporting petrol to countries which route it back to Israel. Stop dreaming Rama!
RAMA VALAYDEN
