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Israeli legislation would punish human rights activists
Israel's Knesset should reject proposed legislation that would weaken the country's vibrant civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. Recent proposed bills would penalize human rights groups for critical reporting and advocacy, including publicizing information on war crimes, expressing support for boycotts, or helping refugees and asylum seekers.
These developments take place against a backdrop of other official statements and actions that have created an increasingly threatening atmosphere for human rights defenders in Israel. There are numerous signs that the government considers the nongovernmental organizations themselves, rather than the human rights problems they expose, to be the problem.
Four bills and amendments are pending that would seriously restrict the rights of Israelis to criticize the policies and actions of their government, Human Rights Watch said. One would shut down groups that communicate information that could be used in charges filed in other countries against members of the Israeli government or army for violations of international law. A second would penalize organizations and individuals who express support for, or participate in, boycotts against Israel. A third would impose onerous and immediate reporting requirements on any group that accepts any amount of funding from a foreign government for any purpose, and the fourth would punish anyone who assists refugees after they illegally cross into Israel.
"These kinds of proposals could put Israel in a league with so many of its neighboring governments, who strive to silence their critics rather than protect their right to speech," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Israel is well able to defend itself from unjust accusations, but the harm to its own democracy from such laws could be irreparable."