Criminal Charges Against Ismail Haniyeh in The Hague
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbJusW8DMw
On January 16, 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor to the International Criminal Court began a preliminary examination into the “situation in Palestine” in order to determine whether a full investigation should be opened for crimes committed within the Palestinian territories. On March 6 2017, we, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice filed a communication with the Office of the Prosecutor concerning Hamas’s actions during the 2014 Gaza war. We argue that a full investigation should be pursued, and a case should eventually be lodged against Ismail Haniyeh for his role in the commission of war crimes during the 2014 conflict with Israel.
Ismail Haniyeh is the longtime Hamas leader in Gaza and was in power during the 2014 conflict. He has played a pivotal role in crafting Hamas’s extremist ideology and their consistent violation of the Gazan civilian population's human rights. Along with failing to prevent Hamas militants from committing war crimes during the 2014 war, he actively encouraged and funded their unlawful acts.
There were two prominent war crimes committed by Hamas militants during the war in Gaza. First, they consistently put civilians in grave danger by using them for military purposes such as “human shields.” Hams would fire rockets and mortars from densely populated areas, encourage (and sometimes force) civilians to remain in potential military targets, and store weaponry in schools, hospitals, mosques, and other civilian structures. Second, the rockets Hamas used during the war are prohibited under international law. These rockets are exceedingly difficult to control and therefore cannot accurately fire at lawful military targets. Especially because Hamas oftentimes fired from civilian areas, using these unpredictable machinery placed the population in great danger.
Haniyeh played a significant role in these crimes as the head of Hamas’s interconnected structure. He personally, and his government more generally, urged Gazan civilians to remain in the vicinity of their homes despite Israeli warnings. The government, along with its al-Qassam military wing, also established a curfew that would ensure civilians remained in their homes, with some militant groups forcibly confining Gazans when they tried to disobey the curfew. The funding for the military wing, which was responsible for the indiscriminate firing of over 4,000 rockets and mortars, also came directly from foreign aid given to Hamas’s political and social wings. Despite knowing of these acts being commonly committed within its territory, Haniyeh’s political wing did nothing to prevent them being carried out. Not surprisingly, the Hamas run-and-created Gazan courts have also done nothing to punish those who played a direct role in committing these crimes.
These crimes had devastating consequences. Over 2,100 Gazans were killed during the conflict, with these crimes playing a direct and significant role in causing the high number of fatalities. The strain these crimes put on civilians by placing them in the path of danger and cutting off all potential avenues to safety cannot be overstated. Moreover, the indifference with which Hamas sacrificed Gazans for military protection and an advantageous narrative is the precise manner of crime the International Criminal Court was established to combat.
For these reasons, we filed a communication urging the Prosecutor to launch a full investigation into Haniyeh and Hamas. The Court was created to bring to justice the individuals responsible for the worst sorts of crimes, and Haniyeh is an individual who was particularly responsible for a prime example of these crimes being broadly committed.
The Israeli Palestinian Conflict: 10 Myths Preventing Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtGOY8T5XE
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice scripts the Israeli Palestinian conflict which is an often misunderstood political battleground where facts are mixed with opinion, preference, and prejudice. There's so much confusion around the conflict that we want to bring light to what is truth and what is myth. What issues are actually standing in the way of bringing peace between the Israelis and Palestinians? How does their fight over land complicate the conflict? And what role to political leaders like Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak play along with organizations like UNRWA? These are questions we uncover in these 10 myths that are preventing peace in Palestine and Israel.
Why is Hamas Bad for Palestinians?
Learn how Hamas terrorizes the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
Downloads
Money Money
Discover how corrupt Palestinian leaders are pocketing Palestinian International Aid.
Downloads
The Lies of BDS vs. the TRUTH about ISRAEL
Learn more about the LIES of BDS vs. the TRUTH about ISRAEL
Downloads
The Two Faces of Abbas
This infographic depicts the two faces of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas when talking about the Jewish people. The #LetsBeHonest Campaign seeks to expose the duplicitous claims spoken by Arab leaders to the West and exposes their true intentions toward peace.
Download
Hypocrisy In Iran
Iran's leaders make contradicting comments regarding the historical occurence of the Holocaust. The #LetsBeHonest Campaign seeks to expose the duplicitous claims spoken by Arab leaders to the West and exposes their true intentions toward peace.
Download
ANTI-PROSTITUTION EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Early on, we realized that educating society and changing public discourse about prostitution will be key in bringing true change to Israel. We have been successful in presenting our message on Israeli television and have created a short film titled “Zona” that exposes the Israeli sex trade, worked with young Israelis to educate them on the topic and conducted public screening of movies related to the industry.
ANTI-PROSTITUTION AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS
Israeli public opinion regarding the damaging effect of prostitution on society as a whole varies greatly. Much of the general public is unaware of the realities of the sex industry. We tackle these issues with smart online campaigns, targeting individuals across all internet platforms – social media, YouTube and banner advertisements as well as promoted articles.
A massive online campaign targeting misconceptions of the prostitution industry, consisting of 3 articles and additional creative (Banners, Graphics)
The campaign reached more than 260K unique impressions, tens of thousands read the articles with great performance (Engagement, Read time etc).
The campaigns are very successful and have led to the creation of a forum for honest discussion.
IDF LONE SOLDIERS
“Lone soldiers” are those who leave their home countries to come to Israel and serve in the IDF; many do not have family here and have no place to stay on weekends when they are off base. In 2009, we were shocked to discover the state in which many of the Israel Defense Force’s lone soldiers were living in. We immediately took action to aid the soldiers. We presented the problem to the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee and provide direct legal and civil assistance to lone soldiers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axIVgXj0cNc
The support we provide includes:
- Jewish High Holidays and Israeli National Celebrations: As a way to create a familial and jubilant atmosphere, we hold festive meals at local restaurants that are open to all lone soldiers.
- Freedom of Conscience: Most of the lone soldiers in Jerusalem come from ultra-orthodox or Haredim families. For choosing to express their faith and love for Israel by serving in the IDF that is different than the ideologies of their communities, the consequence is typically being completely cut off from by families. Because of this important circumstance, JIJ’s work includes assisting with practical needs to help fill the familial void. We assist with negotiating contracts, furnishing apartments, purchasing clothing, as well as serving as a place for lone soldiers to turn to with their everyday struggles.
- Holiday and Day Trip Events: Several times a year, we take the soldiers, most of whom come from underprivileged families, on day trips across the country. This provides them with the social support and cultural experiences that most people would receive from their families.
- Gifts, food coupons and gear.