Political Rights Violations in the West Bank and Gaza by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas
In this report, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) examines political rights and freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza. Through comprehensive research and interviews with those living and working in the West Bank and Gaza, this report aims to illuminate the situation on the ground with regard to political rights for Palestinians in these territories. Freedom of Assembly is routinely violated throughout the West Bank and Gaza either by unlawful police interference in private assemblies, or disproportionate use of force in public assemblies. Freedom of Association is severely restricted, with the Ministry of Interior assuming control over the set-up, funding and dissolution of associations and charities. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas are making little effort to protect and promote these rights of the Palestinian people and are thus in violation of international law.
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Violations of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press Under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas
This report exposes the censorship on freedom of expression and freedom of press in the Palestinian territories. Journalists and citizens are restricted from speaking out on many topics, and areas such as politics and corruption are red line (forbidden) issues. The consequences of criticizing the reigning government can range on a spectrum from arbitrary arrest, torture and other abuses. Journalists are not protected by any body and therefore are constantly at risk.
While free press and speech are suppressed, hate speech and incitement of violence are common occurrences by Palestinian individuals and officials. Palestinian public bodies do not work to quell such actions, and in some ways political institutions encourage and sanction them. Even more so, journalists, religious leaders and government officials are at the core of spreading and promoting hate, antisemitism, and anti-Israel propaganda. With the rise in popularity of social media, the internet has become a main forum with which hate speech is circulated throughout the Palestinian community and disseminated world-wide.
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Dealing with Refugees
A comparison of refugees after World War II in Europe and Palestine
This report examines refugee populations following World War II in Europe and Palestine, and common characteristics with the current Syrian refugee crises. After the conclusion of World War II in Europe as former residents resettled or integrated, the number of European refugees and camps declined. At the same time, the number of Palestinian refugees continued to grow as they were not naturalized in their host countries. Instead they were inheriting refugee status after being registered as such by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a UN institution exclusively responsible for the Palestinians.
The following pages compares the circumstances and call for right of return between those expelled from Germany after World War II and Palestinian refugees. The aim of this paper is to show that there are alternative stop UNRWA's current policies and retaining refugee status for an entire population group is not the optimal way to solve the problem.
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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.
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Money Money
Discover how corrupt Palestinian leaders are pocketing Palestinian International Aid.
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The Lies of BDS vs. the TRUTH about ISRAEL
Learn more about the LIES of BDS vs. the TRUTH about ISRAEL
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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.
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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.