By Ranna Khalil | Researcher
Dear friends,
Greetings to you from Adalah.
In this update, we report on our new publication on the May 2021 events, also known as the “Dignity Uprising”, and how those extremely violent events and protests – which took place throughout Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory - laid the foundation for the current draconian policing practices by Israel’s new radical, right-wing government against Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI).
Two years after the May 2021 events: Israel's use of excessive force and racial segregation against Palestinians continues
Two years after the May 2021 events, Adalah published a report that provides an in-depth understanding of the events and their implications within a broader system of oppression against Palestinians. During May 2021, the police violently dispersed peaceful protests by PCI without justification, clamping down on freedom of expression and assembly.Data obtained by Adalah demonstrates how the police and the State Attorney followed a clear two-tiered policy of racial discrimination, a segregated system of law enforcement, one for Palestinians and one for Jewish Israelis - in applying the law and filing indictments.
The report documents patterns of excessive use of force by Israeli police against Palestinian citizens of Israel,measures of surveillance and control, and violence by settlers and Jewish civilians in Israel with the collusion of state institutions to protect them. The report includes testimonies from dozens of protestors who were detained by police about the abuse and torture they endured inside and outside police stations, lawyers who were assaulted, and released prisoners. Adalah submitted testimonies as complaints to the Israeli Police Investigations Unit (“Mahash”), all of which were closed without exception, illustrating the sweeping impunity provided by the state.
READ THE FULL REPORT:
Two Years After the May 2021 Events
Advancing the establishment of the 'National Guard'
One year after the May 2021 events, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the establishment of a National Guard, a decision that is being advanced by the far-right Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir. The National Guard will be composed of Israel’s Border Police, army reservists, and civilian volunteers, who will be subordinate to the National Security Minister.
Adalah sent a letter on 2 April 2023 to the Attorney General, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of National Security, demanding that the government refrain from establishing this "National Guard”, as it will entrench the maintenance of two separate law enforcement systems based on ethnic and national affiliation, and institutionalize an extremely dangerous cooperation between armed Jewish-Israeli civilians and the police, as we witnessed during the May 2021 events.
Challenging new law subordinating police to national security minister Ben Gvir
Based on the new government’s coalition agreements, the Knesset on 27 December 2022 enacted a new amendment to the Police Ordinance, which, for the first time, grants the National Security Minister the authority to determine the police's policies and general principles of operation, including policies regarding investigations and setting “principled priorities”.
Adalah, on behalf of the High Follow Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, in April 2023, demanding the new law’s cancellation, as it contradicts the rule of law.
At a Supreme Court hearing on this high-profile petition and others, on 7 June 2023, which was broadcast live on online Israeli news outlets, Adalah argued that Minister Ben Gvir's actions indicate that the new law is aimed at increasing racist law enforcement against Palestinians. These actions include, among other things, the Minister's directives to enforce a prohibition on raising the Palestinian flag in public areas and to increase home demolitions in East Jerusalem as a retaliatory action “in response to attacks”. The case remains pending.
Read Adalah’s position paper on the new government’s coalition agreements
Adalah will continue to challenge the racist government policies and violent police practices in order to protect the right of Palestinian citizens of Israel for freedom of expression and assembly.
In solidarity,
Ranna Khalil and the Adalah team
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