Israel

report 1999

The Arab women citizens: doubly discriminated

The text of Israel's Declaration of Independence, which forms the essence of Israel's collective political and legal ideology, defines the State as a «Jewish and democratic state». The clear conflict between these two principles is usually resolved in laws and practices that emphasise the Jewishness of the State at the expense of democracy. This has led to a number of abuses of basic rights against the Palestinian society in Israel. Discrimination practised by the State against its Arab citizens reflects doubly on women, since they are also socially oppressed by their own society.

news

Several organizations, such as the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (Civicus) or Human Rights Watch, have condemned the attack on humanitarian ships, including the killing of at least nine activists and the wounding of many more, by the Israeli military in international waters on 31 May and call for the Israeli government to be held accountable under international law.

The Euro-Mediterranean Non-Governmental Platform has learned with stupefaction the arrest of Mr. Ameer Makhoul, General Director of Ittijah, by the Shabak. It raises the voluntarily dramatization of this arrest since it was carried out at night and at Mr. Makhoul’s home.

Mr. Ameer Makhoul has already been harassed by the Israeli Security Services who exercised humiliating checks on him in the borders and banned him recently from traveling outside Israel.