Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA)

Rights org: Palestinians in Israel suffer health rights discrimination



Since 2003, the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA) has periodically published reports examining different aspects of the discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens of the State of Israel. In the current report HRA presents several principles and findings that emphasize the scale and scope of the discrimination faced by the Palestinian Arab population in Israel. 

Report: Ethnic cleansing continues in Jaffa



A new report from Arab Association for Human Rights documents the danger of eviction facing the Palestinian residents of the Ajami neighborhood in Jaffa and reveals the true motives behind this process. For these residents, ethnic cleansing did not end in 1948. It continues to this day, albeit by different means. The process being implemented in Jaffa (and in other locations in Israel) amounts to the “quiet transfer” of the Palestinian residents. 

"I feel as if I were living in South Africa"



“On behalf of the landowners, the Shahadeh family, and the residents of the village of al-Mashhad, I want to send a message to people everywhere — the Jewish National Fund, to the Nazareth Illit Municipality, to the Members of Knesset and the government, and to the residents of Israel. We don’t want the [Land Day] events of 1976 to repeat themselves, but I have to say that not one meter of land will be taken from us unless we die on our lands.” 

Report: Israeli military installations near Arab villages harmed civilians



A new report from the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA) focuses on one claim — one that was also raised during the war, particularly by Arab public figures in Israel, but which has not been the subject of detailed attention. This claim is that military installations were positioned by the Israeli army in proximity to Arab civilian locales. The report is based on the testimonies of 80 Arab residents interviewed by the HRA, documenting 20 Arab communities that were hit by an estimated total of some 660 rockets, killing 14 civilians directly. 

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter refuses Supreme Court recommendation to cancel promotion of Benzi Sau



On June 1, The Committee of the Victims’ Families of October 2000 presented an appeal to the Supreme Court against Benzi Sau and Public Security Minster (former head of the Shabak) Avi Dichter. The appeal called to cancel the promotion of Benzi Sau for the post of Head of Operations to the Public Security Minister (considered high-ranking in the Public Security Ministry). Benzi Sau was one of the most prominent high-ranking officers on the scene during protests of the Arab minority in the October 2000 events, and particularly so in Umm el-Fahm. 

Israeli rocket launching bases and army training camps deliberately constructed near Arab towns and villages

During the War on Lebanon, the Israeli army installed rocket launching bases near Arab towns and villages in the north, in some cases only a few metres away. The Arab towns of Fassuta, Tarsheeha, and ‘Arab al-‘Aramshe were all subject to this deliberate military policy. These rocket launching bases are a serious threat to the residents of nearby towns and villages for a number of reasons. First, launching the rockets and firing is ongoing throughout the day and continues into the night. Second, there exists the possibility of misfiring which puts the lives of residents in danger. 

Israel's war crimes continue unhindered in Lebanon and Gaza



Israel’s latest assault on Lebanon was Sunday morning’s massacre in Qana which killed more than 60 civilians, the majority of whom were children. With this massacre, Israel’s war on Lebanon has entered a new phase. This war crime is also testament to the UN Security Council’s failure to impose an immediate ceasefire to ensure the protection of civilians and to halt war actions. Furthermore, if following the massacre all that is made is a verbal condemnation, then Israel can only interpret that as being a green light to assault more civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

Behind the Walls: Separation Walls between Arabs and Jews in Mixed Cities in Israel



The Palestinian Arab minority and the Jewish majority in the State of Israel live largely in separate areas. With the exception of the mixed cities, in which a significant Palestinian minority lives alongside a clear Jewish majority, most of the Palestinian population lives in its own communities, as does the Jewish majority. This territorial separation is also seen within the mixed cities: most of the Palestinian minority lives in its own neighborhoods, which are distinct from the neighborhoods inhabited by the Jewish majority. 

HRA releases report on Israeli violations against Christian, Muslim holy places



At the Declaration of Independence of the state of Israel in May 1948 the country’s founders made an unequivocal pledge: the Israeli state, they wrote, “will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, education and culture” and “will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions.” Israel’s actions in the intervening 56 years, as this report will show, are evidence that, not only has this promise been ignored, but that in practice the authorities have intentionally and actively encouraged or supported the destruction and abuse of holy places belonging to the Christian and Muslim faiths.