Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders – Addendum – Observations on Communications Transmitted to Governments and Replies Received (A/HRC/43/51/Add.3) (Excerpts)

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Israel

662. JAL 20/12/2018 Case no: ISR 14/2018                           State reply: none to date

 Allegations concerning the targeting of the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, known as B’Tselem and its staff, including allegations of reprisals against Mr. Hagai El-Ad and harassment of Ms. Manal AlJa’bri.

663. JAL 01/05/2019 Case no: ISR 6/2019                             State reply: none to date

Information received concerning the charges against and detention of Sheikh Sayah Abu Madhi’m al-Turi, a Bedouin human and land rights defender from alʿArāgīb, in Negev/Naqab region. His detention is linked to his advocacy and work on Bedouin land claims in al-ʿArāgīb, and on the currently unrecognised Bedouin village in that region, which has been demolished numerous times since 2010 and whose residents forcibly removed.

664. JAL 31/05/2019 Case no: ISR 8/2019                            State reply: 31/07/2019

Allegations concerning State publications, which appear to stigmatise civil society organisations for their engagement with international bodies, including the UN in the field of human rights, and the broader harassment of civil society organisations engaging with UN human rights mechanisms.

665. JAL 28/08/2019 Case no: ISR 12/2019                           State reply: none to date

Allegations concerning allegations of smear campaign against human rights organisations Al-Haq and Al Mezan, threats, including death threats, against Al-Haq’s General Director, Mr. Shawan Jabarin, as well as the travel restrictions imposed on a consultant for Al Mezan and on Mr. Issam Younis, the Commissioner General of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in Palestine.

666. JAL 07/10/2019 Case no: ISR 13/2019                          State reply: 11/10/201

Allegations of a raid on Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association in the town of Ramallah.

667.  PR 10/04/2019

Israel must ensure protection for Issa Amro and other human rights defenders, say UN experts

668. PR 25/04/2019

UN experts call on Israel to overturn deportation of Human Rights Watch director

669. PR 08/11/2019

UN experts condemn Israeli decision to expel Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch

670. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Israel for providing responses to two of the five letters addressed in the reporting period. He strongly encourages the Government to provide replies to the remaining communications, as maintaining a dialogue with mandate holders is necessary to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights.

671. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about the harassment and stigmatisation of civil society organisations and human rights defenders working for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), including for their cooperation with the UN and its human rights mechanisms, that seriously restrict the space in which they operate. In this regard, he is concerned about the descriptions of human rights organisations included in the reports of the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs, alongside public comments by State officials.

672. The Special Rapporteur takes note of the detailed Government’s response to his communication dated 31 May 2019 but regrets that it failed to specify what is meant by “antiIsrael delegitimization” and the “delegitimization of the State of Israel” as it is used in the above-mentioned State publications. He also regrets that the Government did not address the concerns about the reported intimidation against a Palestinian human rights organisation during the 40th session of the Human Rights Council.

673. Similar concerns were raised by the Special Rapporteur with regards to the case of Mr. Hagai El-Ad, who was reportedly subjected to denunciatory statements by high-level public officials following his statement delivered at the UN Security Council, concerning the expansion of settlements and the deteriorating human rights situation for Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Special Rapporteur is also seriously concerned about the harassment of another member of B’Tselem, Ms. Manal Al-Ja’bri, who has faced gender-based violence and has been threatened with judicial action.

674. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur remains seriously concerned about the smear campaign against human rights organisations Al-Haq and Al Mezan, and at the defamatory comments and death threats made against Al-Haq’s General Director, Mr. Shawan Jabarin. Further concern is expressed at the alleged lack of action by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy in the context of the hateful comments containing death threats, published on the Facebook page of the Ministry’s media outlet. The Special Rapporteur is also concerned about the continued travel restrictions against Mr. Issam Younis, which appear to be directly linked to his work as the Commissioner General of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) in Palestine.

675. With regards to the allegations raised in the communication dated 7 October 2019, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the raid conducted by Israeli Security Forces at the office of the Palestinian organisation Addameer. The Special Rapporteur takes note of the Government’s response on this case but regrets that it referred to a media article alleging that an Addameer employee is a leader of a terrorist organisation, and did not impart any specific information concerning the legal and factual motivations for the raid on Addameer, and how such measures are compatible with international human rights norms and standards.

676.Finally, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the arrest and detention of Sheikh Sayah Abu Madhi’m al-Turi, which is reportedly linked to his advocacy and work on Bedouin land claims in al-ʿArāgīb and the currently unrecognised Bedouin village in that region.

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