Israel struggles with the concept of human rights

This persecution complex continues to be perpetuated by all the usual suspects – rightwing Jews, hyper-fascist extremists, Christian Zionist evangelicals and neo-conservative goyyim WASPs. Human rights are just, legal, moral entitlements or permits. Unethical violations are considered borderline transgressions or de facto discrimination that are officially condoned, systematically ignored, long-term and ethnic or religious in nature.

Israel does not have a constitution and, in the absence of a formal bill of rights, its judiciary has played a key role in the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law – freedoms of speech, expression, assembly, religion, conscience, language, education and culture. All citizens of Israel – regardless of their race, religion or sex – theoretically enjoy equal rights, based on the May 1948 Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.

Too often, however, in practice fair-minded justice is blindsided. In the Occupied Territories, international human rights laws have been abused and violated, with few prosecutions, successful or otherwise. The ill-treatment and torture of detainees, excessive use of force, detention of objectors without trial, mandated evictions and home demolitions are characterised by a surging undercurrent of violence and disregarded, inherent abuses of fundamental liberties. 

As far as the Israeli settlements are concerned, they are clearly illegal. An occupying power has no legal right to the de facto annexation of the territory by population transfers. Despite countless wars, atrocities, bloodshed, aggressions and counter-aggressions, acts of terror, reprisals and attendant UN resolutions, nothing has changed the legal situation as it existed after Resolution 181. The legal boundaries of Israel and Palestine today remain exactly as they were delimited in 1947. Israel’s battle is not against human rights NGOs or the UN, but rather it’s an internal power play against the whole concept of human rights and lawful justice. Since Israel’s hawkish leaders have chosen to unconditionally violate the legitimate rights of Palestinians, their only recourse is to deny that such rights exist, proclaiming wary accusers of favouritism, anti-Semitism and holding a kangaroo court. 

Charles Frederickson

Bangkok