Just last month we reported about a family who was threatened by extremists carrying a gun as they attempted to plant trees on their own land. The extremists destroyed the trees after the family left, and threatened to do it again the following day when RHR staff was present.

Once again, more saplings have been uprooted. According to the family, someone comes by every night or few nights and uproots them. This time, they put the uprooted trees back into the soil in an attempt to make it look less obvious.

The post More olive tree uprooting in the village of Luban appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

DONATE OLIVE TREES TO VULNERABLE PALESTINIAN FARMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES  IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES AND HELP SOW SEEDS OF HOPE AND JUSTICE! JUST $10 FOR ONE SAPLING! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE THROUGH OUR CAMPAIGN ON GENEROSITY. 

Each year, thousands of Palestinian olive trees are burned, uprooted and hacked down by Jewish extremists. OCHA (the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) reports that between January and September of 2015, around 11,000 Palestinian owned olive trees and saplings were destroyed, ostensibly by extremist Israelis. This is the highest number of trees destroyed since OCHA started recording the data in 2011.

Although it is the responsibility of the Israeli security forces to stop this violation of the Torah’s commandment not to destroy fruit trees (Deuteronomy 20:20), we can do some restorative justice by planting new ones and helping these farmers recover from their losses.

This season we have already planted 1350 trees in six villages. On Tu B’Shevat (January 25th), we will plant in Duma, where the terrible arson murders took place last summer, and where trees planted five years ago were uprooted in the middle of the night. We will also plant trees inside Israel in Beit Shean, where we work with Israelis in need of public housing. On January 29th, international rabbinical and other students spending the year in Israel will join us in Luban, where newly planted trees were uprooted and settlers have openly threatened to continue uprooting.

SO JOIN US, DONATE ONE TREE OR FIFTY, AND TOGETHER WE WILL SHOW THESE FARMERS A DIFFERENT, COMPASSIONATE FACE OF JUDAISM!

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TU B’SHEVAT PLANTINGS FOR TOMORROW JANUARY 25 2016 HAVE BEEN POSTPONED!

Due to the bad weather, the two planting events planned for tomorrow in Duma and in Beit Shean have been POSTPONED.

We will update shortly regarding the social justice Tu B’Shevat seder planned for tomorrow in Beit Shean. Please check back on our website here or on our Facebook for any updates.

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“You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; do not favour the person of the poor, nor favour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.” – (Leviticus, 19,15)

In light of developments over the past few days in the cases of three arrested  human rights activists, Rabbis for Human Rights wishes to emphasize the necessity for close supervision of the court system of police requests for extension of detention of the activists. Our organisation welcomes the removal of the prevention of publicity (“gag”) order, as the publication of the three names – Ezra Nawi, Guy Butavia and Nasser Nawajeh – ensures essential and regulated public overview of their rights during interrogation, the conditions of incarceration,  and the legal process.

Nawi’s statements were severe and serious. We are clearly and unconditionally opposed to any infringement of the right to life of any human being whoever they may be.

We will continue to support the actions of activists and volunteers devoted to the prevention of the ongoing theft of property in the West Bank in general, and in the area of the South Hebron Hills in particular, as we will continue to strive to prevent the final closing of the possibility for peace in our country. Our activities will not be stopped due to this unprecedented attack on human rights organizations  working day and night to protect the remaining rights of Palestinian residents living under military occupation these last 50 years. We will do so as best we can within the rule of law and in devotion to the moral values ​​and the religious commandments of our tradition demanding we protect the weak and disadvantaged, the persecuted and the oppressed.

The post RHR responds to the recent arrest of three human rights activists appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Due to bad weather, we had to cancel our plans to plant trees with Palestinians in Duma on Tu B’Shevat. However, we have rescheduled the event along with a number of other opportunities to plant, both in Israel and in the occupied territories. We hope you will join us for one or all!

JANUARY 29TH – INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TREE PLANTING IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES:

Rabbinical, cantorial, Jewish education, and all international students studying in Israel- join us for a special Tu B’Shevat tree planting program in the occupied territories on Friday, January 29th. This year, we will be planting in the village of Luban, where newly planted trees were uprooted and extremists have openly threatened to continue doing so. We will plant in an area further from the road, where we do not expect confrontation. Rather this will be your opportunity to participate in the work of RHR, learn the realities on the ground we deal with every day, contribute to the livelihood of a Palestinian family, and help send the message that there is a Torah other than the Torah of dispossession practiced by most of the Israelis most Palestinians have ever met.  Please note, though this program is specifically geared for rabbinical, cantorial and international students, all are invited to join.

The post New Tree Planting Dates: Join us to plant trees with Palestinians and Israeli Bedouin appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

On Friday, January 29th, rabbinical students and other potential future leaders studying for the year in Israel joined RHR for a tour in the occupied territories. The students met with Palestinian farmers, saw their lands firsthand, heard about their struggles with extremist settlers and land take-overs, and learned how RHR helps them. Unfortunately, poor ground conditions meant the students were not able to plant trees with the farmers, as originally planned.

Students sit with farmer Fawzi Ibrahim of Jalud

In the above photo, the students meet with Fawzi Ibrahim of Jalud, a farmer who has struggled for years to safely work and access his land in the Shilo Valley, an area known for harbouring many ideologically extremist and sometimes violent Israeli settlers. Students also visited the villages Sinjil and Luban, where they met with farmer Majid. Several weeks ago RHR came to his assistance after armed Israelis coming from the direction of the Ma’aleh Levonim settlement chased him and his family off his land. He discovered that all his newly planted trees had been destroyed. RHR was with him when he replanted the next day. One of the same Israelis drove by and threatened to again uproot his trees. Sure enough, in the subsequent weeks trees have been destroyed, a few at a time.

Palestinian farmer Majid from Luban, with recently destroyed saplings

Additional upcoming opportunities and events for international students!

VISIT TO ABU GHOSH MOSQUE: On Friday, February 26th, our interreligious department has arranged for students to be guests of the Abu Ghosh mosque. The imam will talk to the students about the Temple Mount/Haram El-Sharif in Islam, and we will be providing Jewish and Christian perspectives as well. Afterwards, the students will have the opportunity to experience Friday prayers in the mosque. 

“A TALE OF TWO VILLAGES” – TOUR TO SUSYA AND UM EL HIRAN: Friday March 18th we will be running our popular “Tale of Two Villages” tour for international students to two communities threatened with forced displacement-Susya in the South Hebron Hills and Um El Khiran in the Negev.

DETAILS TO COME! RSVP WITH INFO@RHR.ISRAEL.NET

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Tonight there will be a special panel discussion on the Sukkat Netzach (“Eternal Temporary Dwelling”), a creative art project connected with Bedouin that RHR played a central role in making possible. 

Participating in the discussion will be:
*Dr. Amitai Mendelson
*Abu Suleiman from the Jahalin Bedouin tribe
*Prof. Rachel Elior
*Dr. Dafna Ben Sheul,
*Architect Alon Cohen-Lipschitz
*members of the Sala-Manca Art Collective.

The post Tonight: PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE “SUKKAT NETZACH” (ETERNAL TEMPORARY DWELLING) appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

This morning we received word that the Civil Administration was demolishing homes in the Palestinian villages of Jenbah and Halaweh, located in Firing Zone 918 in the South Hebron Hills. The demolitions come after a breakdown in the mediation efforts between the villages and the State.

More info on Firing Zone 918 (from our colleagues at B’Tselem)

The post Photos: Demolitions in Firing Zone 918 villages of Jenbah & Halawi appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

On Monday, Rabbis for Human Rights brought a delegation of Israeli and international volunteers to the village of Luban, where we planted with the farmer Majid. Several weeks ago we came to Majid’s assistance after armed Israelis coming from the direction of the Ma’aleh Levonim settlement chased him and his family off his land. He later discovered that all his newly planted trees had been destroyed. We joined him the following day when he replanted, and one of the same Israelis drove by and threatened to again uproot his trees. Sure enough, in the subsequent weeks trees have been destroyed, a few at a time, in the dead of night. 

Not to be intimidated or give up hope, we brought a hundred trees to the village for donation. Our volunteers were eager to get them in the ground, and there was a powerful feeling of unity and cooperation between the group as they laboured and joked together.

Unfortunately, the joy of the family was crushed and the good feeling of the planting dissipated when an inspector from the Israeli Civil Administration showed up and declared that it was forbidden to plant trees closer than 25 meters from the road. He also said that Majid had to lower the land to the level it had been before he brought in land fill to improve the drainage. This was despite the fact that our field worker Zakaria was present when Israeli DCO officers told Majid several weeks ago that they would send an inspector, but he could replant his trees and work his land without worry.

RHR is investigating.

More photos here

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Today (February 4 2016) Rabbis for Human Rights donated around 150 trees to the village of Duma, where the terrible arson-murders took place last summer. RHR also brought a delegation of Israeli and international volunteers, eager to get their hands dirty, make new friends, and stand up for justice, compassion and fellowship,  with us to help get the majority of the trees in the ground. 

Words spoken by Rabbi Arik Ascherman at the event:

Download the pdf

Former Meretz MK Mossi Raz and current Meretz MK member Issawi Frej joined us

Former Meretz MK Mossi Raz and current Meretz MK Issawi Frej joined us in the planting

After the planting, volunteers had the option to travel with us into the village itself and see the Dawabshe home, which was burned down this summer, seemingly be Jewish extremists, resulting in the deaths of an 18 month toddler and his mother and father.

House behind the Dawabshe house which was also set on fire – thankfully the family was away

Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us today and got their hands dirty for justice and solidarity. Our presence truly made a difference to the village.

See more photos from the day here

DONATE A SAPLING: Want to help? For $10, you can donate an olive sapling to a Palestinian farmer and family threatened by Jewish extremism. 

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Palestinians have reported that an extremist settler threw an ax at a Palestinian car today. The car window was smashed, and there were no injuries.

Photos: Zakaria Sadah, RHR field worker

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Please join Rabbis for Human Rights, the activists of All that’s Left and others on Sunday in Jerusalem for a special Sukkot Against Demolitions teach-in! 

Khan al-Achmar, under threat of demolition

Location: Near King George 16/Talitakumi

Time: 1pm-2:30pm

Facebook event page here

The post Sunday Sept 30: Sukkot against demolitions teach-in! appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

This year once again your help is needed with the Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank.

As we do every year, Rabbis for Human Rights will once again be assisting Palestinian farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest. With our help, Palestinian farmers and their families are more safely able to harvest the olives from their trees and land despite obstacles raised by the army and violence and intimidation tactics used by extremist Israelis. All too often the army restricts or delays Palestinians from entering their agricultural lands while extremist settlers manage to find a way to get to the trees first. Once there,   they either steal the olives or harm (and sometimes completely kill) the trees. After a number of dry years and a previous winter that did not help, it seems there is not much to pick this year. A meagre harvest like this is therefore especially vulnerable to theft or destruction if it is not picked quickly.

Our government sets a tone for politicians to disregard the importance of human rights in regards to Jewish tradition. In light of this current reality we — Israelis who live here and are deeply concerned for the moral character of the Jewish state and Palestinians who have a right to earn a living in dignity— must take an active stand.

You are invited to come out with us during these challenging times in order to minimize the difficulty facing many farmers. We won’t be out many days but your assistance is very much needed and significant. Please let us know when you are available by calling our office at 02 648 2757 and speaking with Mira .  

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PRESS RELEASE | OCTOBER 3 2018

This morning (October 3 2018) Palestinian farmers from the village of Turmous Aya in the West Bank discovered that thirty of their olive trees had been mutilated. The discovery came after the farmers were finally permitted access to their lands following coordination with the army’s Civil Administration. The trees were part of a grove located near the illegal Adi Ad outpost, in an area that Palestinians are not permitted entrance. Since the farmers are not permitted access to these lands, they face ongoing difficulty to properly protect and secure them.

Additional photos here

In the coming month, Rabbis for Human Rights’ staff, activists, and volunteers will be assisting Palestinian farmers in the West Bank with the olive harvest. Ongoing time restraints placed by the Israeli army on the farmers, as well as the concern that local extremist Israelis will damage the trees or steal the olives make the annual harvest a challenge for Palestinians, necessitating the assistance of the organization. Details here

The post Once again, West Bank olive harvest season kicks off with tree uprooting appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Our colleagues at Yesh Din documented another case of the theft of Palestinian olive trees near the village of Burin in the West Bank. The documentation shows young boys who, judging by their appearance, are extremist “hilltop youth” who have been incited by hateful local leaders. In general, the military authorities and law in the West Bank — which often limits or bans Palestinians from large swathes of their own land — fails to act on hate crimes of a similar nature including vandalism and theft. However, in this case, we must praise the actions of the authorities who succeeded in arresting the suspects. We hope that if they are found guilty their sentencing will reflect the severity of their actions.

This swift arrest shows that when there is the intention, there is the capacity to arrest those suspected of such crimes. We regret that in the past footage and documentation identifying suspects did not result in arrests or, in cases where arrest did occur, did not result in appropriate sentencing. In addition, it should be noted that the authorities routinely fail to act in instances where Jewish youth deteriorate into groups of hatred, terror and extremism in the West Bank, often leading to their incitement towards violence and even putting them in danger.

It is forbidden to abandon Judaism to these dangerous and immoral elements. It is the crime of stealing from the non-Jew.

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After Rabbis for Human Rights’ intervention, one small example of the ongoing abuse of residents at Khan al Ahmar was halted

Last week sewage from the Kfar Adumim settlement was pumped into the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar. According to sources in the regional council, this was due to a fault in the sewage system in the settlement. The flowing sewage created a large pool a few meters from the residents, constituting a health hazard as well as a severe impingement on the lives of residents due to the terrible smell. It should be noted that in the last decade there have already been four similar episodes.

A few days after the incident, a pumping truck was sent to the area but it did not have the capacity to manage the problem. Only a week after the appearance of the pool and after turning to parties in Kfar Adumim itself, known for their support of the rights of their neighbors, did the regional council successfully work to pump out the sewage.

This relatively small anecdote is grotesquely apropos of the future that awaits the residents of the village of Khan al-Ahmar if – God forbid – the plan to demolish their village and forcibly expel them is implemented: one of the proposed locations for their expulsion is a landfill while the other is near a sewage treatment site. This small (and stinking) ordeal they were forced to endure over the past week would become part of their regular every day lives in addition to the accompanying environmental and health hazards it would bring.

Download fact sheet on Khan al-Ahmar

Additional posts on Khan al-Ahmar

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Palestinians report that suspects were seen last night in the village of Krayiut with their faces covered. Tires were punctured in seven cars and graffiti sprayed on a mosque and on vehicles.

Rabbis for Human Rights: Again, we remind the public that there is a very low rate of arresting and prosecuting suspects, and an even lower rate of the handing out of sentences appropriate with the severity of these types of hate crimes. The offenders are groups and individuals, but this failure is that of the system.

Note: The footage here is a video of a video taken by a security camera.

Additional photos

The post WATCH: Security camera footage shows suspects in hate crime in Krayiut appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

The post Tree destruction in Palestinian villages Far’ata & Murayer appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

A recent Haaretz headline reveals that an Israeli border policewoman is suspected of shooting a Palestinian “for fun” with a sponge-tipped bullet. The act reveals an apparent total disregard for human dignity, as well as the malevolence that arises largely as a result of the military regime ruling over the West Bank. Some levels of unacceptable police brutality occur even against Jewish Israelis, and are no less serious. However, given the lack of political representation of Palestinians in the institutions that oversee aspects of their lives, their lack of civil rights, and the high levels of incitement against them from Israel’s leadership, there is  little protecting Palestinians from the sadistic elements within the security forces: Palestinians are weak politically, public opinion is against them, and their word is worth nothing on its own. Sometimes, abusers are described as “a few rotten apples” but in truth, the problem is the military regime that acts like green house producing the rotten fruit. 

בתמונה: שוטרים חמושים בכדורי ספוג לפיזור הפגנה בחורה, נובמבר 2013. לשוטרים המצולמים אין קשר לכתבה. מקור: By יורם שורק [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

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PRESS RELEASE | NOVEMBER 16 2019

Rabbis for Human Rights:  Recent campaign shows it is possible to reach a ceasefire with Gaza while avoiding extensive harm to uninvolved civilians 

Israeli artillery attacking Gaza, Israel-Gaza Border, 21.7.2014 PHOTO: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org

While we certainly have harsh criticism for the Israeli government’s policy in the Gaza Strip that has led us to this point, we have noted something quite different during the recent spate of fighting. This round of fighting in the on-going cycle of violence between Israel and Gaza was conducted to quickly restore calm for the Israeli and Palestinian residents inside Gaza and around its periphery. Unlike previous campaigns, this one was marked by the avoidance of bringing harm to noncombatant Gazans.

Alongside the sorrow we feel for the situation in Gaza and this recent flare-up as well as our disgust for the conduct of the terrorist group Hamas, we believe the tactics employed during the last week are a positive development. This approach was characterized by targeting and destroying very expensive assets for Hamas (a television studio and administrative buildings) without damaging infrastructure crucial for the entire population. The attacks on these facilities were accompanied with few casualties to both civilians and non-civilians due to advance warnings from the army.

We have seen quite a few Israeli military operations in Gaza that lasted much longer, and resulted in greater suffering to the residents as well as much more extensive damage to innocent Gazans (as well as to Israeli citizens, who are deliberately targeted by Hamas). We are pleased that this was not the case in this instance, and we call upon the government and the defense establishment to examine this case & draw lessons from this positive trend.

Previous press releases

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