Category: Media Coverage

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Media Coverage

September Updates on the Defence of Palestine Solidarity in Europe 

Dear Friend, 

In the past month, we’ve fought some crucial battles and secured a number of legal victories, which we bring to you in this month’s newsletter, along with some useful resources to continue mobilising for Palestine.

CASE UPDATES

BDS Austria: we’re going to the Supreme Court! 

Do you remember our case supporting BDS Austria against the Municipality of Vienna that began in 2021? Our legal battle with the Municipality has taken a crucial turn. Here is where we are at now:

The activists, with the ELSC’s support, are now challenging the Regional Court’s decision before the Austrian Supreme Court. Your support is urgent! Find out more about the case here. For more about how to identify a SLAPP and the scale and nature of SLAPPs in Europe, see here.

SUPPORT THE CASE HERE

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Dana Abu Qamar fighting the racist decision from the British Home Office to cancel her student visa 

After Dana’s appearance on Sky News in October 2023, where she spoke out in solidarity with Palestine, the Home Office cancelled her student visa, leaving her facing deportation. Last month, shocking disclosed emails revealed that MP Robert Jenrick personally intervened to enquire about Ms Abu Qamar, leading to the cancellation of her visa on 1 December 2023. The Home Office claimed her presence was not ‘conducive to the public good’. Read More.

Dana is currently appealing this decision. The ELSC and partner organisations in Britain have requested the new Labour Government to overturn this decision to cancel Dana’s visa.  It has until Friday 20th September to decide.  
 
We remain undeterred and continue to stand with Dana and activists like her exercising their fundamental rights and speaking out for justice and accountability without having their right of residence being threatened! Join us in supporting her case. 

SUPPORT DANA’S CASE

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“From the River to the Sea”: towards less anti-Palestinian censorship online 

On 4 September 2024, Meta’s Oversight Board established that the phrase “From the River to the Sea” does not constitute hate speech, violence and incitement, as many Zionist groups argued in their requests to Meta to moderate the use of the slogan on the platform. The Board therefore advised Meta not to limit or moderate its use, highlighting that ‘it is also often used as a political call for solidarity (…) and self-determination of the Palestinian people’. Access Now, together with the ELSC, contributed to this outcome by submitting a public comment to the Board. Our submission recalled relevant case law issued by European domestic courts and the applicable international law framework

For more analyses and action against Meta’s targeted and systematic censorship of Palestine-related content, see here and here

ONGOING CASES YOU CAN SUPPORT 

Shocking levels of state violence and repression in Germany: Palästina Solidarität Duisburg and Samidoun  

In the early morning hours of the 16th of May 2024, over 50 police officers raided the homes and workplaces of alleged members of the Palestine solidarity group Palästina Solidarität Duisburg (PSDU).  This resulted in the confiscation of the association’s assets, the ban of all their internet presence and the criminalisation of the public display of symbols related to the association.  

While this is an outrageously shocking display of German state repression and authoritarianism, it is not an isolated case. The ministry of Interior of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia explicitly mentioned the German chapter of the Palestine Prisoner solidarity network Samidoun, which was criminalised in Germany in November 2023 by decree by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.  

READ OUR FULL STATEMENT (AR/EN/DE)

We call for solidarity with PSDU and Samidoun, and urge to support the ‘’Komitee Gegen das Verbot von Palästina Solidarität Duisburg’’ which fights the ban of the group through legal and political means and collects donations to cover the legal costs.    

Sign the statement in support of Samidoun and the International Campaign Against Anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany here. For details on how to support Samidoun, see here.

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#BlockTheBoat: let’s stop the MV Kathrin, a vessel illegally carrying military supplies for Israel’s ongoing genocide 

On the 6th of September, our director sent a legal notice to the Portuguese government demanding the removal of its flag from the MV Kathrin, a vessel carrying explosives destined to Israel, “in compliance with the erga omnes obligations to prevent the crime of Genocide.” Read more in this articlepublished by Portuguese media Público. 

SHARE ON INSTAGRAM

Follow and join the global mobilisation to stop the MV Kathrin here. Together we can stop the deadly cargo!

HELP US BUILD OUR MONITOR DATABASE

Let’s expose those responsible for our repression and hold them accountable together!  

REPORT REPRESSION

ELSC IN THE MEDIA

Gaza has shown European universities are no longer places of free inquiry 

‘The crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech and activism on European campuses does not differ in essence from the repression students face in undemocratic settings’, write ELSC Officer Tasnima and British Academic Misbah in an op-ed published by Al-Jazeera. Read More.

EVENTS

On the 14th of September, our Chief of Advocacy and Communications Alice spoke at a panel at the Amnesty International Belgium (francophone) summer camp. Responding to the theme on the right to protest, Alice spoke about the growing repression of critical dissent and Palestine solidarity in Europe, and the implications for protests against Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza and advocacy for accountability and the liberation of Palestine. 

Our Senior Legal Officer managing impact litigation work at ELSC Daan will be speaking at a Palestine Lawfare webinar organised by Justice48. Join us to collectively explore how legal action can challenge government’s complicity and discover ways to get involved.

SIGN UP TO ATTEND THE WEBINAR

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES

Explore the Interactive Accountability Map, launched by the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD), which shows measures and sanctions taken since October 2023 by states, parliaments, courts, businesses, civil society groups, and organisations in reponse to the ongoing genocide and Nakba in Palestine.

Most of these actions follow tireless mobilisation and efforts by activists, Palestinians and their allies across the globe who continue to mobilise for justice, accountability, and the liberation of Palestine.  

EXPLORE PIPD’S ACCOUNTABILITY MAP HERE

OPEN VACANCIES

This month, we are recruiting for two new positions in our team of movement lawyers and advocates! 

We are seeking an Advocacy Officer – Strategic litigation. The deadline for applications is October 1st, 2024. For more details about the position and how to apply, please follow the link below!  
APPLY HERE

Fellowship Junior Data Researcher: Join our team to support the launch of the Monitoring Database project in Britain. Applications are due by 11 October 2024. 
APPLY HERE

We are proud to be in community with you. As you continue to organise and take action, make sure to visit our Know Your Rights resources and continue to report any form of repression.  

In solidarity,   
The ELSC

Remember to follow the ELSC on social media and amplify our work!

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If you are interested in empowering the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe, we welcome your one-time or monthly donations to the ELSC. For any inquiries, contact us at info@elsc.support.

If you would like to put your skills (whether legal, editing, artistic, communications, or any other skills) at the service of our movement in support of Palestinian rights advocates, please contact us at info@elsc.support.

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Media Coverage

Dozens of cases dropped in Germany: Failed attempts at intimidation   

Deutsche Übersetzung unten / النسخة العربية أدناه

Since October of last year, in a wave of escalating state repression, countless criminal charges and misdemeanours have been brought against the Palestine solidarity movement. But as we expected, dozens of cases have since been dropped.  

This should not surprise us, as most of the slogans and expressions that are criminalised, are fully covered by freedom of expression. Nevertheless, statements such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free‘’, ‘’Stop the Genocide‘’, ‘’Germany (or Baerbock, Scholz etc.) is complicit in Genocide‘’, or similar statements were reported as incitement [§130 StGB], rewarding and approving of criminal acts [§140 StGB] or symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organisations [§86a StGB]. This repeatedly led to unlawful arrests and in some cases to (racist) police violence.

The outcome of the legal proceedings shows that the repression serves primarily to intimidate the Palestinian movement. This intimidation particularly affects people financially and/or legally at risk in residency status. This is a form of structural racist violence.  

Nevertheless, the Palestine solidarity movement has not allowed itself to be intimidated and continues to grow. The movement will not abandon individuals and will constantly expand solidarity. We are on the right side of history and will continue to fight for justice, freedom and return!  

If you have also been affected by these attempts at intimidation and repression, please report the incident to us at: https://elsc.support/intake  

What to do in case of a criminal complaint?   

Were you at a demonstration or were you reported or even arrested by the police somewhere else? Have you received criminal charges from other parties in connection with activism for Palestine? Was your home searched by the police or was a demonstration banner confiscated? Or have you had any other contact with the police and have questions about this?  

If you live in Berlin, there are the following advice centers that we would like to recommend to you as ELSC. We work closely with them and have found them to be trustworthy.  

1. legal advice in the red Lilly, Emser Straße 114 in Berlin-Neukölln. Legal advice is available here every second Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. with a focus on criminal law, https://gegenmacht.jetzt/events/categories/neukoelln/?loc=neukoelln.   

2. counseling of the Rote Hilfe, with counseling services at four different locations and different times, which you can look up here: https://www.berlin.rote-hilfe.de/kontakt-sprechstunde/. Rote Hilfe is a traditional left-wing association (of which you can and should of course become a member) that has been supporting political activists and workers in their struggles for many decades.  

3. advice from KOP – campaign for victims of police violence. Here you can get advice, especially if you have witnessed or been a victim of police violence and would like specific advice on this topic. The special thing about KOP is that you can get psycho-social counseling here, as police violence can be very bad! You can also find answers to questions relating to criminal law here: https://kop-berlin.de/uber-kop   

Dutzende Verfahrenseinstellungen: Gescheiterte Einschüchterungsversuche  

In einer Welle der Repression wurden seit Ende letzten Jahres unzählige Strafanzeigen und Ordnungswidrigkeiten gegen die Palästina Solidaritätsbewegung verhängt. Wie zu erwarten, wurden schon dutzende Verfahren inzwischen eingestellt.   

Das ist wenig überraschend, da die meisten angezeigten Slogans und Aussagen vollständig von der Meinungsfreiheit gedeckt sind. Dennoch wurden Aussagen wie “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free”, ”Stop the Genocide”, ”Germany is complicit in Genocide”, oder vergleichbare Aussagen als Volksverhetzung [§130 StGB], Belohnung und Billigung von Straftaten [§140 StGB] oder Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger und terroristischer Organisationen [§86a StGB] angezeigt. Es kam dabei immer wieder zu rechtswidrigen Verhaftungen, und auch zu (rassistischer) Polizeigewalt.

Die Einstellungen der Verfahren zeigen: die Repression dient vorrangig zur Einschüchterung der Palästinabewegung. Diese Einschüchterung trifft insbesondere Menschen, die finanziell und/oder aufenthaltsrechtlich gefährdet sind. Dies ist eine Form struktureller rassistischer Gewalt.  

Gleichwohl hat sich die Palästina Solidaritätsbewegung nicht einschüchtern lassen und wächst stetig weiter. Die Bewegung wird Einzelne nicht im Stich lassen und konstant Solidarität aufbauen. Wir stehen auf der richtigen Seite der Geschichte und werden weiterhin für Gerechtigkeit, Freiheit und Rückkehr kämpfen! 

Solltest auch du von diesen Einschüchterungsversuchen betroffen sein, melde den Vorfall bitte an uns, unter: https://elsc.support/intake 

Was tun bei einer Strafanzeige?  

Warst du bei einer Demonstration oder wurdest woanders von der Polizei angezeigt oder sogar festgenommen? Hast du im Zusammenhang mit Aktivismus für Palästina Strafanzeigen von anderer Seite erhalten? Wurde deine Wohnung von der Polizei durchsucht, oder wurde ein Demo-Transparent beschlagnahmt? Oder hast du irgendwie anders Kontakt mit der Polizei gehabt und hast hierzu fragen? 

Wenn du in Berlin lebst, dann gibt es folgende Beratungsstellen, die wir dir als ELSC gerne ans Herz legen wollen. Wir arbeiten eng mit ihnen zusammen, und haben sie als vertrauenswürdig kennen gelernt. 

1. Rechtsberatung in der Roten Lilly, Emser Straße 114 in Berlin-Neukölln. Hier gibt es jeden zweiten Freitag von 17 bis 19:00 Uhr eine Rechtsberatung mit Fokus auf Strafrecht, https://gegenmacht.jetzt/events/categories/neukoelln/?loc=neukoelln.  

2. Beratung der Roten Hilfe, mit Beratungsangeboten an vier verschiedenen Standorten und verschiedenen Zeiten, die du hier nachgucken kannst: https://www.berlin.rote-hilfe.de/kontakt-sprechstunde/. Die Rote Hilfe ist ein traditionsreiche linker Verein (bei dem man natürlich auch Mitglied werden kann und soll), der seit vielen Jahrzehnten politische Aktivist*innen und Arbeiter*innen in ihren Kämpfen unterstützt. 

3. Beratung von KOP- Kampagne für Opfer von Polizeigewalt. Hier kannst du vor allem Beratung bekommen, wenn du Zeug*in oder Opfer von Polizeigewalt geworden bist, und dich speziell zu diesem Thema beraten lassen möchtest. Das besondere an KOP ist auch, dass du hier eine psycho-soziale Beratung bekommen kannst, da Polizeigewalt ja sehr schlimm sein kann! Auch zu Fragen, die das Strafrecht betreffen, findest du hier antworten: https://kop-berlin.de/uber-kop  

إسقاط العشرات من الدعاوى في ألمانيا: محاولات ترهيب فاشلة

منذ أكتوبر  العام الماضي، في موجة من القمع  المتصاعد الذي تمارسه الدولة، تم توجيه العديد من التهم الجنائية والجنح ضد أفراد حركة التضامن مع فلسطين. لكن كما توقعنا، تم إسقاط العشرات من هذه القضايا منذ ذلك الحين

هذه النتيجة لا تفاجئنا ابدا، فمعظم الشعارات والتعابير التي تم محاولة تجريمها، تحميها تمامًا حرية التعبير. ومع ذلك، عبارات مثل “من النهر إلى البحر، فلسطين سوف تتحرر”، “أوقفوا الإبادة الجماعية”، “ألمانيا (أو بيربوك، شولتس، إلخ) متواطئة في الإبادة الجماعية”، أو عبارات مشابهة تم الإبلاغ عنها على أنها تحريض (المادة ١٣٠ من القانون الجنائي الألماني StGb), مكافأة و موافقة على أعمال إجرامية (المادة١٤٠ من القانون الجنائي الألماني ) أو على أنها رموز لمنظمات غير دستورية  وإرهابية (المادة ٨٦ من القانون الجنائي الألماني). هذا الأمر أدى مرارًا وتكرارًا إلى اعتقالات غير قانونية وفي بعض الحالات إلى عنف (عنصري) من قبل قوات الشرطة

 تُظهر نتيجة هذه الإجراءات القانونية أن القمع الذي تمارسه الدولة يهدف في المقام الأول الى ترهيب الحركة الفلسطينية. يؤثر هذا الترهيب بشكل خاص على الأشخاص المعرضين للمخاطر المالية و/أو القانونية المتعلقة بوضع الإقامة. ما يشير الى أننا نواجه نوع من العنف العُنصري البنيوي

ومع ذلك، لم تسمح حركة التضامن مع فلسطين لهذه المحاولات بترهيبها بل على العكس انها ما زالت تستمر في التوسع والنمو. لن تتخلى الحركة عن الأفراد وستواصل توسيع نطاق التضامن. نحن نقف على الجانب الصحيح من التاريخ وسنواصل الكفاح من أجل العدالة والحرية و الحق في العودة

إذا كنت قد تأثرت أيضًا بهذه المحاولات من الترهيب والقمع، يرجى ابلاغنا عن الحادثة على

https://elsc.support/intake

ماذا تفعل في حال تلقيت شكوى جنائية ؟

هل كنت في مظاهرة أو تم الابلاغ عنك أو تم اعتقالك من قبل الشرطة؟ هل تلقيت تهمًا جنائية من أطراف أخرى فيما يتعلق بنشاطك الداعم لفلسطين؟ هل تم تفتيش منزلك من قبل الشرطة أو تم مصادرة لافتة كنت تحملها في مظاهرة؟ أو هل كنت على أي اتصال آخر مع الشرطة ولديك أسئلة حول هذا الموضوع؟

إذا كنت تعيش في برلين، المراكز الاستشارية التالية هي بعض المراكز التي نعمل معها عن كثب ونوصي بها كمراكز موثوقة

الاستشارة القانونية في “ليلي الحمراء”، تتوفر الاستشارات القانونية هنا كل ثاني نهار جمعة من الساعة 5 إلى 7 مساءً مع التركيز على القانون الجنائي

https://gegenmacht.jetzt/events/categories/neukoelln/?loc=neukoelln

Rote Lilly, Emser Straße 114 in Berlin-Neukölln

“Rote Hilfe” استشارات

مع خدمات استشارية في أربعة مواقع مختلفة وأوقات مختلفة، يمكنك العثور عليها هنا

هي جمعية يسارية تقليدية (يمكن ويجب عليك بالطبع أن تصبح عضوًا فيها) التي تدعم النشطاء السياسيين والعمال في نضالاتهم منذ عقود عدة

https://www.berlin.rote-hilfe.de/kontakt-sprechstunde

KOP استشارات

 حملة لضحايا عنف الشرطة. هنا يمكنك الحصول على استشارة، خاصة إذا كنت قد شاهدت أو كنت ضحية عنف الشرطة وترغب في الحصول على استشارة محددة حول هذا الموضوع. ما يميز هو أنك تستطيع الحصول ايضا على استشارات نفسية اجتماعية، لأن عنف الشرطة يمكن أن يكون له تأثيرات سلبية جدًا! يمكنك أيضًا العثور على إجابات على أسئلة متعلقة بالقانون الجنائي الألماني على هذا الرابط

KOP: https://kop-berlin.de/uber-kop

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Media Coverage

A Member of UK Lawyers for Israel Provides “Expert Opinion” to Support a Teacher Sanctioned for Antisemitism

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) member, Lesley Klaff, provided “expert witness” testimony in support of a pro-Israel teacher accused of posting antisemitic material. Her testimony contradicts UKLFI’s usual position on anti-Zionist commentary. In April 2022, she testified to a Panel for the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) that the IHRA definition of antisemitism is not to be interpreted strictly, but rather on a case-by-case basis, and that it should not be used to sanction people or restrict their freedom of speech.

Lesley Klaff’s testimony in support of someone who made vile, antisemitic sentiments appears to deviate from UKLFI’s modus operandi. However, the teacher’s political position as a pro-Israel supporter gives context to her sudden determination to stand behind him.

Edward Sutherland, religious education teacher and ex-Convenor of the Confederation of Friends of Israel in Scotland (COFIS), used a pseudonym to post antisemitic material on Facebook in a fruitless attempt to “bait” and “expose” Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) members as racist, hoping that the antisemitic slurs would elicit supportive responses from SPSC. This case is just the latest in a line of attacks carried out by pro-Israel groups, utilising fake profiles to defame Palestinian rights advocates and silence any criticism of Israel’s apartheid regime and Zionism as a political ideology. The antisemitic commentary included plainly offensive statements, such as: “[l]ooks like a certain Zio’s big nose is out of joint”.

Lesley Klaff’s testimony that such commentary “was not unequivocally antisemitic” and that there is a clear distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism[1] diverges drastically from UKLFI’s usual approach to anti-Zionist commentary.

UKLFI is a legal advocacy and campaigning organisation based in the UK that has been attempting to smear and disrupt the work of Palestinian human rights groups and their partners for years. Since the UK government adopted the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism in December 2016, UKLFI has strongly advocated for a rigorous implementation of the definition and its examples. UKLFI has stressed on multiple occasions that anti-Zionism and criticism of the state of Israel constitute antisemitism, and so has Lesley Klaff.

However, in this case, Klaff has interpreted the IHRA definition in an entirely different way. According to the minutes of Sutherland’s hearing, initially published on the GTSC’s website – the page has since been removed but the link is still available here – Klaff declared that:

Zionism relates to being pro-Israel as a political entity, and antisemitism as being anti-Jewish in a racial and religious sense. With no ‘concrete’ determination of antisemitism within the IHRA definition, consideration of any comments as being antisemitic required account to be taken of the context and all of the circumstances in each case.

The IHRA definition had never been intended for use as a tool to sanction people nor as a means to take away their livelihood or free speech, or indeed to effect discipline.

Lesley Klaff’s testimony reveals manipulation and insincerity in how the IHRA definition is used by pro-Israel organisations not as a tool to combat antisemitism but, rather, a tool to censor Palestinian rights advocacy through the false conflation of criticism of Zionism with antisemitism. It, therefore, seems fitting that a UKLFI member acknowledges that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism purely in support of a pro-Israel individual who posted abusive antisemitic content online in an attempt to thwart Palestinian rights advocacy. The genuine offensiveness of Mr Sutherland’s comments, which were upheld as antisemitic in spite of Lesley Klaff’s testimony, brings into question UKLFI’s motivations, and that of some of its members, when putting forward the general stance that anti-Zionism equals antisemitism. This case highlights the inconsistency underpinning UKLFI’s equation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism and its exploitation of antisemitism for political gain.

References

References
↑1 She stated: “Zionism relates to being pro-Israel as a political entity, and antisemitism as being anti-Jewish in a racial and religious sense.”
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Letter to EU Leaders: Cancel the EU – Israel Association

The ELSC co-signed a letter to call upon the EU and its Member States to cancel the EU-Israel Association and to “hold Israel accountable for its persistent crimes and human rights violations”.

To Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union Member States 
To High Representative of the EU Foreign Policy and Security

26 September 2022

Ref: Human rights and civil society organisations demand to review the decision to renew the EU-Israel Association Council that will green light Israeli violations.

Your Excellencies, 

European Ministers for Foreign Affairs, 

Mr Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU Foreign Policy and Security, 

The undersigned Palestinian and European civil society organisations address this letter to you to express our deep concern regarding the decision to renew the EU – Israel Association Council (hereinafter “Association Council”), which seeks to resume formal dialogue and strengthen cooperation with Israel and mainstream the very problematic “Abraham Accords”.

The European Commission President Von Der Leyen in her latest visit to the region stated about Israel: “Our shared culture and values have created a deep connection between Europe and Israel…the strongest bond we share is our belief in democracy and in democratic values”. Double standards applied by European leaders towards people facing military occupation, annexation and war crimes is evident, and is unbearable for the Palestinian people. Today more than ever, the founding principles and values of freedom and justice that have shaped the international order and adopted by the European Union (EU) must be applied and maintained everywhere.  

Instead, the Association Council will further normalise authoritarian and oppressive practices instead of democratic values and human rights, and will continue to omitt the entrenching violations under international law that are being committed against the Palestinian people.

The Association Council is planned to reconvene at a time where Israel has intensified its attacks against the Palestinian people, including European citizens. Already more than 140 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Palestine since the beginning of the year, without anyone being held accountable. Over the past few months, the Israeli military has repeatedly invaded Palestinian refugee camps and cities including Jenin and Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing more than 27 Palestinians in Jenin alone. Those illegal raids have led to the targeted killing of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022, whose family continues to seek justice and accountability. 

In June 2022 the Gaza Strip marked 15 years of being under suffocating air, sea and land blockade and closure. Between 5-7 August 2022, Israel waged an unprovoked military offensive against Gaza, conducting a series of heavy airstrikes on densely populated areas and deliberately targeting civilians and their homes. During the 3-day offensive, 49 Palestinians were killed, including four women and 17 children, while another 360 were wounded, including 151 children and 58 women.

On May 4th, the Israeli High Court greenlighted the mass expulsion orders of more than 1,300 Palestinians across eight communities in Masafer Yatta, in the south of the occupied West Bank, and demolitions have already started to take place, paving the way for further land theft and Israeli annexation. These orders amount to the single largest expulsion operation carried out by Israel since 1967. Since then, the EU and its members states have regularly reiterated the illegality of both the expulsion operations and of the Israeli settlement enterprise built on stolen Palestinian land, but in practice it fails to adhere to its own obligations under international law.

Israel has also significantly escalated its attack on Palestinian civil society organisations, when on 18 August its military invaded the city of Ramallah, raided, ransacked and forcibly shut down the offices of seven Palestinian civil society organisations that it has criminalised and declared six of them to be unlawful in October 2021. This move follows decades of concerted efforts to discredit, defund and silence their crucial work in exposing Israeli crimes and pushing for accountability. While nine EU member states have rejected the criminalisation in a joint statement and committed to continue fund and work with Palestinian civil society, the EU has failed to meaningfully protect the organisations and their staff. Spanish citizen Juana Ruiz Rishmawi was arbitrarily detained for 10 months, simply for working for one of the Palestinian civil society organisations under Israeli attacks, and Salah Hammouri -a French-Palestinian lawyer- who is working with Addameer, is still arbitrarily detained.

The EU remains Israel’s largest trade partner, and by allowing European companies, governments and financial institutions to continue trade with the Israeli illegal settlement enterprise, the EU not only maintains but emboldens the very existence of these war crimes, further financing the Israeli theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. 

The EU has also signed a new gas deal with Israel and Egypt as part of the policies that aim to streamline the very problematic “Abraham Accords” into the EU approach with its Southern neighborhood and integrate Israel into the EU energy supply strategy. Israel has been systematically preventing Palestinians access to gas off the coast of Gaza while maintaining the blockade and promoting its own gas exports. The new gas deal is among the EU’s new Southern Neighborhood policy projects that seek to mainstream the “Abraham Accords”, serving authoritarian interests and further undermining peoples’ right to self-determination.

This is the reality from which the EU’s decisions are disconnected. Deepening the EU-Israel dialogue, as frank as some EU Member States wishes for it to be, rather than holding the latter accountable through meaningful actions, continues to treat Israel as a good faith actor as opposed to a “bad faith occupier”, as accurately described by the former UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk.

Instead of allowing Israel to entrench its colonial enterprise and apartheid regime, rewarding it with further economic cooperation and trade of harmful military equipment and technologies, the EU and its Member States have an obligation and interest, to hold Israel accountable and put an end to impunity.

We thus urge the EU to review its decision to resume the Association Council Meeting, the recently signed gas deal and review its bilateral cooperation programmes with Israel, to hold Israel accountable for its persistent crimes and human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people.

Signatory Organisations:

Palestinian CSOs

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

Al-Haq

Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)

Bisan Center for Research and Development

BNC – BDS National Committee

Boycott from Within 

Burj alluqluq Social Center Society

Center for Defense of Liberties & Civil Rights “Hurryat”

General Federation of Palestinian Workers

General Union of Palestinian Teachers (Gupt)

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

Palestinian Non Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO)

QADER for Community Development

Stop the Wall Campaign 

The Freedom Theatre

The Jerusalem Human Rights Consortium

The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (The PIPD)

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture

Union of Agricultural Work committees UAWC

Union of Cooperative Associations for Saving and Credit “UCASC”

Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling 

European CSOs:

Apart collective

Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB, Belgium

Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)

Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS), France

Associazione Amici della Mezzaluna Rossa Palestinese 

BDS groups: Austria, Berlin, France, Greece, Italia, Marche, Norway, País valencià, Roma

Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient, Luxembourg

Coordinamento Campagna BDS Bologna, Italy

European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine – ECCP

European Legal Support Center (ELSC)

European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine 

Flemish Socialist Movement (V-SB), Belgium

Gibanje za pravice Palestincev

Iniciatíva za spravodlivý mier na Blízkom východe, (Slovak Initiative for a Just Peace in the Middle East)

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Irish Rule of Law International, Ireland

Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost, Germany

Kapitál, kultúrno-spoločenský mesačník 

La Via Campesina – Arab and North Africa Region LVC ARNA

Law for Palestine 

Mezinárodní hnutí solidarity ISM

Ne našim jménem! – Za spravedlivý mír na Blízkém Východě

Nederlands Palestina Komitee, Netherlands

NOVACT International Institute for Nonviolent Action, Spain

Palestina Solidariteit vzw

Paz con Dignidad, Spain 

Platform of French NGOs for Palestine, France

Polish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Poland

Red Solidaria contra la ocupación de Palestina – RESCOP

Rete Romana di Solidarietà con il popolo Palestinese

SADAKA, Ireland

The Norwegian Committee for Academic and Cultural Boycott of the State of Israel (Akulbi)

The Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden (PGS), Sweden

The Rights Forum, Netherlands

Trócaire, Ireland

Union syndicale Solidaires, France

Viva Salud, Belgium

Categories
Media Coverage

Over 100 Civil Society Organizations Call on DW to Retract the Biased Report and End the Smear Campaign

Over one hundred local, regional and international civil society organizations have signed an open letter in solidarity with Palestinians, condemning Deutsche Welle’s (DW) inaccurate and defamatory report, calling for the retraction of the accusations and demanding the protection of the right to Palestinian freedom of speech.

On Monday 6th February 2022, Deutsche Welle (DW) published the findings from its internal investigation into accusations of antisemitism within its Arabic-language news department. The investigation committee also examined Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA) partners. The report includes a number of defamatory accusations and smears DWA’s Palestinian partner organizations. 

This report is just the latest development in an ongoing anti-Palestinian smear campaign intended to silence Palestinian voices, restrict freedom of expression, suppress legitimate criticism of ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinians, and ultimately prevent Palestinian journalists and Palestinian organizations from seeking accountability. The result is a chilling effect that prevents Palestinians from sharing their experiences of oppression and systematic human rights violations with the rest of the world.

The undersigned coalition of civil society organizations stressed their commitment to fighting racism in all forms, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and xenophobia. However, the DW report adopts a problematic framework that conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and seeks to position legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitism. This approach also dangerously associates the actions of the Israeli authorities with Jewish communities around the world, and falsely links them to the systemic oppression of Palestinians. 

In addition, the coalition also condemns the lack of professionalism in the procedural process adopted by DW’s investigation committee. The committee lacked diversity and relevant expertise,none of the committee members  are experts in anti-racism and some have also made Islamophobic statements in the past. Additionally, the targeted partner organizations were not invited to a consultation during the investigation process, they were only notified hours before the report release that they were mentioned, and their relationship with DWA would be impacted. This further proves the lack of transparency and accountability of DW’s investigation committee. 

We, the targeted organizations and supporters, are calling on DW and DWA to immediately take the following actions:

  • Retract the biased report and end the smear campaign.
  • Form an objective, non-biased committee made up of anti-racism experts to investigate any wrongdoing, and consult with the journalists and Palestinian partner organizations. 
  • Commit to freedom of expression and the adoption of a less biased antisemitism definition endorsed by both Jewish and Palestinian human rights defenders, such as the Jerusalem Declaration on antisemitism.
  • Allow political debate free of all forms of racism and hate, including antisemitism and islamophobia.

Read the letter here.

Resource: https://7amleh.org/2022/02/21/over-100-civil-society-organizations-call-on-dw-to-retract-the-biased-report-and-end-the-smear-campaign

Categories
Media Coverage

The Case of Shahd Abusalama – A Palestinian Scholar Successfully Defeated Attempts to Silence Her

Shahd Abusalama faced a smear campaign and was about to lose a teaching position at Sheffield Hallam University. Her case, which we supported, illustrates the trend of growing repression of Palestinian rights advocacy on UK campuses. Shahd’s case also illustrates that solidarity and coordination are an effective way to collectively push back against unjust repression of legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Shahd Abusalama is a resilient third-generation Palestinian refugee from Gaza who has survived Israel’s regular military aggressions on Palestinians in Gaza. She is an artist, activist and a PhD scholar at Sheffield Hallam University.

Shahd was smeared in the press by Israel advocacy groups due to a Twitter thread she posted in December 2021, where she provided context to a protest banner stating, “Stop the Palestinian Holocaust”. These unfounded allegations are meant to exclude her from academia because she is a critical voice advocating for justice and freedom in Palestine.

On 21 January 2022, a day before Shahd was supposed to start her teaching as an associate lecturer, Sheffield Hallam University suspended her classes and launched an investigation against her without any explanation. In response, a powerful worldwide public campaign supported by the Sheffield Hallam UCU, civil society organisations, academics, students, with dozens of support letters as well as support by the ELSC, led to the University deciding to reinstate Shahd’s teaching on 27 January 2022.

Despite this, Shahd remained under investigation. In coordination with UCU Hallam, the ELSC requested the university to drop its investigation on the basis that it was discriminatory, conducted in violation of its own policies and in violation of Shahd’s freedom of expression.

On 3 February 2022, the university informed Shahd that they were dropping the investigation against her. The university also agreed to offer Shahd a more secure employment contract, affording her better pay and other benefits as requested in our letter.

Shahd’s victory is symbolic of the necessity and impact of solidarity against unjust silencing tactics that deliberately target Palestinian rights advocates in Europe, including the use of the controversial IHRA-Working Definition on Antisemitism and its examples, that Sheffield Hallam University adopted last year.

Read more about the case here:

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/what-we-should-learn-shahd-abusalamas-victory

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/2/10/how-a-palestinian-academic-defeated-a-campaign-to-silence-her

https://mondoweiss.net/2022/02/defeating-the-ihra-witch-hunt-an-interview-with-palestinian-activist-and-scholar-shahd-abusalama/

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/podcast-ep-51-defeating-censorship-uk-campus

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Media Coverage Statement

22 Rights Groups Tell PayPal and Venmo to Shape Up Policies on Account Closures

Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels

Nearly two dozen rights groups, including the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) and our partner 7amleh, have joined together to tell PayPal and its subsidiary Venmo to shape up its policies on account freezes and closures.

“Companies like PayPal and Venmo have hundreds of millions of users. Access to their services can directly impact an individual, company, or nonprofit’s ability to survive and thrive in our digital world,” said EFF International Director of Freedom of Expression Jillian York. “But while companies like Facebook and YouTube have faced substantial scrutiny for their history of account closures, financial companies like PayPal have often flown under the radar. Now, the human rights community is sending a clear message that it’s time to change.”

PayPal also has an history of closing accounts of Palestinian rights activists and of lacking of services in Palestine, as reported by 7amleh. More than 170 000 people also signed a petition asking PayPal to stop discriminating against Palestinians. Its transparency must be addressed.

Read the full letter to PayPal and Venmo here.

Categories
Media Coverage

ELSC Featured in a Documentary about Weaponisation of Antisemitism

We are pleased to share with you a documentary just released on the repression of advocates for Palestinian rights and the weaponisation of antisemitism in Germany: Watch “Censoring Palestine: The Weaponisation Of Anti-Semitism“ on YouTube (subtitles in English, German, French and Arabic).

The 25-minute video includes interviews with a number of Palestinian rights defenders, artists and experts, as well as representatives of Israel lobby organisations in Europe.

Giovanni Fassina, ELSC Programme Director, is interviewed at several points about the legitimacy of the BDS movement and the dangerous conflation of antisemitism with critics of Israel’s policy; along with Dr Shir Hever, a renowned political economist.

The documentary was produced by Souleyman Messalti, a French born film maker, and host by Dan Glass, an award-winning activist and writer, for Redfish media.

We hope you will find it interesting!