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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Activism Home page  back Print  Send To friend B’Tselem director at French award ceremony: Hysterical Israeli government response illustrates reality of propaganda, lies, and threats B’Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad at French Republic 2018 Human Rights Award ceremony: Hysterical Israeli government response illustrates reality of propaganda, lies, and threats B’Tselem operates in; we will act with determination to end the occupation The Human Rights Award of the French Republic is now being presented at the Ministry of Justice in Paris to this year’s laureates. At the ceremony, B’Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad thanked the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) for the award, saying “The occupation, in and of itself, is organized, prolonged, state violence, which brings about dispossession, killings, and oppression. All branches of the state are part of it: ministers and judges, officers and planners, parliamentarians and bureaucrats. Those who lead the opposition to this unjust reality are human rights organizations – precisely because we categorically reject violence and harm to civilians.” El-Ad also addressed the pressure that Israeli government officials tried to exert on decision-makers in France: “The hysterical response by Israeli government officials, attempting to prevent this prize from being awarded, illustrates the reality within which we work: propaganda, lies, and threats by a government which believes that silencing and coverup will enable further human rights violations. In the face of this moral bankruptcy, we are here not only to further expose the truth – but also to bring an end to the injustice.” B`Tselem Executive Director, Hagai El-Ad, at the award ceremony today This year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the prize was awarded to organizations being harassed or pressured for defending and promoting human rights. Joint-recipients, Israeli NGO B’Tselem and Palestinian NGO Al-Haq – both human rights organizations working to end the Israeli occupation – were among this year’s five laureates. The others are human rights defenders from China, Colombia, Niger and Belarus. The Human Rights Award, entitled “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” is endowed by the French government. It has been awarded annually since 1988 by the CNCDH. Past laureates include human rights defenders from various countries, including Nicaragua, Côte d`Ivoire, Haiti, Cambodia, Colombia, Rwanda and France. In Israel, in the Occupied Territories, everywhere Inbox x `I ask myself often, imagine we, the international community today, would have to establish such a declaration on human rights. Would we manage that?”, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, asked last week. “I fear, not.` Today, December 10th, International Human Rights Day, we mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This might have been a day of celebration, but given the state of human rights all over the world, I prefer Chancellor Merkel’s sober remarks. Today, International Human Rights Day, is the day we ask you to join the human rights community. We invite you to join us in our work by contributing to B`Tselem. Every contribution, even a few dollars, will not only allow us to continue our work, but also to know that behind us stand people who believe in the values of human rights. When millions are not “free and equal in dignity and rights” (Art. 1 of the declaration); “the right to life, liberty and security of person” (Art. 3) is under constant attack without “effective remedy by the competent national tribunals” (Art. 8); people are “subjected to arbitrary interference with [their] privacy” (Art. 12), have no “right to freedom of movement” (Art. 13) or the “right to a nationality” (Art. 15); when people do not enjoy “the right to freedom of opinion and expression” (Art. 19) and certainly do not “take part in the government of [their] country” (Art. 21) - when this is the reality, it is not just the issue of the UDHR’s power and vision that comes into sharper focus, but also the suffering and oppression caused by the utter disregard for it. Today, together with our colleagues at Palestinian human rights organization, Al-Haq, we receive the Human Rights Award of the French Republic. The values both organizations share are the values of the UDHR, values that lay the groundwork for a life of dignity, of equal rights, of freedom and justice for us all. The fight to realize these values is long and bitter. Will we prevail? As the UDHR states: “it is essential [...] that human rights should be protected by the rule of law”. If we are to continue our work, we need your help. This year, we have once again shown that despite the efforts made by the prime minister and his cronies, we speak up for human rights loudly, clearly and fearlessly - in Israel, in the Occupied Territories and throughout the world. Supporting B`Tselem is the practical way of validating the values we believe in. http://www.btselem.org/donate Will we prevail? The answer lies with each and every one of us. Thank you, Hagai El-Ad Executive Director, B`Tselem Links to the latest articles in this section Hundreds to Cycle Through London and Manchester In Support of Palestine Sunita`s Harp Tour in Israel and Palestine, Oct.-Nov. 2019 Touring the Israeli Occupation: Young U.S. Jews Get an Unflinching View