מגזין הכיבוש Occupation Magazine

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A country that oppresses millions of people cannot remain democratic.

International Human Rights Day

In honor of International Human Rights Day 2020 we share the words of two
human rights activists: Wangari Maathai and Eleanor Roosevelt.

“In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to
shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A
time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other.”

From Wangari Maathai’s Nobel Lecture, delivered in Oslo, 10 December 2004.

`Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close
to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the
world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he
lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office
where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks
equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.`

Eleanor Roosevelt

Democracy or Occupation?

Freedom of movement, the right to earn a living, the right to own property
and freedom of expression are basic human rights. We have seen that the
denial of these rights in the Occupied Territories does not stem from the
security needs of Israel, but rather from the desire to gain and maintain
control of the lives and property of the Palestinians. The denial of rights
and freedoms has crossed the Green Line and the weakening of democracy is
becoming increasingly evident to the citizens of Israel.

A country that oppresses millions of people cannot remain democratic.

Help Us Continue Our Work
https://machsomwatch.org/en/donate

MachsomWatch during the Pandemic

Since its establishment until now, for 20 years, the activities of
MachsomWatch continue without a pause. As an organization that operates on
the ground and maintains direct contact with Palestinians, we had to adjust
our activities to the pandemic situation especially during the periods of
lockdown. But despite the situation, our members continue, with dedication,
to monitor the checkpoints and to maintain contacts with the Palestinians in
the occupied West Bank; to be attentive to every complaint, and to assist,
when possible, with any issue. Mainly, we keep our eyes and hearts open to
people whose human rights are violated every day and every hour by the State
of Israel, the army, and the settlers. We continue to report, to warn, and
to sound the voice of those who have no voice.

In the Jordan Valley, we continue to accompany shepherds and to protect them
from harassment by settlers and the army. In the midst of the pandemic, a
kindergarten was established, and a “fun day” for children and their mothers
was organized to improve the well-being of the Jordan Valley residents. We
continue to report, even in these coronavirus days, on the cutting down and
burning of olive trees. We participated in the olive harvest, because the
settlers increased their harassments, damaged the fruit, at times looting
it, and even attacked olive pickers, trying to destroy the olive harvest in
any way possible.

As can be read in the reports on our website, and also in the press, cruelty
toward the Palestinians has not decreased during the pandemic. For example,
at the beginning of November, the Civil Administration destroyed 18 housing
units in Khirbet Humsa in the Jordan Valley; 74 persons lived in those
units, 41 of them minors. Sheep pens and other structures were also
demolished. Members of MachsomWatch who know the families that suffered from
this, along with other activists, developed a whole system for collecting
food, housewares, and donations, in order to help the families re-establish
the structures.
Coming Soon: Photo Exhibition – 20 Years of Activism

This spring we will present a digital photo exhibition (in collaboration
with Haaretz newspaper). It will express appreciation for the 20 years of
the organization’s activities and gratitude to all the women of MachsomWatch
for their activities. The exhibition will be curated by Israel Prize Winner
and renowned photojournalist Alex Levac.
Within Reach: MachsomWatch Zoom Events

The COVID-19, the political situation, and the mishandling by the government
of both the pandemic and the economic decline have led to demonstrations all
over the country. We hope that cooperation between the diversified social
groups will help spread the idea that Israel cannot remain democratic as
long as it controls the lives of millions of people, deprived of basic
rights, and that more people will take an interest in the lives of
Palestinians on the other side of the separation barrier.

MachsomWatch started as a political movement, protesting the denial of human
rights of the Palestinian population in the West Bank. In the beginning, we
focused on the right of free movement and monitored the checkpoints, and
then continued with the bureaucratic barriers and the violation of property
rights and the right to earn a living. We always regarded the dissemination
of reliable information, which we obtained from our constant presence in the
area, as one of our main objectives.

We decided to use the now popular platform Zoom and arranged a series of
talks, called “Within Reach,` to share the knowledge and the insights we
gathered, with a wider audience. In each session, our members introduce
themselves and present the issue that their team addresses and then answer
questions from the audience. We hope to be able to provide simultaneous
translations to English for future Zoom events, which will include talks
about the Military Courts, the Maqamaat (Palestinian heritage sites), pre-
military academies, and the festive opening of our virtual photo exhibition.
Support Our Activities into 2021

Links to the latest articles in this section

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Saturday night protests: No to Netanyahu`s war!