Adalah, along with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and other bodies, petitioned the High Court to allow the unification of mixed families by granting of Israeli citizenship to Palestinians married to Israelis. These NGOs have pressed this issue for some time, demanding that Israel remove the limits that are imposed by most democratic states in such cases, and also erasing the context of the ongoing conflict and terror. (See previous NGO Monitor reports) The current petition claimed that the policy is racist and discriminatory and cited human rights to support its case : "Personal freedom touches on the most basic of human rights: The right to love, to love and be loved by one’s partner, to aspire to establish a home and a joint life without any institutional obstacles."

However Justice Mishael Cheshin disagreed:

"It’s true that the Palestinians are not a hostile people. But are the State of Israel’s defensive efforts against terror attacks, against lone individuals carrying out attacks not a sufficient enough reason to prevent their entry? No one is preventing them from building a family but they should live in Jenin instead of in [the Israeli Arab city of] Umm al-Fahm." (From Yuval Yoaz, "Judge: Israeli citizens who marry Palestinians can go live in Jenin," Haaretz, February 14, 2006.)

Adalah’s monthly newsletter also described its letter to "Deputy State Attorney demanding the opening of a criminal investigation against Israeli army commanders and soldiers responsible for the extensive home demolitions executed in the south of Gaza in May 2004 during "Operation Rainbow". Part of its submission was the HRW report "Razing Rafah,", which includes many claims that lack credibility . The letter accuses Israel of "grave breaches of international humanitarian law," and describes the "unrestrained destruction" of the military operation with no mention of terrorism.

 

 

Back to February 2006 Digest