Abandoning universal jurisdiction?

November 8th, 2010 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: arrest, israel, law, legal, palestine, praliament, uk, universal jurisdiction, war crimes, william hague

from AJE’s Inside Story:

William Hague, the British foreign minister, has pledged that the UK will quickly amend a law that has allowed pro-Palestinian activists to request arrest warrants for visiting Israeli officials over alleged war crimes.

Activists in Britain have sought the arrest of Israeli officials in the past under the principle of “universal jurisdiction”, which allows courts to prosecute alleged war crimes from elsewhere in the world.

The reassurance came after Israel suspended ‘special strategic dialogue’ with the UK in protest over the law.

But what message is the UK sending to the rest of the world?

Joining Inside Story to discuss this are: Jeremy Corbyn, a member of the British parliament and a founding member of the Stop the War Coalition; Mark Taylor, an international legal analyst; and Dan Schueftan, the director of national security studies at the University of Haifa.

Targeted Citizen

March 24th, 2010 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: adalah, legal, minority rights, palestinian

New film from Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel:

“Targeted Citizen” produced by filmmaker Rachel Leah Jones for Adalah, surveys discrimination against the Palestinian citizens of Israel.

With the participation of experts Dr. Yousef Jabareen of the Technion and Dr. Khaled Abu Asbeh of the Van Leer Institute, as well as Adalah attorneys Sawsan Zaher, Abeer Baker and Hassan Jabareen, inequality in land and housing, employment, education and civil and political rights are eloquently addressed.

These interviews are reinforced by the contrasting informality of on-the-street conversations conducted by Palestinian comic duo Shammas-Nahas and punctuated by the hard-hitting rhymes of Palestinian rap trio DAM.

The film’s theme song “Targeted Citizen,” written and recorded by DAM especially for Adalah, tells it like it is without missing a beat.

Read Adalah’s briefing on “History of the Palestinians in Israel”

Subsidies, Commandos & Private Contractors.

December 23rd, 2009 • News
Tags: contractor, illlegal, israel, legal, private, security, settlement, subsidies, west bank

A few news reports from Al Jazeera English…

Israel floods settlements with subsidies

Israel has announced a partial moratorium on settlement construction. Yet, at the same time, it has invested in those already established in a bid to solidify their existence.

In the Jordan Valley there are 22 settlements viewed as illegal under international law.

But, as Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston reports, they benefit from a system of Israeli funding specifically focused on kick-starting settler economies.

Israel vows action against settlers

Give with one hand (above) and take with the other:

The Israeli army is planning to use special commando units, unmanned spy planes and mobile phone-jamming equipment to prevent new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, according to a leaked report.

Army officials said the plan is only a “first draft” for potential measures to enforce a 10-months settlement suspension announced last month.

Inspectors tasked with monitoring the suspension have been repeatedly clashing with settlers since the halt and the leaked document is expected to raise tensions further.

Israel ‘outsourcing’ the occupation

Right from the Pentagon/BlackwaterXe playbook:

Concern is growing among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as Israel steps up its use of private security contractors to patrol Palestinian territories.

The private firms are being used to help patrol checkpoints and protect illegal settlements in what has become a multi-billion dollar business for Israeli security companies.

But as Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston reports, some Palestinians are concerned that the private companies are using a different set of rules than the army, and this has raised new legal issues.