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{{Short description|Non-profit human rights organization}}
[[Image:Three_languages_logo_small.JPG ]]<br />
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
'''B'Tselem''' ({{lang-he|בצלם}}, "in the image of", as in [[Genesis]] 1:27) is an [[Israel]]i [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) that describes itself as ''The Israeli Information Center for [[Human Rights]] in the Occupied Territories''. It was founded in 1989 by a group of [[Israel]]i public figures, including [[lawyer]]s, [[academic]]s, [[journalist]]s, and members of [[Knesset]].
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = B'Tselem
| logo = Logo of B'Tselem.jpg
| type = [[Non-profit organization|Non-profit]], [[Non-governmental organisation|NGO]]
| founded_date = {{start date and age|1989|02|03|df=y}}
| headquarters = [[Jerusalem]]<ref name="btabout">{{cite web |url=http://www.btselem.org/English/About_BTselem/Index.asp |title=About B'Tselem |publisher=B'Tselem |access-date=2 February 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100129071645/http://www.btselem.org/english/About_BTselem/Index.asp| archive-date= 29 January 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>
| key_people = Yuli Novak (Executive Director)
| area_served = [[Palestinian territories]]<ref name="btabout" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid|url=https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid|access-date=2021-05-15|website=B'Tselem|language=en}}</ref>
| product =
| focus = Changing Israeli policy in the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]] to protect and sustain [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] human rights<ref name="btabout" />
| num_employees = 38<ref name=Staff />
| website = {{URL|https://www.btselem.org/}}
| footnotes =
}}


'''B'Tselem''' ({{langx|he|בצלם}}, {{IPA|he|beˈtselem|IPA}}; {{translation|"In the [[Image of God|Image [of God]]]"}}) is a [[Jerusalem]]-based [[non-profit organization]] whose stated goals are to document [[Human rights violations against Palestinians by Israel|human rights violations]] in the [[Israeli-occupied territories#Palestinian territories|Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories]], combat any denial of the existence of such violations, and help to create a [[Human rights in Israel|human rights]] culture in [[Israel]].<ref name="btabout"/> It is currently headed by Yuli Novak, who took over in June 2023 from [[Hagai El-Ad]], who had served as its director-general since May 2014.<ref name="Staff">{{cite web |url=https://www.btselem.org/about_btselem/staff_members |title=B'Tselem's Staff |website=B'Tselem |access-date=2023-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.btselem.org/about_btselem/20230625_yuli_novak_btselems_new_executive_director|title=Yuli Novak – B'Tselem's new executive director|website=B'Tselem|access-date=2023-10-28|date=2023-06-26}}</ref> B'Tselem also maintains a presence in [[Washington, D.C.]], where it is known as B'Tselem USA. The organization has provoked sharp reactions within Israel, ranging from harsh criticism to strong praise.
B'Tselem's stated goals are to document and inform the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]], and to help inculcate a "human rights culture" in Israel.


==Overview==
In December, 1989 it received the Carter-Menil Award for Human Rights.
B'Tselem was established in February 1989 by a large group of Israeli lawyers, doctors and academics with the support of a lobby of ten members of [[Knesset]]. Its objective was to document human rights violations in the occupied territories ([[Gaza Strip]] and the [[West Bank]]), while being committed to the security and humanistic character of the State of [[Israel]].<ref>Talmor, Ronny (July 1990). [https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files2/the_use_of_firearms.pdf ''The Use of Firearms by the Security Forces in the Occupied Territories'']. Translated by Ralph Mandel. B'Tselem. {{ISSN|0792-4003}}. Back cover.</ref> In the previous year, Israeli forces killed 311 Palestinians, of whom 53 were under the age of 17.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Afflerbach|first1=Holger|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gh6VIodYxNMC&pg=PA426|title=How Fighting Ends: A History of Surrender|last2=Strachan|first2=Hew|date=2012-07-26 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-969362-7|language=en}}</ref> The killings occurred during a wave of Palestinian protest and rebellion in which 12 Israelis were also killed. The rebellion is referred to as the [[First Intifada]].<ref name=Kessler/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Fairbanks|first1=Eve|title=The battle to be Israel's conscience|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/12/the-battle-to-be-israels-conscience|access-date=11 August 2015|work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=12 March 2015|quote=The group's employees have always identified with the Israeli left}}</ref>


B'Tselem's funding comes from private individuals (both Israeli and foreign)<ref name="btabout" /> and European and North American foundations focusing on human rights.<ref name="btabout" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Total reported funding 2018 |url=https://fts.unocha.org/global-funding/donors/2018?f%5B2%5D=destinationOrganizationIdName:2265:B%27Tselem%20-%20the%20Israeli%20Information%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%20in%20the%20Occupied%20Territories|access-date=2021-01-23|publisher=Financial Tracking Service, [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]]}}</ref>
==Main activities==
The focus on documentation reflects B'Tselem's objective of providing as much information as possible to the Israeli public, since information is indispensable to taking action and making choices. Readers of B'Tselem publications may decide to do nothing, but they cannot say, "We didn't know."


In 2014, B'Tselem stopped sending the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) complaints it received from Palestinians in Gaza about [[Israeli war crimes|alleged IDF war crimes]] there. In 2016, B'Tselem also stopped sending the IDF complaints of alleged IDF war crimes in the West Bank because it alleged the IDF was whitewashing the complaints.<ref>{{cite web|title=B'Tselem cuts ties with IDF over 'whitewashing'|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/BTselem-cuts-ties-with-IDF-over-whitewashing-454951|website=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=1 June 2016|date=May 25, 2016|last1=Bob|first1=Yonah Jeremy}}</ref>
==Reports==
The B'Tselem organization publishes reports on various issues such as torture, fatal shootings by security forces, restrictions on movement, expropriation of land and discrimination in planning and building in East [[Jerusalem]], administrative detention, house demolitions, and settler violence. Over one hundred reports have been published so far. The organization serves as a source of information for journalists, researchers and the diplomatic community at the national and international level. B'Tselem's activities receive extensive media coverage.<br />


In 2016, B'Tselem executive director Hagai El-Ad asked the UN to take action against Israel's settlements, which he said were compromising a peace agreement with the Palestinians.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/leftist-mk-by-going-to-un-btselem-helps-demonization-of-israel/ | title=Leftist MK: By going to UN, B'Tselem helps 'demonization of Israel'| website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>
B'Tselem also campaigns against the [[death penalty]] and the human rights record of the Palestinian Authority. On [[17 February]] [[2005]], the organization called on [[Palestinian Authority]] President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] to commute the sentences of Palestinians condemned to death and abolish the death penalty. Abbas had shortly before ratified the death sentences of a number of Palestians accused of collaborating with Israel or of other criminal charges.<br />


In a report published 12 January 2021, B'Tselem called [[Israel and apartheid|Israel an "apartheid regime"]] devoted to [[Jewish supremacism|Jewish supremacy]] and said the nation was no longer a democracy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This Is Apartheid |url=https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid |publisher=B'Tselem |access-date=2021-01-23 |language=en}}</ref> This follows a similar report by the [[UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia]] released in 2017 that concluded that Israel is "guilty of the [[Apartheid (crime)|crime of apartheid]]".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Falk |first1=Richard |last2=Tilley |first2=Virginia |date=March 2017 |title=Israeli Practices Towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329990893 |journal=Palestine and the Israeli Occupation |issue=1 |publisher=UN Economic and Social Commission on West Asia |access-date=2021-01-23 |via=ResearchGate |language=en}}</ref>
==Video==
B'Tselem has expanded is operations in recent years to increasingly include video based footage, particularly after the highly public "Sharmouta Incident." The expansion of it's video project began in August 2007 with the launching of a MySpace[http://www.myspace.com/btselem] which is to act as an alternative area for the showcasing of the organisation's films - aimed at expanding the groups presence amongst a younger age category and attacting people to it's main website[http://www.btselem.org].<br />


==History==
==Main Research Areas==
Several years before B'Tselem was founded, [[David Zucker (politician)|David Zucker]], Knesset member for the [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] party, began publishing information pages about several topics, including Israeli involvement in the territories. In late 1988, Zucker flew to the United States and there he met the head of the [[Human Rights First]] organization, [[Michael Posner (lawyer)|Michael Posner]], who offered him to form an "arranged organization" and Zucker began forming one using the $25,000 he was given in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lori |first1=Aviva |title=מחפשים את "בצלם" |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.805196?lts=1571665370681 |access-date=21 October 2019 |publisher=Haaretz |date=26 August 2002}}</ref>
B'Tselem investigates in a number of areas related to the conflict. In particular it the following:<br />
-The accountability of Police & Military forces in the territories<br />
-The use of administrative punishment<br />
-The continued use of torture during interrogations, particularly by the GSS<br />
-The illegal policy of house demolition, as a form of collective punishment which is often justified for alleged military purposes<br />
-Inequalities in the planning and building procedures which discriminate againsit Palestinians & Israeli-Arabs<br />
-The Legal status of residents of East Jerusalem<br />
-The path and effects of the separation barrier and it's legal status <br />
-Problems related to family unification and child registration<br />
-Neglect of infrastructure and services<br />
-Illegal settlements and the extreme closures placed upon the Palestinian population of Hebron <br />
-Breaches of International human rights law <br />
-The water crisis in Palestinian areas<br />
-Family separation <br />
-Restrictions on movement, such as checkpoints roads, curfew and the effect these have on the economy and medical treatment.<br />
-Settlement land expropriation, settler violence and attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinians<br />
-Gaza Strip - The scope of Israeli Control, economic & social decline, supersonic booms, access restrictions, the firing of Qassam rockets
-Use of force - beating & abuse, use of firearms & human shields<br />
-Violations by Palestinians - Attacks on civilians, harm to suspected collaborators, death penalty in the P.A<br />
-Workers rights from the territories <br />


B'Tselem was founded on 3 February 1989. The name comes from [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] {{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|1:27|HE}}, which states that all mankind was created ''"b'tselem elohim"'' (in the [[image of God]]), which the organization says is in line with the UN [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] that all humans are equal in dignity and so deserve the same fundamental rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/2011_btselem_english_brochure.pdf|title=B'Tselem Brochure|publisher=B'Tselem|access-date=16 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805114107/http://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/2011_btselem_english_brochure.pdf|archive-date=5 August 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In December 1989, B'Tselem shared the [[Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize]] with the Palestinian group [[Al-Haq]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Peace Organization Making Peace Around The World - Carter Center|url=http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc181.html#previous|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212232823/http://cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc181.html|archive-date=12 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="r19891116">{{cite news|date=16 November 1989|title=Carter-Menil Rights Award For Israeli and Arab Groups|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/16/world/carter-menil-rights-award-for-israeli-and-arab-groups.html}}</ref>
==Activity in the Knesset==
B'Tselem regularly provides Knesset members with information on human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, and injustices caused by Israeli authorities. Several Knesset members, from various factions, assist B'Tselem in placing human rights matters on the public agenda and in safeguarding human rights.


Some of the key founders were:
* Daphna Golan-Agnon, academic and founding director of the feminist peace group [[Bat Shalom]]
* [[David Zucker (politician)|David Zucker]], Knesset member for the [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] party, one of the founders of the [[Peace Now]] movement
* [[Haim Oron]], Knesset member for the [[Mapam]] party, one of the founders of the [[Peace Now]] movement
* [[Zehava Gal-On]], [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] party activist and future Knesset member for the [[Meretz]] party formed through the merger of Ratz and Mapam
* Avigdor Feldman, [[civil liberties]] lawyer
* Edy Kaufman, civil liberties [[activist]].


In 2015 ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reporter Glenn Kessler described the link between human rights groups and "political entities" in Israel as "at times... very blurry." He noted that after serving as director of B'Tselem, Zehava Gal-on directed the [[Meretz|Meretz Party]].<ref name=Kessler>{{cite news|last1=Kessler|first1=Glenn|title=Netanyahu's claim that 'tens of millions' in foreign money was aimed against him|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/20/netanyahus-claim-that-tens-of-millions-in-foreign-money-was-aimed-against-him/|access-date=3 June 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=20 March 2015}}</ref>
==Public action==
B'Tselem has hundreds of supporters and volunteers who work to improve the human rights situation in the Occupied Territories. These activities include, in part, setting up information stands, distributing printed material, addressing problems and requests to decision-makers, and participating in protests in the Occupied Territories.


==Work==
B'Tselem states that it is devoted to "documenting human rights violations that come under Israel's purview as the occupying power".<ref name="btabout"/> Between 1989 and 2020 B'Tselem has published 185 reports and position papers which can be accessed through their website. They currently produce 3–4 reports a year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publications |url=https://www.btselem.org/publications |website=www.btselem.org |access-date=2022-12-28}}</ref>


===Israel's land policies in Area C===
In 2013, B'Tselem released a report called ''Acting the Landlord: Israeli Policy in Area C, the West Bank''. It stated that [[Area C (West Bank)|Area C]], comprising about 60% of the West Bank, is under full Israeli control, and stated:
<blockquote> Israel strictly limits Palestinian settlement, construction and development in Area C, while ignoring the needs of the Palestinian population. Palestinian residents are ... denied any legal avenue to build homes or develop their communities, so they face the constant fear that their homes might be demolished, and that they be expelled and lose their livelihood.</blockquote>


B'Tselem also stated that some parts of Area A and B only have available land in Area C for construction, which Israel forbids almost completely. Therefore, "Israel’s policy in Area C has ramifications for residents throughout the West Bank. The boundaries outlined for Areas A and B impose an artificial scarcity of land for some of the communities in these areas." B'Tselem accused Israel of violating [[international humanitarian law]] and [[international human rights law]] by its actions.<ref name="ActingTheLandlord2013">{{Cite web |url=https://www.btselem.org/download/201306_area_c_report_eng.pdf |title=Acting the Landlord: Israeli Policy in Area C, the West Bank |date=June 2013 |website=B'Tselem}}</ref><ref name="EUReport2014">{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/c_2014_5986_aap_part_i_annex_4.pdf |title=ANNEX 4 of the Commission Implementing Decision on the Annual Action Plan 2014 for Palestine |date=2014 |website=European Commission}}</ref><ref name="EchoesOfEmpire2016">{{Cite journal |title=Echoes of Empire: British Mandate planning in Palestine and its influence in the West Bank today |journal = Planning Perspectives|volume = 32|last=Crookston |first=Martin |pages=87–98 |doi=10.1080/02665433.2016.1213183|year = 2017| issue=1 | bibcode=2017PlPer..32...87C |s2cid = 151586867}}</ref>
== Founding members ==
B'Tselem's key founders were:


===View of Israel as an apartheid state===
# Dr [[Daphna Golan-Agnon]] (academic and founding director of left-leaning feminist peace group [[Bat Shalom]])
{{see also|Apartheid (crime)|Israeli apartheid}}
# [[Dedi Zucker]] (Knesset member for the [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] party)
In January 2021, B'Tselem released a report characterizing Israel as an "apartheid" regime, a term the organization had hitherto only used in specific contexts, and which the Israeli government vehemently rejects. B'Tselem director Hagai El-Ad said of the report: "One of the key points in our analysis is that this is a single geopolitical area ruled by one government. This is not democracy plus occupation. This is apartheid between the river and the sea."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krauss |first1=Joseph |title=Leading human rights group calls Israel an 'apartheid' state |url=https://apnews.com/article/religion-race-and-ethnicity-israel-mediterranean-sea-west-bank-3c9adae04858a7735b031e58e3419c64 |website=AP News |date=20 April 2021 |publisher=The Associated Press |access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref>
# [[Haim Oron]] (Knesset member for the [[Mapam]] party)
# [[Zehava Gal-On]] ([[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] party activist and future Knesset member for the [[Meretz]] party formed through the merger of [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] and [[Mapam]])
# [[Avigdor Feldman]] (civil liberties lawyer)
# Dr [[Edy Kaufman]] (academic and civil liberties activist)


== Funding ==
=== Israel-Hamas War ===
Former B'Tselem board member, [[Vivian Silver]], was killed in the [[Be'eri massacre|Be'eri Massacre]] during the [[7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel]].<ref name="cbc">{{cite news |date=November 13, 2023 |title=Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, feared to be held hostage, confirmed killed in Hamas attacks |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/israel-gaza-vivian-silver-1.7027333 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113233658/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/israel-gaza-vivian-silver-1.7027333 |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |access-date=November 13, 2023 |work=CBC News}}</ref>
B'Tselem is funded by contributions from foundations in Israel, Europe, and North America, and by private individuals in Israel and abroad. In 1989, B'Tselem received the [[Dominique de Menil|Carter-Menil Award]] for Human Rights.<ref>http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc181.html#previous</ref>
According to B'Tselem, their donors include:<ref>http://www.btselem.org/english/About_BTselem/Donors.asp</ref>
*[[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|British Foreign and Commonwealth Office]]
*[[Christian Aid]] (UK)
*[[European Commission|Commission of the European Communities]]
*[[DanChurchAid]] (Denmark)
*Diakonia (Sweden)
*[[Foreign relations of the Republic of Ireland|Development Corporation Ireland]]
*[[Evangelical Church in Germany|EED]] (Church Development Service, Germany)
*[[Foreign relations of Switzerland|Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland]]
*[[Ford Foundation]] (USA)
*Foundation for Middle East Peace
*ICCO (Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation, Netherlands)
*[[International Commission of Jurists]], Swedish Section
*Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
*[[New Israel Fund]] (Israel)
*[[Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs|Norwegian Foreign Ministry]]
*Shefa Fund
*SIVMO (Netherlands)
*Stichting Het Solidariteitsfonds (Netherlands)
*[[Trócaire]] (Ireland)
==Criticism and Response==
=== Criticism ===
[[NGO Monitor]], an Israeli non-governmental organization with the stated aim of monitoring other non-governmental organizations operating in the Middle East, has accused B'Tselem of having a political agenda and falsifying and distorting data. NGO Monitor further writes that B'Tselem also employs "abusive and demonizing rhetoric designed to elicit political support for Palestinians" <ref>[http://www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v2n12/v2n12-4.htm]</ref>


In October 2024, during Israel's [[siege of North Gaza]], B'Tselem released a statement accusing Israel of ethnically cleansing North Gaza and urging the international community to stop the war.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-23 |title=Photos and videos show devastation of Israel's assault on northern Gaza |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/harrowing-images-emerge-northern-gaza-un-warns-non-stop-israeli-strike-rcna176360 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tharoor |first=Ishaan |date=2024-10-25 |title=Is Israel carrying out de facto ethnic cleansing? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/25/israel-ethnic-cleansing-gaza-settlements/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241025050955/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/25/israel-ethnic-cleansing-gaza-settlements/ |archive-date=2024-10-25 |work=Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mraffko |first=Clothilde |date=2024-11-14 |title=In northern Gaza, the workings of 'ethnic cleansing' |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/11/14/in-northern-gaza-the-workings-of-ethnic-cleansing_6732868_4.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=Le Monde |language=en}}</ref> B'tselem stated that the "magnitude of the crimes Israel is currently committing [...] is impossible to describe" and reported dire conditions in North Gaza including [[Gaza Strip famine|starvation]], bombings, and lack of medical care.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-22 |title=The world must stop the ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza |url=https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20241022_the_world_must_stop_the_ethnic_cleansing_of_northern_gaza |website=B'Tselem}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Israel is ethnically cleansing north Gaza, says B'Tselem |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-committing-gravest-crimes-laws-war-northern-gaza-btselem |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref>
[[Caroline B. Glick]], deputy managing editor of ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'', in an editorial for ''The Jerusalem Post'' asserts that B'Tselem is a radical leftist organization with a documented history of falsifying and distorting data.<ref>[[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1178708574884&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter]]</ref> However, such attempts to paint the organisation as such are generally easily refuted - particularly as Israeli members of the organisation have served in the Israeli Defence Force and also the organisation is quick to condem actions taken by Palestinian aswell as Israeli Forces.


==Board members==
The [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America|Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)]], an American [[Non-profit organization|nonprofit]] organization based in [[Boston]] which combats perceived anti-Israel bias, has voiced concern that B'Tselem classifies casualties into military versus civilian rather than combatant versus non-combatant,<ref>[http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_article=493&x_context=2]</ref> though B'Tselem says that they make the distinction using the "civilians not participating in hostilities" classification.
B'Tselem board members include:<ref>[http://www.btselem.org/english/About_BTselem/Board_Members.asp Board members], B'Tselem.</ref>


*Orly Noy (chair)
B'Tselem's statistics have also been criticised for defining as "civilian" Palestinians killed while engaged in attacks on Israelis.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} In response to B'Tselem's 2004 summary of casualties, the Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA), an Israeli digest, argued that "the figures reported by B'Tselem about noncombatant minors includes children shielding combatants as they prepare and launch Qassam rockets or shielding gunmen as they engage in battle against Israeli forces." This was in response to a clarification by B'Tselem that the term "did not participate in hostilities" may include bystanders. <ref>[http://www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v3n05/IMRABetselemCasualtyFigures.htm]</ref>
*Thair Abu Rass
*Meir Amor
*Smadar Ben Natan
*Ido Blum
*Ron Dudai
*[[Elias Khouri]]
*Vered Madar
*Osama Tanous
*Sawsan Zaher
*David Zonsheine


Notable former board members include:
B'Tselem publishes the official responses and criticism of the Israeli military at the end of the majority of its print publications.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}


*[[David Kretzmer]]
===Response to Criticism===
*[[Anat Biletzki]]
The B'Tselem organisation replied to criticism from the mentioned organisations with the following reponse {{fact}}:
*[[Danny Rubinstein]]
<blockquote>
*[[Vivian Silver]]
''"B'Tselem stands behind the accuracy of its data, all based on independent fieldwork by its own well-trained staff. In all of the cases cited by CAMERA, the initial media reports or statements from the IDF were inaccurate. In fact, in some of these cases the Israeli military itself subsequently issued revised statements, and in at least one of these cases – the killing of Jamil al-Jabji – the military opened a criminal investigation, something they do very rarely regarding Palestinian deaths.<br /><br />''
*[[Oren Yiftachel]]


==Staff==
''B'Tselem's methodology is completely transparent; indeed much of CAMERA's "ammunition" was taken from our own website. Palestinians employing potentially lethal force (guns, rockets, explosives, Molotov cocktails) are listed as having participated in hostilities at the time they were killed. The fact that a person carried a weapon but did not actually take it out and use it does not make that person a combatant. Likewise with regard to stone-throwing; in most situations, stone-throwing does not constitute lethal force. This does not relieve the stone-thrower of criminal liability, and his crime is plainly noted in our statistics. However, a 14 year-old boy throwing stones at an armoured jeep from a distance of over 50 feet – as was the case when soldiers shot Jamil al-Jabji – is not participating in an armed conflict, and the military does not need to respond with live ammunition (the fact that the military has initiated an investigation into this case would indicate that they retroactively agree). The devil is in the details. In those cases, where stone-throwing does indeed endanger lives (dropping cinder blocks from a roof, for example) this is classified as participation in hostilities.<br /><br />''
B'Tselem's executive director is Yuli Novak. In 2011, the group staff has 38 employees in a Research Department, a Data Coordination department, a communications department, and an administration department.<ref name=Staff /> Field data research in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for B'Tselem was, until the [[Second Intifada]], performed by Israeli Arabs. Data analysis and dissemination was conducted at the Jerusalem office. Because of restriction on entry to these areas for Israeli citizens, the Israeli Arab field workers were replaced with similarly qualified Palestinian Arabs who transmit research data to the office via fax or phone, sometimes negotiating checkpoints to reach the Jerusalem office for debriefings.<ref>{{cite news|first=Tamar |last=Hausman|work= Haaretz|title= B'Tselem chooses its first Anglo director|date= 17 July 2001|url=http://www.haaretz.com/b-tselem-chooses-its-first-anglo-director-1.64017}}</ref>


==Funding==
''B'Tselem no longer classifies Palestinians into civilians and security forces simply because all Palestinians are civilians. This same position was recently articulated by Israel's own High Court of Justice. Civilians are not always innocent - indeed B'Tselem does not claim that any particular victim was "innocent." Nor do we say that all of these killings constitute a breach of relevant law – though in many of the specific cases that we investigated in 2006 we did reach this conclusion. The High Court simply reiterated that there are only two categories of people in international humanitarian law: combatants and non-combatants. Palestinian civilians who engage in hostilities do so illegally and it is Israel's responsibility to arrest and bring them to justice. Before CAMERA advocates defining Palestinian militants are combatants, they should understand that this would acknowledge their right to engage in combat against Israeli soldiers, and to be recognized as prisoners of war, rather than being prosecuted."</blockquote>''
B'Tselem describes itself as an independent NGO, "funded by contributions from foundations in [[Europe]] and [[North America]]... and by private individuals in Israel and abroad", and by the governments of some [[European Union|EU]] countries and the European Commission.<ref name="btdonors">{{cite web|url=http://www.btselem.org/english/About_BTselem/Donors.asp|title=List of donors to B'Tselem|publisher=B'Tselem|access-date=2 February 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100129065402/http://www.btselem.org/english/About_BTselem/Donors.asp| archive-date= 29 January 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>


According to B'Tselem's 2016 financial report, they had received NIS 9,549,286 in donations, of which NIS 4,665,144 was received from foreign governmental bodies.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 B'Tselem Financial Report|url=http://www.guidestar.org.il/vf_view_file?guid=e025038d79735b4-2b6752a42ad4a69f-8c66319cf0759eef0741e701e26bde462c38d74d33040d8457609ac05888f698-3538278af6b44226-912edcbc6ca736678|website=Guidestar}}</ref>
<gallery>
Image:Dsp_hPIM0125.jpg|September 21, 2003 - A boy squeezes through a section of the temporary separation wall in Abu Dis on which the abbreviation for Border Police is graffitied. The temporary wall has since been replaced by eight-meter high concrete slabs. Photo credit: Yehezkel Lein, B'Tselem
Image:Dsp_HPIM0074.jpg|August 19, 2003 - Plastic handcuffs on a detainee held at the Beit Furik checkpoint. Photo credit: Checkpoint Monitors Team, B'Tselem
Image:Dsp_arrest3.jpg|Demonstration of one of the forms of torture used in interrogations by the General Security Service, prior to the ruling by Israel's High Court in September 1999 outlawing physical force in interrogations. Photo credit: B'Tselem
Image:GroveWomen.jpg|June 20, 2005 - Mizhara Jabber, 75, in her olive grove in Hebron. On 18 June 2005, a group of settlers vandalized the grove, cutting down five old olive trees. Jabber's son filed a complaint with police that night, but they did not arrive at the site until the next day. Photo credit: Musa Abu Hashhash, B'Tselem
Image:BtsDiala.jpg|B'Tselem Video Department Member trains & distributes Digital Video Camcorder to a family in the South Hebron Hills ©B'Tselem 2007
Image:Btsresearch.jpg|July 2007. B'Tselem team conducting field research in the South Hebron Hills ©B'Tselem 2007


According to the [[New Israel Fund]]'s 2016 financial report, they transferred US$414,433 to B'Tselem over the course of the year.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 New Israel Fund Financial Statement|url=https://www.nif.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NIF-2016-Audited-Financial-Statements.pdf|website=New Israel Fund}}</ref>


==Reception==
</gallery>
Historian [[Mordechai Bar-On]] writes that B'Tselem's reports "frequently included ugly accounts of the behavior of Israeli security officials" and that Israelis "were often disturbed by these reports." At the same time, the Israeli media viewed the organization as "a reliable source of information" and their reports were in most cases proven to be accurate. Israeli military authorities also frequently turned to B'tselem to confirm the IDF's own information.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bar-On|first1=Mordechai|title=In Pursuit of Peace|publisher=USIP|isbn=978-1-878379-53-5|pages=243–245, 401|year=1996}}</ref><ref>'In one case the IDF chief of staff publicly challenged the numbers B'Tselem reported on Palestinian casualties, and subsequently apologized when he learned that his figures were wrong and B'tselem's report was correct. In later years the military authorities often asked B'tselem to confirm their own information.' [[Mordechai Bar-On]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi2QH5_x1pYC&pg=PA401 ''In Pursuit of Peace: A History of the Israeli Peace Movement,''] [[United States Institute of Peace|US Institute of Peace Press]] {{isbn|978-1-878-37953-5}} 1996 p.401 n.119</ref> It has also been called the best neutral source for incidents in the Palestinian territories.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=cmSSAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 'Information on Israeli human rights violations is highly politicized. B'tselem, the Israeli Information center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories is perhaps the best neutral source.'] Jack Donnelly, 'International human rights: unintended consequences of the war on terrorism,' in Margaret Crahan, John Goering, Thomas G. Weiss (eds.), ''The Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Human Rights, Unilateralism and US Foreign Policy,'' [[Routledge]], 2004 {{isbn|978-1-135-99507-2}} pp.98-111, p.110 n.10</ref>


Critics of B'Tselem, including the [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]], the [[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]], and [[Caroline B. Glick]], have challenged the accuracy of its reports, arguing that B'Tselem has at times classified Arab combatants and terrorists as civilian casualties.<ref name="sternthal">{{Cite news
==References==
|last=Sternthal
{{reflist}}
|first=Tamar
|title=Bending the truth
|work=[[Ynetnews]]
|access-date=26 September 2008
|date=24 September 2008
|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3601691,00.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925181327/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3601691%2C00.html
|archive-date=25 September 2008
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128086|title=Researcher Slams B'Tselem - Defense/Middle East - News - Arutz Sheva|work=Arutz Sheva|date=26 October 2008 }}</ref><ref>Amos Harel, [http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1031429.html מחקר: "בצלם" מפרסם מידע שגוי ומשמיט פרטים חיוניים], [[Haaretz]], 26 October 2008.</ref><ref name="Glick">{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Column-One-Agents-of-influence |title=Column One: Agents of influence |work=The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com |author=Caroline B. Glick |date=7 January 2011 |access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref> B'tselem has issued rebuttals to its critics.<ref name=Resp>B'Tselem Official written response to the CAMERA Organisation, Fax & Press Release, 22 August 2007</ref><ref name=Montell>Jessica Montell, [http://972mag.com/btselem-chief-caroline-glick-is-a-hack-journalist-who-parrots-any-drivel/ ''B’Tselem chief: "Caroline Glick a hack who parrots any drivel"''], [[+972 Magazine]], 21 January 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.btselem.org/statistics/casualties_clarifications "Explanation of statistics on fatalities"] from the B'Tselem website.</ref>

In 2011, Foreign Minister [[Avigdor Lieberman]] called for a parliamentary investigation of B'Tselem and other human rights organizations. In a speech to fellow members of his right-wing [[Yisrael Beiteinu]] ("Israel our home") party he said such groups "are clearly not concerned with human rights. They spread lies, they slander and incite against the state of Israel and against Israeli soldiers... Clearly these organizations are abetting terrorism and their only objective is to undermine Israel".<ref name="nrgbender">{{cite news|first=Arik|last=Bender|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/198/881.html|title=הוועדה הפרלמנטרית תחקור את בצלם, עדאלה ופרופיל חדש|trans-title=Parliamentary committee to investigate B'tselem, Adallah and New Profile|language=he|date=10 January 2011|access-date=15 June 2011|publisher=[[NRG (Maariv)]]|quote=ברור שהארגונים האלו לא עוסקים בזכויות אדם. הארגונים האלו מפיצים שקרים, מכפישים ומסיתים נגד מדינת ישראל ונגד חיילי צה"ל. מעולם, אף אחד מהארגונים האלו לא אמרו שישראל צדקה. ברור שמדובר בארגונים סייעני טרור נטו, שכל מטרתם להחליש את צה"ל." "שר החוץ אביגדור ליברמן יוצא במתקפה חריפה נגד ארגוני זכויות אדם ישראלים שיעמדו במרכז עבודתה של ועדת החקירה הפרלמנטרית שתקים הכנסת, וטען כי שורה של אי-סדרים כלכליים שלדבריו מאפיינים אותם עשויה להצביע על סיוע לפעילות טרור.}}</ref>

A response from the IDF from 1992 to a particular B'Tselem report on the activities of military undercover units remarked that "a large portion of the incidents cited are attributed to vague, anonymous sources – often rumors or stories gleaned from the press." The IDF letter added that B'Tselem's report "ignores the prevailing situation in the area, in which armed, hard-core terrorists, who do not adhere to any code of law, have engaged in terror attacks." At the same time, the IDF letter also acknowledged wrongdoing by military forces. In an incident that B'Tselem reported on at Idna, the IDF commented that a police investigation "found that an officer and several soldiers were apparently negligent in performing their duties and acted in an illegal manner." The IDF said it could not comment on some of the other cases from the B'Tselem report due to ongoing legal proceedings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Peace/MFADocuments/Pages/IDF%20ACTIVITIES%20AGAINST%20ARMED%20TERRORISTS%20IN%20JUDEA-.aspx |title=IDF Activities Against Armed Terrorists in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District |date=1 May 1992 |publisher=[[Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307152740/http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Peace/MFADocuments/Pages/IDF%20ACTIVITIES%20AGAINST%20ARMED%20TERRORISTS%20IN%20JUDEA-.aspx |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=11 January 2018 }}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Haaretz]]'' in 2009, [[Military Advocate General]] Brigadier General [[Avichai Mendelblit]] praised B'Tselem, saying that they help his office talk to witnesses and clarify complaints. He also said the organization "strives, like us, to investigate the truth".<ref>[https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.1281465 "הפרקליט הצבאי הראשי, תת אלוף אביחי מנדלבליט, מדבר על עופרת יצוקה, צ'יקו תמיר וגם על "בצלם (Military Advocate General, Brigadier General Avichai Mendelblit, Speaks on Cast Lead, Chico Tamir, and also on B'Tselem)], ''Haaretz'', 18 September 2009</ref><ref>[https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/1.2007388 הפצ"ר לשעבר אביחי מנדלבליט מונה למזכיר הממשלה (Former Military Advocate General Avichai Mendelblit Appointed to Cabinet Secretary)], ''Haaretz'', 29 April 2013</ref>

In 2010, [[Gerald Steinberg]] of [[NGO Monitor]], a critic of the organization, expressed admiration for B'Tselem's research capability, saying that "B'Tselem really does have a credible research capability, and even among serious critics like me who disagree with B'Tselem's political agenda, their research ability is acknowledged." Steinberg cautioned that the reliability of B'Tselem's testimony had not been tested in court, and that he would withhold judgement until it was.<ref name="IDF Recognizes">{{cite web |url=http://forward.com/news/129361/idf-recognizes-help-from-israeli-human-rights-grou/ |title=IDF Recognizes Help From Israeli Human Rights Group |first=Nathan |last=Jeffay |date=14 July 2010 |work=[[The Forward]] |access-date=17 January 2018 }}</ref> In 2014, NGO Monitor criticized B'Tselem's presentation of casualties in [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]] saying "B'Tselem presents what it terms 'initial' and 'preliminary' data, but these are inherently unverifiable and based solely on information from Palestinian sources in Hamas-controlled Gaza."<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/BTselems-Gaza-war-statistics-under-fire-by-right-wing-Israeli-groups-371590 B’TSELEM’S GAZA WAR STATISTICS UNDER FIRE], JPost, 20 August 2014</ref> In 2015, NGO Monitor said a B'Tselem report that accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law in the 2014 war against [[Hamas]], contained "major omissions and distortions" and failed to "present definitive evidence that would justify the allegations".<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/btselem-accuses-idf-of-violating-laws-of-war-in-gaza/ B’Tselem accuses IDF of violating laws of war in Gaza], 28 January 2015, Times of Israel, 28 January 2015]</ref> Later in 2015, Steinberg characterized B'Tselem as seeking to delegitimize the Israeli state and said that the organization was waging "a very dangerous form of warfare" against Israel.<ref>[https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4667051,00.html New legislation targets Israeli NGOs], [[YnetNews]], 6 October 2015</ref>

In response to a speech given by El-Ad to the [[United Nations Security Council]] urging the international community to take action against Israeli settlements,<ref>{{cite web |title=B'Tselem head urges Security Council to act now on settlements |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/un-discusses-settlements-includes-speeches-from-btselem-peace-now/ |access-date=27 October 2016 |website=[[Times of Israel]]}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] announced that he would work to ban national service volunteers from working in B'Tselem.<ref>{{cite web|title=Netanyahu supports end of national service volunteers working with B'Tselem|url=http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Netanyahu-calls-to-end-national-service-volunteers-working-with-BTselem-470189|website=Jerusalem Post|date=15 October 2016 |access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> The United States government said it was "troubled" by attacks by government officials on B'Tselem with State Department spokesman John Kirby saying that the U.S. "believe(s) that a free and unfettered civil society is a critical component of democracy... it is important that governments protect the freedoms of expression, and create an atmosphere where all voices can be heard."<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-troubled-by-attacks-on-rights-group-btselem/ | title=US 'troubled' by attacks on Israeli rights group B'Tselem| website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>

===''Uvda'' Investigation===
{{See also|Ezra Nawi#Uvda Investigation 2016}}

In January 2016, [[Channel 2 (Israel)]] broadcast footage of [[Ta'ayush]] activist [[Ezra Nawi]] boasting that he has worked together with B'Tselem activist Nasser Nawaj'ah, posing as a prospective Jewish purchaser of land owned by Palestinians, then provided the Palestinian National Security Forces with the names and telephone numbers of Palestinian land brokers willing to sell land to him. Nawi is both Jewish and Israeli, and the Palestinian legal code regards sale of land to Israelis as a capital offense. Nawi said such people are beaten and executed. In the recording, Nawi says "The Authority catches them and kills them. But before they kill them they beat them up."<ref name=Leftist>{{cite news|title=Israeli Leftist Taped Trying to Set Up Palestinians Who Seek to Sell Land to Jews|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.696313|access-date=14 January 2016|publisher=Haaretz|date=8 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/left-wing-israeli-says-he-helps-kill-palestinians-who-sell-land-to-jews/|title=Left-wing Israeli says he helps kill Palestinians who sell land to Jews|website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref><ref name=Kubovich>{{cite news|last1=Kubovich|first1=Yaniv|title=Police Make Airport Arrest of Left-wing Activist Who Turned Palestinians in to PA|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.696821|access-date=14 January 2016|publisher=Haaretz|date=11 January 2015}}</ref> No reports have confirmed that Nawi's actions brought about the execution of any Palestinians.


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Israel}}
*[[Hamoked]]
*[[Alternative information center]]
* [[Alternative information center]]
* [[Bustan (organization)|Bustan]]
*[[Bimkom]]
*[[Bustan]]
* [[HaMoked]]
* [[Human rights in Israel]]
*[[Meretz]]
* [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank]]
* [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
* [[Peace Now]]
* ''[[The Viewing Booth]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.btselem.org/ B'Tselem official homepage]
* {{Official website|https://www.btselem.org/}}
*[http://www.myspace.com/btselem B'Tselem official MySpace Video Project]
*[http://www.ngo-monitor.org/archives/infofile.htm#betselem NGO Monitor's criticisms of B'Tselem]
*Interview with Jessica Montell, executive director of B'Tselem, on [http://www.docsonline.tv DocsOnline]: search keyword type Jessica Montell. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUeVyaz__MY Preview]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS9oLc14myA Interview with Jessica Montell], executive director of B'Tselem, about side-effects of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Human rights bodies]]
[[Category:Human rights organizations based in Israel]]
[[Category:Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:B'tselem}}
[[de:B'Tselem]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Israel]]
[[he:בצלם]]
[[Category:Human rights organizations based in Israel]]
[[Category:Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1989]]

Latest revision as of 13:11, 1 December 2024

B'Tselem
Founded3 February 1989; 35 years ago (1989-02-03)
TypeNon-profit, NGO
FocusChanging Israeli policy in the occupied territories to protect and sustain Palestinian human rights[1]
HeadquartersJerusalem[1]
Area served
Palestinian territories[1][2]
Key people
Yuli Novak (Executive Director)
Employees38[3]
Websitewww.btselem.org

B'Tselem (Hebrew: בצלם, IPA: [beˈtselem]; transl. "In the Image [of God]") is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, combat any denial of the existence of such violations, and help to create a human rights culture in Israel.[1] It is currently headed by Yuli Novak, who took over in June 2023 from Hagai El-Ad, who had served as its director-general since May 2014.[3][4] B'Tselem also maintains a presence in Washington, D.C., where it is known as B'Tselem USA. The organization has provoked sharp reactions within Israel, ranging from harsh criticism to strong praise.

Overview

B'Tselem was established in February 1989 by a large group of Israeli lawyers, doctors and academics with the support of a lobby of ten members of Knesset. Its objective was to document human rights violations in the occupied territories (Gaza Strip and the West Bank), while being committed to the security and humanistic character of the State of Israel.[5] In the previous year, Israeli forces killed 311 Palestinians, of whom 53 were under the age of 17.[6] The killings occurred during a wave of Palestinian protest and rebellion in which 12 Israelis were also killed. The rebellion is referred to as the First Intifada.[7][8]

B'Tselem's funding comes from private individuals (both Israeli and foreign)[1] and European and North American foundations focusing on human rights.[1][9]

In 2014, B'Tselem stopped sending the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) complaints it received from Palestinians in Gaza about alleged IDF war crimes there. In 2016, B'Tselem also stopped sending the IDF complaints of alleged IDF war crimes in the West Bank because it alleged the IDF was whitewashing the complaints.[10]

In 2016, B'Tselem executive director Hagai El-Ad asked the UN to take action against Israel's settlements, which he said were compromising a peace agreement with the Palestinians.[11]

In a report published 12 January 2021, B'Tselem called Israel an "apartheid regime" devoted to Jewish supremacy and said the nation was no longer a democracy.[12] This follows a similar report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia released in 2017 that concluded that Israel is "guilty of the crime of apartheid".[13]

History

Several years before B'Tselem was founded, David Zucker, Knesset member for the Ratz party, began publishing information pages about several topics, including Israeli involvement in the territories. In late 1988, Zucker flew to the United States and there he met the head of the Human Rights First organization, Michael Posner, who offered him to form an "arranged organization" and Zucker began forming one using the $25,000 he was given in the U.S.[14]

B'Tselem was founded on 3 February 1989. The name comes from Genesis 1:27, which states that all mankind was created "b'tselem elohim" (in the image of God), which the organization says is in line with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all humans are equal in dignity and so deserve the same fundamental rights.[15] In December 1989, B'Tselem shared the Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize with the Palestinian group Al-Haq.[16][17]

Some of the key founders were:

In 2015 The Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler described the link between human rights groups and "political entities" in Israel as "at times... very blurry." He noted that after serving as director of B'Tselem, Zehava Gal-on directed the Meretz Party.[7]

Work

B'Tselem states that it is devoted to "documenting human rights violations that come under Israel's purview as the occupying power".[1] Between 1989 and 2020 B'Tselem has published 185 reports and position papers which can be accessed through their website. They currently produce 3–4 reports a year.[18]

Israel's land policies in Area C

In 2013, B'Tselem released a report called Acting the Landlord: Israeli Policy in Area C, the West Bank. It stated that Area C, comprising about 60% of the West Bank, is under full Israeli control, and stated:

Israel strictly limits Palestinian settlement, construction and development in Area C, while ignoring the needs of the Palestinian population. Palestinian residents are ... denied any legal avenue to build homes or develop their communities, so they face the constant fear that their homes might be demolished, and that they be expelled and lose their livelihood.

B'Tselem also stated that some parts of Area A and B only have available land in Area C for construction, which Israel forbids almost completely. Therefore, "Israel’s policy in Area C has ramifications for residents throughout the West Bank. The boundaries outlined for Areas A and B impose an artificial scarcity of land for some of the communities in these areas." B'Tselem accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law and international human rights law by its actions.[19][20][21]

View of Israel as an apartheid state

See also: Apartheid (crime) and Israeli apartheid

In January 2021, B'Tselem released a report characterizing Israel as an "apartheid" regime, a term the organization had hitherto only used in specific contexts, and which the Israeli government vehemently rejects. B'Tselem director Hagai El-Ad said of the report: "One of the key points in our analysis is that this is a single geopolitical area ruled by one government. This is not democracy plus occupation. This is apartheid between the river and the sea."[22]

Israel-Hamas War

Former B'Tselem board member, Vivian Silver, was killed in the Be'eri Massacre during the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.[23]

In October 2024, during Israel's siege of North Gaza, B'Tselem released a statement accusing Israel of ethnically cleansing North Gaza and urging the international community to stop the war.[24][25][26] B'tselem stated that the "magnitude of the crimes Israel is currently committing [...] is impossible to describe" and reported dire conditions in North Gaza including starvation, bombings, and lack of medical care.[27][28]

Board members

B'Tselem board members include:[29]

  • Orly Noy (chair)
  • Thair Abu Rass
  • Meir Amor
  • Smadar Ben Natan
  • Ido Blum
  • Ron Dudai
  • Elias Khouri
  • Vered Madar
  • Osama Tanous
  • Sawsan Zaher
  • David Zonsheine

Notable former board members include:

Staff

B'Tselem's executive director is Yuli Novak. In 2011, the group staff has 38 employees in a Research Department, a Data Coordination department, a communications department, and an administration department.[3] Field data research in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for B'Tselem was, until the Second Intifada, performed by Israeli Arabs. Data analysis and dissemination was conducted at the Jerusalem office. Because of restriction on entry to these areas for Israeli citizens, the Israeli Arab field workers were replaced with similarly qualified Palestinian Arabs who transmit research data to the office via fax or phone, sometimes negotiating checkpoints to reach the Jerusalem office for debriefings.[30]

Funding

B'Tselem describes itself as an independent NGO, "funded by contributions from foundations in Europe and North America... and by private individuals in Israel and abroad", and by the governments of some EU countries and the European Commission.[31]

According to B'Tselem's 2016 financial report, they had received NIS 9,549,286 in donations, of which NIS 4,665,144 was received from foreign governmental bodies.[32]

According to the New Israel Fund's 2016 financial report, they transferred US$414,433 to B'Tselem over the course of the year.[33]

Reception

Historian Mordechai Bar-On writes that B'Tselem's reports "frequently included ugly accounts of the behavior of Israeli security officials" and that Israelis "were often disturbed by these reports." At the same time, the Israeli media viewed the organization as "a reliable source of information" and their reports were in most cases proven to be accurate. Israeli military authorities also frequently turned to B'tselem to confirm the IDF's own information.[34][35] It has also been called the best neutral source for incidents in the Palestinian territories.[36]

Critics of B'Tselem, including the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and Caroline B. Glick, have challenged the accuracy of its reports, arguing that B'Tselem has at times classified Arab combatants and terrorists as civilian casualties.[37][38][39][40] B'tselem has issued rebuttals to its critics.[41][42][43]

In 2011, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for a parliamentary investigation of B'Tselem and other human rights organizations. In a speech to fellow members of his right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu ("Israel our home") party he said such groups "are clearly not concerned with human rights. They spread lies, they slander and incite against the state of Israel and against Israeli soldiers... Clearly these organizations are abetting terrorism and their only objective is to undermine Israel".[44]

A response from the IDF from 1992 to a particular B'Tselem report on the activities of military undercover units remarked that "a large portion of the incidents cited are attributed to vague, anonymous sources – often rumors or stories gleaned from the press." The IDF letter added that B'Tselem's report "ignores the prevailing situation in the area, in which armed, hard-core terrorists, who do not adhere to any code of law, have engaged in terror attacks." At the same time, the IDF letter also acknowledged wrongdoing by military forces. In an incident that B'Tselem reported on at Idna, the IDF commented that a police investigation "found that an officer and several soldiers were apparently negligent in performing their duties and acted in an illegal manner." The IDF said it could not comment on some of the other cases from the B'Tselem report due to ongoing legal proceedings.[45] In an interview with Haaretz in 2009, Military Advocate General Brigadier General Avichai Mendelblit praised B'Tselem, saying that they help his office talk to witnesses and clarify complaints. He also said the organization "strives, like us, to investigate the truth".[46][47]

In 2010, Gerald Steinberg of NGO Monitor, a critic of the organization, expressed admiration for B'Tselem's research capability, saying that "B'Tselem really does have a credible research capability, and even among serious critics like me who disagree with B'Tselem's political agenda, their research ability is acknowledged." Steinberg cautioned that the reliability of B'Tselem's testimony had not been tested in court, and that he would withhold judgement until it was.[48] In 2014, NGO Monitor criticized B'Tselem's presentation of casualties in 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict saying "B'Tselem presents what it terms 'initial' and 'preliminary' data, but these are inherently unverifiable and based solely on information from Palestinian sources in Hamas-controlled Gaza."[49] In 2015, NGO Monitor said a B'Tselem report that accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law in the 2014 war against Hamas, contained "major omissions and distortions" and failed to "present definitive evidence that would justify the allegations".[50] Later in 2015, Steinberg characterized B'Tselem as seeking to delegitimize the Israeli state and said that the organization was waging "a very dangerous form of warfare" against Israel.[51]

In response to a speech given by El-Ad to the United Nations Security Council urging the international community to take action against Israeli settlements,[52] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would work to ban national service volunteers from working in B'Tselem.[53] The United States government said it was "troubled" by attacks by government officials on B'Tselem with State Department spokesman John Kirby saying that the U.S. "believe(s) that a free and unfettered civil society is a critical component of democracy... it is important that governments protect the freedoms of expression, and create an atmosphere where all voices can be heard."[54]

Uvda Investigation

See also: Ezra Nawi § Uvda Investigation 2016

In January 2016, Channel 2 (Israel) broadcast footage of Ta'ayush activist Ezra Nawi boasting that he has worked together with B'Tselem activist Nasser Nawaj'ah, posing as a prospective Jewish purchaser of land owned by Palestinians, then provided the Palestinian National Security Forces with the names and telephone numbers of Palestinian land brokers willing to sell land to him. Nawi is both Jewish and Israeli, and the Palestinian legal code regards sale of land to Israelis as a capital offense. Nawi said such people are beaten and executed. In the recording, Nawi says "The Authority catches them and kills them. But before they kill them they beat them up."[55][56][57] No reports have confirmed that Nawi's actions brought about the execution of any Palestinians.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "About B'Tselem". B'Tselem. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  2. ^ "A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid". B'Tselem. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "B'Tselem's Staff". B'Tselem. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Yuli Novak – B'Tselem's new executive director". B'Tselem. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ Talmor, Ronny (July 1990). The Use of Firearms by the Security Forces in the Occupied Territories. Translated by Ralph Mandel. B'Tselem. ISSN 0792-4003. Back cover.
  6. ^ Afflerbach, Holger; Strachan, Hew (26 July 2012). How Fighting Ends: A History of Surrender. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-969362-7.
  7. ^ a b Kessler, Glenn (20 March 2015). "Netanyahu's claim that 'tens of millions' in foreign money was aimed against him". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  8. ^ Fairbanks, Eve (12 March 2015). "The battle to be Israel's conscience". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 August 2015. The group's employees have always identified with the Israeli left
  9. ^ "Total reported funding 2018". Financial Tracking Service, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy (25 May 2016). "B'Tselem cuts ties with IDF over 'whitewashing'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Leftist MK: By going to UN, B'Tselem helps 'demonization of Israel'". The Times of Israel.
  12. ^ "A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This Is Apartheid". B'Tselem. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  13. ^ Falk, Richard; Tilley, Virginia (March 2017). "Israeli Practices Towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid". Palestine and the Israeli Occupation (1). UN Economic and Social Commission on West Asia. Retrieved 23 January 2021 – via ResearchGate.
  14. ^ Lori, Aviva (26 August 2002). "מחפשים את "בצלם"". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  15. ^ "B'Tselem Brochure" (PDF). B'Tselem. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  16. ^ "A Peace Organization Making Peace Around The World - Carter Center". Archived from the original on 12 December 2010.
  17. ^ "Carter-Menil Rights Award For Israeli and Arab Groups". The New York Times. Reuters. 16 November 1989.
  18. ^ "Publications". www.btselem.org. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Acting the Landlord: Israeli Policy in Area C, the West Bank" (PDF). B'Tselem. June 2013.
  20. ^ "ANNEX 4 of the Commission Implementing Decision on the Annual Action Plan 2014 for Palestine" (PDF). European Commission. 2014.
  21. ^ Crookston, Martin (2017). "Echoes of Empire: British Mandate planning in Palestine and its influence in the West Bank today". Planning Perspectives. 32 (1): 87–98. Bibcode:2017PlPer..32...87C. doi:10.1080/02665433.2016.1213183. S2CID 151586867.
  22. ^ Krauss, Joseph (20 April 2021). "Leading human rights group calls Israel an 'apartheid' state". AP News. The Associated Press. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, feared to be held hostage, confirmed killed in Hamas attacks". CBC News. 13 November 2023. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Photos and videos show devastation of Israel's assault on northern Gaza". NBC News. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  25. ^ Tharoor, Ishaan (25 October 2024). "Is Israel carrying out de facto ethnic cleansing?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 October 2024.
  26. ^ Mraffko, Clothilde (14 November 2024). "In northern Gaza, the workings of 'ethnic cleansing'". Le Monde. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  27. ^ "The world must stop the ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza". B'Tselem. 22 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Israel is ethnically cleansing north Gaza, says B'Tselem". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  29. ^ Board members, B'Tselem.
  30. ^ Hausman, Tamar (17 July 2001). "B'Tselem chooses its first Anglo director". Haaretz.
  31. ^ "List of donors to B'Tselem". B'Tselem. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  32. ^ "2016 B'Tselem Financial Report". Guidestar.
  33. ^ "2016 New Israel Fund Financial Statement" (PDF). New Israel Fund.
  34. ^ Bar-On, Mordechai (1996). In Pursuit of Peace. USIP. pp. 243–245, 401. ISBN 978-1-878379-53-5.
  35. ^ 'In one case the IDF chief of staff publicly challenged the numbers B'Tselem reported on Palestinian casualties, and subsequently apologized when he learned that his figures were wrong and B'tselem's report was correct. In later years the military authorities often asked B'tselem to confirm their own information.' Mordechai Bar-On, In Pursuit of Peace: A History of the Israeli Peace Movement, US Institute of Peace Press ISBN 978-1-878-37953-5 1996 p.401 n.119
  36. ^ 'Information on Israeli human rights violations is highly politicized. B'tselem, the Israeli Information center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories is perhaps the best neutral source.' Jack Donnelly, 'International human rights: unintended consequences of the war on terrorism,' in Margaret Crahan, John Goering, Thomas G. Weiss (eds.), The Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Human Rights, Unilateralism and US Foreign Policy, Routledge, 2004 ISBN 978-1-135-99507-2 pp.98-111, p.110 n.10
  37. ^ Sternthal, Tamar (24 September 2008). "Bending the truth". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  38. ^ "Researcher Slams B'Tselem - Defense/Middle East - News - Arutz Sheva". Arutz Sheva. 26 October 2008.
  39. ^ Amos Harel, מחקר: "בצלם" מפרסם מידע שגוי ומשמיט פרטים חיוניים, Haaretz, 26 October 2008.
  40. ^ Caroline B. Glick (7 January 2011). "Column One: Agents of influence". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  41. ^ B'Tselem Official written response to the CAMERA Organisation, Fax & Press Release, 22 August 2007
  42. ^ Jessica Montell, B’Tselem chief: "Caroline Glick a hack who parrots any drivel", +972 Magazine, 21 January 2011
  43. ^ "Explanation of statistics on fatalities" from the B'Tselem website.
  44. ^ Bender, Arik (10 January 2011). "הוועדה הפרלמנטרית תחקור את בצלם, עדאלה ופרופיל חדש" [Parliamentary committee to investigate B'tselem, Adallah and New Profile] (in Hebrew). NRG (Maariv). Retrieved 15 June 2011. ברור שהארגונים האלו לא עוסקים בזכויות אדם. הארגונים האלו מפיצים שקרים, מכפישים ומסיתים נגד מדינת ישראל ונגד חיילי צה"ל. מעולם, אף אחד מהארגונים האלו לא אמרו שישראל צדקה. ברור שמדובר בארגונים סייעני טרור נטו, שכל מטרתם להחליש את צה"ל." "שר החוץ אביגדור ליברמן יוצא במתקפה חריפה נגד ארגוני זכויות אדם ישראלים שיעמדו במרכז עבודתה של ועדת החקירה הפרלמנטרית שתקים הכנסת, וטען כי שורה של אי-סדרים כלכליים שלדבריו מאפיינים אותם עשויה להצביע על סיוע לפעילות טרור.
  45. ^ "IDF Activities Against Armed Terrorists in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 May 1992. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
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  47. ^ הפצ"ר לשעבר אביחי מנדלבליט מונה למזכיר הממשלה (Former Military Advocate General Avichai Mendelblit Appointed to Cabinet Secretary), Haaretz, 29 April 2013
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  49. ^ B’TSELEM’S GAZA WAR STATISTICS UNDER FIRE, JPost, 20 August 2014
  50. ^ B’Tselem accuses IDF of violating laws of war in Gaza, 28 January 2015, Times of Israel, 28 January 2015]
  51. ^ New legislation targets Israeli NGOs, YnetNews, 6 October 2015
  52. ^ "B'Tselem head urges Security Council to act now on settlements". Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  53. ^ "Netanyahu supports end of national service volunteers working with B'Tselem". Jerusalem Post. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  54. ^ "US 'troubled' by attacks on Israeli rights group B'Tselem". The Times of Israel.
  55. ^ "Israeli Leftist Taped Trying to Set Up Palestinians Who Seek to Sell Land to Jews". Haaretz. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  56. ^ "Left-wing Israeli says he helps kill Palestinians who sell land to Jews". The Times of Israel.
  57. ^ Kubovich, Yaniv (11 January 2015). "Police Make Airport Arrest of Left-wing Activist Who Turned Palestinians in to PA". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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