ifda dossier 74 - Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

citizens' associations who operate legally in
their countries and are internationally
respected. questioned.
In short. the purpose behind the law is to
facilitate actions to weaken and intimidate
tlic Arab sector. An emphasis is placed on
the source of property as opposed to ils
application so that it is irrelevant, for
instance, whether a donation received is to
be used for purchasing weapons or garbage
trucks. Increased administrative powers are
given to executive bodies such as the police
and taken away from the courts, so that
powers can be exercised arbitrarily. out of
the public eye, and without regard for the
principles of justice. Set in the context of
increasing anti-Arab racism in the country,
this law is an indication of a paranoic and
anti-democratic climate in which tlic Pales-
tinians. now 18% of the population, and
those among the .Iewish population who
dare to support their rights, are victimized.
7 ,
I lie campiiign agiiinst the Law
As soon as the new measures were announced
in May of this year, the Arab nonprofit
associations began to organise a
campaign against the bill. Seeing this as a
contravention of the basic principles of
justice, equality and human rights, as well
as feeling our existence threatened, the
I IRA was anlongthe initiators of the camp:iign
and is working intensively on tlic
issue.
Almost 60 Arab and 30 Jewish non-profit
associations have taken part in the campiign.
attending meetings, signing petitions
or taking an active part in the action conniittee
which has been formed to initiate
and co-ordinate activities. All the Arab nonprofit
associations which can be located
have been contacted and invited to participate.
The local Hebrew, Arabic and
Hnglish press h;ivc been following the issue.
Members of the Knesset have been lobbied
intensively; :~ll six Arah members have
attended one or more of the meetings and
have spoken out against the bill. Representatives
have visited the Knesset on several
occasions and have spoken to members of
all parties. including the Knesset Constitutional
Law and Justice Committee who are
currently considering the bill.
The campaign has also been active overseas;
several of the European associations who
fund projects here have [:]ken up the issue
and the International Co-ordinating Comniittec
for NGOs on the Question of Palestine
has asked all NGOs the protest to the
Israeli government. The Inlcmational
Commission of Jurists and the EEC are
also taking action.
(///U - Human Rigl~ts Association, FOB
215, Nazareth 16101, hrarl)
- -
Refugees in the world: The European
Comn~unily response is the ~itle of an Iniernational
Co~iference on Refups, Drvcloj)rnctlt
Cooperation and Human Rig111.s to take
place in The JJugm; The Netherlands, on 7-
8 December. The objective of the Conference
is to formulate policy recommendations for
the EEC and its members, and it may adopt
a Charter on Refugees. Soine 120 people are
expected from both North and South including
researchers, policy makers and citiiens'
b~oups. The organizers are the Dutch Refugee
Council and SIM, the Netherlands Institute
of Human Rights (SIM, Bootlwaat 6, 3.712
BW IJtreeht, The Netherlands).
0 The International Solidarity Ne~work of
Wometi J,i~-i~ig Under Muslim Law.s'j);.tblishes
an occasion(11 Dossier as an informal networking
tool aiming at providing in formation
about li~ses and sqqjcs and strategies of
women in Muslim communities and countries
all fiver the world. Two such Dossiers (?3
and 1f-f) have just appeared. ?3 has a large
section on l'akistan and each issue offers a
resource itidex (organisafions, projects, books
and journals). The cost of each is FFR 60
(Combaillai~x, 34980 SaintGlfydu-l-'esc,
France).