Human & Civil Rights
Equality for Every Citizen and Human Rights for All
NIFC works to realize Israel’s founding ideal of complete equality for all Israeli citizens, and to protect the human rights of all under Israeli authority – including asylum seekers, migrant workers, and Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
Over the past decade, respect in Israel for democracy and human rights has declined, both among government leaders and many segments of the public. Israel’s world ranking according to measures of rights and freedoms continues to fall.
Our strategies for this issue focus on reversing restrictions on freedom of speech and expression, which underpin vibrant public debate on all issues. A second focus aims to end over 50 years of occupation by keeping the issue on the public agenda, even when it is unpopular.
Examples of recently-funded projects include the Association for Civil Rights in Israel’s legal defense for victims of economic discrimination, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel’s medical clinic for asylum seekers and refugees, and Ir Amim’s monitoring of Palestinian human rights in East Jerusalem.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
Litigation and Media Outreach to Protect and Defend Human and Social Rights in Israel
ACRI is the leading organization protecting human and social rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This year, safeguarding human rights in Israel is especially important following a year of attacks on democracy and civil liberties by the extremist Israeli government, attacks which have only intensified since October 7 and the consequent state of emergency. In 2024, this project will offer education and legal guidance to potentially hundreds of thousands of Israelis through ACRI’s hotline and legal assistance.
Breaking the Silence
Educating Young People on the Occupation
Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military. They work to stimulate public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers rule over a civilian population and control Palestinians’ everyday lives. For most young Jewish Israelis, discussion of the occupation is absent from Israel’s education system; military service will be their first encounter with Palestinian and the reality of the occupation. In 2024, this project will educate students and educators about human rights in the Occupied Territories in both formal and informal settings, such as youth group chapters and high schools.
FakeReporter
Exposing the Mechanisms Behind Malicious Online Activity
FakeReporter exposes malicious online activity aimed at democratic systems, inauthentic influence campaigns, fraud, hate speech, incitement, conspiracies, and lies. FakeReporter exposes the mechanisms and actors behind online malicious activity, assists activists and organizations under attack, increases the accountability of tech companies and involvement of civil servants, as well as provides real time crisis response. In 2024, this project will research online malicious activity, assist victims suffering harassment, and publish information for the public and authorities.
Yesh Din
Law Enforcement on Settler Violence
FakeReporter exposes malicious online activity aimed at democratic systems, inauthentic influence campaigns, fraud, hate speech, incitement, conspiracies, and lies. FakeReporter exposes the mechanisms and actors behind online malicious activity, assists activists and organizations under attack, increases the accountability of tech companies and involvement of civil servants, as well as provides real time crisis response. In 2024, this project will research online malicious activity, assist victims suffering harassment, and publish information for the public and authorities.
Raising Awareness of Settler Violence Through Documentation
On the same night that Israeli and international media zeroed in on the violent attacks in Amsterdam against Jewish Israeli soccer fans, extremist Jewish Israeli settlers were violently attacking Palestinians more than 2,500 miles away. NIF grantees and NIFC project...
Blocking Settler Violence With “Protective Presence”
With the ongoing, devastating war in Gaza and the threat of all-out war with Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border, many in the diaspora and Israel have not been focused on the dramatic rise in settler violence. According to NIFC project partner Yesh Din, 2023 was...
Pushing the Boulder Uphill Together: Reflections from Israel and the West Bank by a Naomi Chazan Fellow
Naomi Chazan Fellows and staff with former NIF President Prof. Naomi Chazan. My name is Syvanne Avitzur, and I am a 2024 Naomi Chazan Fellow, a New Generations Leadership Council Member, and a newly appointed board member of the New Israel Fund of Canada. This summer,...
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