B'Tselem

B'Tselem: "in the likeness / image of..." I'm not one for religion, but it makes sense in the Holy Land to name an Israeli information and human rights organization B'Tselem. Even if we weren't created, we are so very alike, so very human.

B'Tselem was started in the 80s and was initially focused on gathering information about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. Clearly, there is a grave need for an organization to document the violations, but B'Tselem also engages in advocacy work--taking their reports to journalists, Israeli and international politicians, other organizations, groups, etc. The organization understands itself as an Israeli organization that aims to hold its government accountable to international humanitarian and human rights law. And while their work may be on the margins of Israeli society, it is at the heart of true democracy. I want to focus on a particular project that is relatively recent, running for only the last year and a half. I'm going to quote directly from their website:

"In January 2007, B'Tselem launched "Shooting Back", a video advocacy project focusing on the Occupied Territories. We provide Palestinians living in high-conflict areas with video cameras, with the goal of bringing the reality of their lives under occupation to the attention of the Israeli and international public, exposing and seeking redress for violations of human rights." Check out some of their footage and more about them on their website.

The director of the video department at B'Tselem said that he has over a thousand hours of video from the one hundred families around the Occupied Territories who have cameras. You can check out some videos here.

Did anyone see/hear/read about the young man at a protest against the wall in Ni'lin who was shot from a just one meter away by an Israeli soldier? Of course, the most "moral" army in the world used a bullet that was coated in rubber. Did I mention that the young man was bound and blind folded, his arm held by another soldier? See for yourself .It's shocking, right? But it's not uncommon. This blatant disregard for human beings...it happens here all the time. The only difference between this and the other tens of thousands of times is that this one you can see. The testimonies haven't been enough, but who can argue with video evidence?

I think the project is brilliant. It's about time we were just the slightest shocked or even outraged about this occupation. As B'Tselem pointed out, international law allows for occupation, BUT there are laws that dictate how the occupier must rule and Israel violates those in every possible way. They (and I here) are not saying occupation is good or right, but their work is arguing that the occupying power must respect human rights. To date, Israel only violates them, but maybe with Palestinians "shooting back" that will change, even if only a little. In the meantime, I take my hat off to B'Tselem!