Condemning the closedown of Al-Aqsa* foundation and confiscating its belongings:
Meezaan Center: The Israeli Security Agency (Shen Bet) has been revealed as a tool for seizing the Arab minority’s hopes and aspirations
Assisted by an administrative command signed by security minister Ehud Barak, hundreds of police, army and security service members have last Sunday’s morning closed down the headquarters of Al-Aqsa foundation in Um al-Fahem, after seizing numerous documents and achieves, as well as sums of money contributed by thousands of children to the foundation.
This operation came only one week after Al-Aqsa foundation revealed documents that indicate future settling plans in Jerusalem by the Israeli state, aiming to damage the holy places in the city, in addition to the foundation’s continues documentation of Israeli violations against holy places, particularly the secret diggings under al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Meezaan Center for Human Rights (Nazareth) condemns the arbitrary use of authorized power entitled by emergency commands, which is naturally contradicting the democracy that the security agency claims to be faithfully protecting.
We at MCHR have been recently hearing the statements of the Shen Bet and their “vigilance” in keeping the state’s Jewish character, through an investigation campaign that has involved many individuals and institutions that belong to various parties in the Arab sector. This campaign -according to their claim- aims to fight every tendency and opinion that doesn’t comply with the definition of the state (being the state of the Jews) according to the security agency’s view.
MCHR considers this administrative closedown that depended on no trial procedures, a method that has apparently become a policy, and therefore, the Israeli institution
has crossed a red line in treating the Arab minority, and through this policy the state practices repression and racial suppression that has to be opposed and fought.
The security theory that has been promoted to be a sacred cow has been exploited by the government for oppressing and restraining the Arab minority. This has become very apparent realizing the government’s unjustified use of emergency laws, and the timing of the closedown operation, which has been carried out directly after Al-Aqsa feast last Friday, besides the statements of the government itself in many occasions, all of which turn the Israeli institution to be the accused who has to prove his innocence.
The issue of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque has become the mirror that reflects the plans of the Israeli institution towards the total collective issues of the Arab minority, since whatever this issue turns to will undoubtedly be reflected on the other critical issues that form the whole Palestinian struggle inside Israel.
Hence, MCHR sees that the major risk on democracy and human rights and the freedom of our Arab society lies within the arrogant and racist approach that has recently become accepted and even fashionable among the administrators of the Israeli institution, which represents a flagrant threat to our society and the whole democratic and humanitarian values.
Meezaan Center for Human Rights
www.meezaan.org
* Al-Aqsa foundation is active inside the state of Israel and it works on reserving the Islamic and Christian holy buildings and places, as well as documenting the violations against such holy places, focusing largely on the city of Jerusalem
