In The Knesset

Overview of Anti Democratic Legislation (updated October 2018)

ACRI’s policy advocacy department is dedicated to monitoring and advising on proposed bills in the Knesset to ensure the civil and political rights of all individuals are equally considered and protected. ACRI works to reduce infringements of human rights in bills and government policies, while initiating and supporting legislation that protects civil liberties and freedoms. ACRI’s work in the Knesset puts human rights issues on the public agenda and keeps decision makers informed via professional position papers and participation in Knesset committee discussions and related public forums.

Court Translation Services: Failures and Proposals for Improvement

Photo: Wix About half of Israel's residents—Arabs, immigrants, etc.—belong to minority groups where Hebrew is not the dominant language. There are also thousands of people who do not speak Hebrew who live in Israel, including Palestinians, migrant workers, tourists, refugees and asylum seekers, etc. When those who do not speak Hebrew fluently, or at all, need to go to court, translation services is necessary in the administration of justice and ensuring their right to access

3 hours ago3 min read

Meet the 2025 Recipients of the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award

Every year, the Association for Civil Rights awards the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award to a person or organization that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of human rights in Israel. These are the recipients of the 2025 award: Jack Khoury. Photo: Rami Shllush, Haaretz Jack Khoury , journalist for Haaretz and news director of Radio A-Shams. For two decades, Khoury has consistently and persistently called for human rights and equality, and for mediation

1 day ago2 min read

More Supervision Needed for Health Clinics in East Jerusalem

Photo: © Irinayeryomina | Dreamstime.com On July 14, 2025, ACRI submitted an appeal to the Ministry of Health and the Jerusalem Municipality on behalf of the Forum for Health Equality in East Jerusalem with an urgent demand for thorough inspections to be carried out at health fund clinics in East Jerusalem, which are usually run by franchisees. This appeal is in response to data we collected through freedom of information requests and a statistical analysis of the data, which

7 days ago2 min read

Time to Get Moving

October 27, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Photo: © Martin Haas | Dreamstime.com Dear friend, We are thrilled to see a halt to the war and the return of the living hostages, and are hopeful that the ceasefire will continue to hold. We know that the process of rebuilding, justice, and accountability will take years. This war has cost so many lives, and ground down so much of the work we had done to preserve human rights. Now the process of rehabilitation for the people,

Oct 283 min read

Illegal Blockage of the Entrance to the Village of Fureidis

Fureidis. © Yoav Sinai | Dreamstime.com On the afternoon of October 24, 2025, the police placed a concrete barrier at the entrance to the village of Fureidis, home to approximately 15,000 people, completely blocking the eastern entrance to the village. According to a news report, the barrier was installed following complaints by the residents of nearby Zikhron Ya’akov to the Minister of National Security regarding gunfire, to which the Minister responded by instructing the P

Oct 272 min read

Stop Settler Violence that Leads to the Expulsion and Displacement of Palestinian Communities

A military vehicle and property damage in a community's residential compound in the Ramallah District. Photo: Muhannad Anati, ACRI Since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, expulsions and displacements of Palestinian communities (especially smaller and more vulnerable communities) in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley have increased. This is the result of harassment and violence by settlers, including: blocking access to grazing lands, harassment, threats, and violence.

Oct 266 min read

Police Violence at the Tel Aviv Derby

Illustrative. © Arhivafoto15 | Dreamstime.com On October 19, 2025, a soccer match was scheduled to take place between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv (the Derby). The police decided to cancel the match a few minutes before it was due to start, after pyrotechnics were thrown from the stands of Hapoel Tel Aviv fans, some of which hit police officers and other fans. The fans were asked to disperse, but from the moment they left the stadium, the police acted with arbitrary

Oct 231 min read

The Plan to Reclassify Prisoners as Security Prisoners

© Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com On October 20, 2025, ACRI contacted the legal advisors to the government, the Israel Prison Service (IPS), and the Ministry of National Security, following media reports about plans to reclassify anyone incarcerated for remaining in the country illegally from criminal prisoners to security prisoners. The appeal warns against the harmful implications of the new policy and requests that this change not move forward. In the appeal, Attorney Ni

Oct 212 min read

Rolling Back Protections for Migrant Workers

Illustrative. Foreign workers in Tel Aviv. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok Since the outbreak of the war, there has been a rollback of protections regarding the recruitment and employment of migrant workers in Israel. Three government decisions concerning the commerce and services sector are one area in which it is apparent that these protections, which were won after decades of intense work, are being removed. The three government decisions defined the "commerce and servi

Oct 193 min read

Let Gaza City's Hospitals Stay Put, Stay Open, and Stay Safe

Illustrative. Destruction in Shejayia, Gaza City. Photo: © Taitharris | Dreamstime.com ACRI, together with Physicians for Human Rights,...

Sep 252 min read

Reopen the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing

Sep 252 min read

Remove Movement Restrictions Imposed on Hebron's Palestinian Residents

Sep 202 min read

Time for Some Good News. Together, We Can Make History

September 18, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Dear friend, I am happy and proud to share that today, after a decade...

Sep 182 min read

Shin Bet's Involvement in Criminal Investigations Weakens Democracy

Wix media On September 18, 2025, ACRI sent a petition to the Attorney General following the recent expansion of the involvement of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in investigating suspected criminal incidents by framing them as terrorist events. For instance, several months ago the Shin Bet was involved in investigating an incident in which marine flares were set off in Caesarea; in recent weeks there have been reports that the Shin Bet is involved in investigating susp

Sep 172 min read

Not Winning Any Popularity Contests

September 17, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Dear friend, I would not recommend human rights work to anyone seeking...

Sep 172 min read

We Are a Team. Stand With Us

9/16/2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI After a night of explosions in Gaza, we awoke to another horrific morning in the...

Sep 162 min read

The Supreme Court Rules: Prisoners Cannot Be Starved

September 11, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter ...to ensure that the minimum standards that the state owes to every person held by it,...

Sep 113 min read

Allow the Displaced to Return to Refugee Camps in the Northern West Bank

Illustrative. Boy in the Jenin refugee camp. Photo: © Richard Juilliart | Dreamstime.com On September 11, 2025, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition on behalf of the residents of the Jenin and Nur al-Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank, who were evacuated from their homes as part of Operation Iron Wall. The petition states that tens of thousands of residents of the refugee camps, including children, women, and the elderly, were suddenly and f

Sep 92 min read

Declaring a Closed Military Zone Near the IDF Chief of Staff's Home

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok On September 7, 2025, the media reported that following anti-war...

Sep 92 min read

Back to School?

September 9, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Dear friend, September is here, which means it is time for back-to-school. School in...

Sep 83 min read

Discrimination in Urban Planning

Aug 312 min read

Gaza City Residents Have Been Told to Evacuate-But They Have Nowhere to Go

A displaced persons camp in the Al-Muasi area, Khan Yunis. Photo: Doaa Albaz, Activestills After the army announced that those residing...

Aug 282 min read

Hundreds of East Jerusalem Children Have Been Left Without Schools

Illustrative (archive). Children taking the bus to school in Ras Khamis, 2014. Photo: ACRI In April 2025, Israel closed the UNRWA schools...

Aug 272 min read

Anti-War Messages Cannot be Banned from the Haifa Pride Parade

Haifa Pride Parade, 2024. Photo: @Rndmst | Dreamstime.com On August 19, 2025, before the Pride parade was scheduled to take place in...

Aug 242 min read

Open an Investigation Against the Commander of the Central Command for War Crimes

Illustrative (archive): Uprooting trees in the West Bank in preparation for the construction of the separation fence. © Rrodrickbeiler |...

Aug 242 min read

Revoke the New Amendment to the Citizenship Law

Photo: © Georgy Dzyura | Dreamstime.com At the end of the last Knesset session the Knesset quickly passed an amendment to the...

Aug 192 min read

Mounted Police Should Not be Used as Crowd Control for Demonstrations

Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok On August 18, 2025 ACRI petitioned the Supreme Court demanding that the police be prohibited from using...

Aug 182 min read

Allow Residents of the Northern West Bank to Return to their Homes

Soldiers in Jenin, January 2025. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit, (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia In January 2025, the army launched a military operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, an operation that was later expanded to additional refugee camps. The operation resulted in extensive destruction of buildings, roads, and infrastructure; the blocking of access routes; and the closure of businesses, institutions providing essential services, as well as pharmacies and med

Aug 184 min read

The Road of Death

Part of the dangerous road section. Photo: ACRI On August 16, 2025, ACRI approached the Civil Administration demanding that it maintain traffic safety measures and enforcement on the Eastern Ring Road (Road 4370), in the section between the villages of Anata and Az-Za'eem. This section of the road is frequently used by Palestinians traveling between the major cities in the West Bank: Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron. Nonetheless, it lacks basic safety standards: lanes and shou

Aug 162 min read

Banks Cannot Garnish Income Guarantee Allowances

Photo: © Rene Van Den Berg | Dreamstime.com Israeli law prohibits the garnishment of pensions for the payment of debts, except when it...

Aug 111 min read

Settler Violence and Community Expulsions: Amicus Curiae Request

Photo: © Hafakot | Dreamstime.com On August 10, 2025, ACRI submitted a request to the Supreme Court to join as a friend of the court...

Aug 102 min read

Backlash from Local Governments Against Artists for Expressing their Political Opinions

Photo: © Steve Estvanik | Dreamstime.com After hundreds of artists signed a petition calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and...

Aug 51 min read

Ignored Appeals from Evacuated Residents of Sderot

Photo: Gali Bessido, Shatil-Stok On February 2, 2025, the Association for Civil Rights submitted a petition to the Ministry of Tourism on...

Aug 32 min read

"No Starvation in Gaza"? Facts and Figures

The body of a baby in Khan Younis, July 19, 2025. Photo: Doaa Albaz, Activestills Since the beginning of the war, professional and...

Jul 317 min read

Repeal the New Citizenship Law

ACRI, the Center for the Protection of the Individual, and Physicians for Human Rights petitioned the Supreme Court on April 25, 2022, on...

Jul 314 min read

Equal Opportunity in Land Tenders

Katzir. Photo: Public Domain, Wikimedia On July 28, 2025, ACRI approached the Attorney General, the Accountant General at the Ministry of...

Jul 301 min read

Grant an Extension for Iran War Evacuees to Remain in Hotels

The scene of an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, June 2025. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-Stock In the outline regarding evacuation and...

Jul 282 min read

A Moral Reckoning

July 27, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Displaying photos of children killed in Gaza. Photo: J. Ron, Shatil-stok Dear friend, For...

Jul 272 min read

What I Saw at the Supreme Court

July 24, 2025 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter ACRI at the Supreme Court, July 17, 2025. Photo: Gili Meisler, ACRI Dear friend, ACRI's work...

Jul 243 min read

Revoke the "Shikli Framework" for Land Ownership Claims in Negev Bedouin Communities

Jul 232 min read

A Demand to Pay a Fee to Set Up an Information Booth in Modiin

BANKI information booth (archive). Photo: dovblog, CC BY-SA 2.0, Flickr ACRI contacted the Modiin-Maccabim-Reut Municipality on July 13,...

Jul 191 min read

Stop the Ethnic Cleansing and Expulsion of West Bank Palestinian Communities

Illegal settlement, 2015. Photo: © Rita Phessas | Dreamstime.com Over the past three years, ever since the current government began its...

Jul 103 min read

Probable Arson in the Evacuated Nur a-Shams Refugee Camp in the West Bank

Property on fire in the Nur a-Shams refugee camp (screenshot from the refugee camp's Facebook page) On July 10, 2025, ACRI contacted...

Jul 92 min read

Legal Representation During Interrogations of Minors or Suspects with Intellectual Disabilities

Photo: @ Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com A new bill in the Knesset seeks to regulate the right to legal representation during...

Jul 92 min read

Patients, Staff, and Supplies Must Have Access to Nasser Hospital in Gaza

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, December 2023. Photo: Mohammed Zaanoun, Activestills Nasser hospital is the last functioning medical...

Jul 73 min read

Illegal and Violent Conduct of Haifa Municipality Inspectors Against Protesters

Antiwar protest (illustrative). Photo: Orna Naor, Shatil-stok On June 29, 2025, ACRI approached the Haifa Municipality and police...

Jun 292 min read

Thanks to ACRI, the Jerusalem Municipality will Repair the Road it Destroyed in Ras Hamis

The destroyed road. Photo courtesy of the residents On June 24, 2025, police and officials from the Jerusalem municipality arrived at the...

Jun 292 min read

Remove a Violent Settler from the West Bank and Ensure Palestinian Farmers are Protected

View of Jordan Valley (photo is not connected to the events in this article). Photo: © Vladimir Blinov | Dreamstime.com On June 29,...

Jun 282 min read

Unlawful Strip Searches of Female Protesters

Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok (the individuals pictured are not connected to the events described in this post) On June 25, 2025, we...

Jun 262 min read

Police Harassment of Arabic-Speaking Journalists

Illustrative. Photo: @ Dmytro Dudchenko | Dreamstime.com On June 23, 2025, ACRI and the I’lam Media Center-The Arab Center for Media...

Jun 252 min read