Everyone Deserves Protection
- Noa Sattath
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
6/17/2025
Dear friend,
Thank you to everyone who has reached out in the past few days to check in. During such difficult and stressful times, it is extraordinarily encouraging to hear from friends and partners around the world. The other night there was a direct hit very close to ACRI’s Tel Aviv office (no staff were in the building at the time). We don’t yet know the full scope of the damage, but we will keep you posted. Nonetheless, ACRI’s incredible staff is still working, even now, and the current situation only underlines how absolutely necessary our efforts are.
For over ten years (!) we have been fighting for the rights of all citizens and residents to have access to some form of protection from rocket and missile attacks. During this stressful period of escalating war, hundreds of thousands of citizens and residents have no means of protection against rocket, missile, or drone attacks, particularly Arab citizens and residents of East Jerusalem, people with disabilities, the socioeconomically vulnerable, and Bedouins living in unrecognized villages. Indeed, Bedouins in unrecognized villages do not even have warning sirens, Iron Dome coverage, or any formal state-regulated protection because the villages are unrecognized.
Progress on this issue has been slow. This past January, the Supreme Court rejected ACRI’s petition arguing that the State of Israel has an obligation to protect all citizens and residents, including residents of unrecognized villages; the Supreme Court instead accepted the State’s argument that it was working to address the inadequate protections in unrecognized Bedouin villages, and determined that there was no need for the court to intervene. Meanwhile, needless injuries and deaths have resulted because these gaps have not, actually, been addressed.
Make no mistake: government officials have said explicitly that this attack against Iran was a year (and probably more) in the making. In that time, no efforts were made to build more shelters, expand Iron Dome coverage, or ensure that the civilian population would be protected during the inevitable counterattacks. This negligence has consequences. The town of Tamra, which is home to nearly 40,000 people, has zero—yes, zero—public shelters. On Saturday night a home was struck by a missile from Iran, killing four women and injuring at least ten others.
We are well aware that wartime is ripe for curtailing and violating human rights. This week we are focusing on strategically mapping the current threats, including the protection of freedom of expression, freedom to protest, socioeconomic rights, the war in Gaza, and violence in the West Bank.
Everyone deserves protection: physical protection from the weapons of war, and human rights protection. We will keep working, now more than ever, to force the government to fulfill its obligations to protect the people. Donate Now.
