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The Right to Health
The right to health is a fundamental human right. Under Israeli law, every Israeli resident is entitled to health services in accordance with the principles of justice, equality, and mutual support. However, the Israeli health system is far from being able to adhere to these principles. On the contrary, we are witnessing increasing inequality in access to health services. Insufficient funding of the public health system, coupled with privatization of health services, have led to a deterioration in the scale and quality of services provided by the health system. The result is two health systems that differ substantially in quality – one for the wealthy and one for the poor.
ACRI works to ensure accessible and equal health services to all citizens and residents of Israel: rich and poor, Arab and Jewish, old and young, living in the center or in the periphery. This includes the rights of the mentally ill with regards to health care, and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers with regards to medication administered without proper information. Through legal work including intervening directly with the Ministry of Health and through focused publications, ACRI has brought the issue of the growing inequalities in the health care system into the public sphere.
Demographic Engineering Through Tax Credits
View from Mt. Arbel. Photo: © Amitai | Dreamstime.com On June 4, 2026, ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court on behalf of five residents of Nazareth, demanding the repeal of the Encouragement of Mixed Urban Settlement Law (Temporary Provision), 5786-2026. The law adds a section to the Income Tax Ordinance granting residents of a “mixed urban settlement” in the Negev or Galilee regions, in which the percentage of non-Jewish or Jewish residents is between 35% and 55%, a
Jun 72 min read
The Supreme Court Rules: Red Cross Visits Must Resume
Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI © Monjur Kader | Dreamstime.com June 3, 2026 Dear friend, Breaking news: Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously accepted ACRI’s petition against the ban on Red Cross visits to Palestinian security prisoners. It ruled that in imposing this policy the government contravened Israeli and international law, and therefore the policy must be repealed. The Red Cross must be allowed to visit Palestinian security prisoners. For the first time i
Jun 33 min read
Ben Gvir Disregards the Law Again
Illustrative. Photo: © Vladimir Vintonjak | Dreamstime.com On May 25, 2026, ACRI sent an appeal to the Minister of National Security, demanding the immediate appointment of official prison visitors on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and the Israel Bar Association. In the appeal, Attorney Nitsan Ilani noted that the law requires the Minister to appoint official prison visitors, yet Ben Gvir has not appointed official visitors on behalf of the Ministry of Justice since the be
May 271 min read
Palestinians Detained By Soldiers Without Cause
Illustrative. Photo: Rachel Druck, ACRI On May 14, 2026, ACRI, the Fund for Human Rights Defenders, Haqel – Alliance for the Defense of Human Rights, and HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual filed a Supreme Court petition against the increasingly widespread practice of soldiers in the occupied territories detaining Palestinians without cause and contrary to the law. The petition describes dozens of cases in which Palestinian residents were detained for no discer
May 252 min read
Discriminatory Security Practices at Train Stations
© Photo: Isak Wiklund | Dreamstime.com Information received by ACRI indicates that security personnel at train stations require some passengers to identify themselves, ask personal questions such as their travel destination, and at times detain them without substantive justification. According to the reports, this is directed mainly toward Palestinians who are citizens and residents of Israel, foreign nationals, and other populations on the basis of their appearance, accent,
May 242 min read
Evacuees Deserve Clear Policies for Temporary Housing in Hotels
A house damaged during the war with Iran. Photo: © Yoav Loeff Since October 7, and especially during the rounds of fighting with Iran, thousands of people in Israel have been forced to leave their homes after they were damaged and to stay in hotels as a temporary housing solution. However, policies regarding housing for evacuees is inconsistent, with no clear rules, no easily-accessible information, and insufficient involvement of health and welfare authorities. The result is
May 242 min read
Ten Years of Battling Red Tape
May 20, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI A love story should be epic because of the feelings involved. It should involve romance, excitement, and starry-eyed walks on moonlit nights. It should not be epic because of the amount of bureaucracy involved, or the number of court appearances, or the years until the couple can be certain that they will be allowed to remain together. Yael and Goiya met after Goiya arrived in Israel as a refugee from Sudan. In 20
May 203 min read
Soccer Fans Can Attend Games, Even if Police Don't Like What They're Wearing
Illustrative. Photo: Sebastian27 via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) On December 17, 2025 ACRI submitted a petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of fans of the soccer team Hapoel Tel Aviv against the Police Commissioner. The petition demands that the police immediately stop enforcing an illegal policy to prevent fans from entering the soccer stadium because of their clothing or controversial political content. The petition details a series of incidents that occurred in recent wee
May 142 min read
The Ministry of Education Wants to Collect Students' Personal Information
Illustrative (created using AI) Ahead of the next school year, the Ministry of Education is requiring that there be a direct interface between the pedagogical management software used by schools and the Ministry of Education. These software systems are intended for use by schools and contain private, personal, and sensitive information, including behavioral issues, learning difficulties, tardiness and absences, and disciplinary incidents. The Ministry of Education has now ins
May 132 min read
The Palestinian Flag: Frequently Asked Questions
Illustrative. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok With the recent news about the police harassing and arresting individuals displaying the Palestinian flag—or, in one case, a demonstrator holding the Hungarian flag, which the police determined was too similar to the Palestinian flag—here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the right to freedom of expression and displaying the Palestinian flag: Can the Palestinian flag be displayed in Israel? Yes. There is no la
May 124 min read
After Ten Years, Citizenship for Goiya
Yael, Goiya, Oded. Photo: ACRI Yael, an Israeli citizen, and Goiya, an asylum seeker from Sudan, have been together for years, and ACRI has been assisting them since 2016 in their efforts to regularize Goiya’s status in Israel as Yael’s partner, without requiring him to provide documents from Sudan (a nearly-impossible task). Finally, on April 27, 2026, after a decade of fighting, the Tel Aviv–Jaffa Administrative Affairs Court ordered the Population and Immigration Authority
May 103 min read
Illegal Police Conduct at a Peaceful Protest
Illustrative. Photo: "Protest Documentation," Whatsapp At a peaceful antiwar and pro-Two State Solution demonstration held on April 11, 2026 in the Haifa District, a police officer confiscated and broke a sign carried by a protester. The police officer then proceeded to handcuff the protester, told the protester that they were under arrest for “incitement,” and threatened them with physical violence. The officer then handcuffed three additional protesters and boasted about it
May 103 min read
School Segregation in Tel Aviv-Jaffa
© Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime.com On August 3, 2021, ACRI filed a petition with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court on behalf of approximately 650 asylum seekers, children and their parents, and approximately 100 parents of students who are Israeli citizens, demanding an end to the unlawful segregation in the city’s educational institutions. The petition was also filed on behalf of ASSAF – Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and the Levinsky Garden Library, throug
May 84 min read
Allow Seriously Ill Residents of Kfar Aqab to Pass Through a Less-Congested Checkpoint
Hizma checkpoint. Photo: © Ronen Barany | Dreamstime.com The village of Kfar Aqab in Jerusalem is located beyond the separation barrier in the city. Until the Gaza war, residents would leave for Jerusalem through the Qalandiya or Hizma checkpoints. An additional checkpoint, the Jaba checkpoint, was established at the beginning of the war and encloses the neighborhood. The checkpoints are extremely congested, and crossing them takes a long time—sometimes hours. They are also s
May 63 min read
Neve Midbar Regional Council Has Stopped Providing Educational Services for Children of Unrecognized Villages
Illustrative. The village of Qasr al-Sir in the Neve Midbar Regional Council. @ Aiob Abo Madegam | Dreamstime.com For years, the Neve Midbar Regional Council has been providing educational services to thousands of students who are residents of unrecognized villages under a contracting agreement between the council and the Ministry of Education. On December 18, 2025, the Regional Council announced that, due to an ongoing budgetary and operational dispute with the Ministry of E
May 42 min read
No Romance Allowed for Migrant Workers
Photo: © Grazvydas | Dreamstime.com On April 26, 2026, ACRI, together with Kav LaOved and in joint representation with Kav LaOved and the Privacy Clinic, filed a petition with the District Court regarding the policy of the Population and Immigration Authority to prohibit migrant workers with valid permits from forming romantic partnerships for the entire duration of their stay in Israel, out of concern that they might settle in the country. This essentially strips migrant wor
Apr 301 min read
Transparency in Imposition of Movement Restrictions
Yossi Zamir, Shatil-Stok The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din, B'Tselem, and HaMoked Center for the Defense of the Individual petitioned the Supreme Court on February 13, 2025, demanding that the military and the head of the Civil Administration regularly publish orders that impose movement restrictions on Palestinians in the territories. The petition explains that without transparency, movement restrictions are imposed chaoticall
Apr 293 min read
Dissent is Always Allowed. Even During Wartime
Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Illustrative. Police detain a protester at a demonstration to release the hostages. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok Dear friend, Days after the start of the most recent war with Iran, a small group gathered in Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square to peacefully express their opposition to the war. Their position was not yet a particularly popular one, and they may have expected some antagonism from the police. What they experienced was a viole
Apr 264 min read
Reopening the Mediators Program Aiding Negev Bedouin Communities
Photo: © Karl Francis Dale Tapales | Dreamstime.com On December 15, 2025, ACRI, together with Itach-Maaki and Physicians for Human Rights, sent an appeal to the Ministry of Health regarding the mediators program operated through the Ministry of Health, via a contractor, at 26 Tipat Halav (well-baby) clinics in Bedouin communities in the Negev. The program's purpose is to reduce infant mortality in Bedouin society: mediators translate and make medical information accessible to
Apr 262 min read
Half a Village Without Water
© Alexander Briel Perez | Dreamstime.com The village of Abu Qrenat in the Negev is a divided village. Part of it is recognized, and residents' homes are directly connected to local infrastructure, including water. The other part, which is home to 300-400 residents, is unrecognized and lacks basic infrastructure. In this section, the water supply is maintained by the residents themselves, who connect pipes to water meters located near the village, which are installed by the Ne
Apr 232 min read
Stop the Ethnic Cleansing and Expulsion of West Bank Palestinian Communities
Illegal settlement, 2015. Photo: © Rita Phessas | Dreamstime.com Since the current government began its term, and with even greater intensity since the October 7 massacre and the outbreak of the war, there has been a steep escalation in the West Bank in the establishment of outposts, the private settler takeover of lands, violence against Palestinian residents, and in the deliberate and planned creation of impossible living conditions for Palestinian residents to the point
Apr 154 min read
The "Compensation Framework" is Really the "Compulsion Framework" for Bedouins
Illustrative. Photo: © Rumata7 | Dreamstime.com ACRI, Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights, and the Arab Center for Alternative Planning, sent an urgent appeal on April 13, 2026 to the Minister of Construction and Housing, Haim Katz, Chair of the Israel Land Council, demanding that the Council remove the new “Compensation Framework” for the settlement of ownership claims in the Negev from the agenda, which is expected to be put to a vote on April 15. The proposed framewor
Apr 122 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, 2025, ACRI submitted a petition on behalf of 12 farmers from the Wadi Fara area in the Jordan Valley, who have been unable to reach their plots of land and cultivate them since October 2023 due to harassment by the settler Moshe Sharvit. Sharvit is the founder and leader of Emek Tirtza Farm, a violent and unauthorized outpost established near th
Apr 113 min read
War is Not an Excuse for the Police to Block Freedom of Protest
Illustrative. Pro-democracy protest. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court on March 31, 2026, demanding that the police and the Home Front Command be ordered to allow demonstrations during the war with Iran, particularly if the demonstrations take place near protected spaces. The petition argues that since the outbreak of the fighting with Iran, the police have been systematically attempting to prevent anti-war demonstrations and forcefu
Apr 104 min read
Ben Gvir Needs to Go: An Amicus Curiae Request
Illustrative. Photo: © Laryn Bakker | Dreamstime.com On March 30, 2025, ACRI submitted a request to join as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in several petitions against the reappointment of Itamar Ben Gvir as Minister of National Security. The request noted the extraordinary nature of this request: ACRI has never previously appealed to the Supreme Court regarding the legality of a minister’s appointment. However, after more than two years in office, Ben Gvir’s tenure
Apr 92 min read
The Death Penalty Bill Has Become Law. But We are Not Powerless, and this is Not the End of the Story
March 30, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI NPR Interview CNN Interview Photo: © Oleschwander | Dreamstime.com Dear friend, The champagne was popped and high-fives and congratulatory pats on the back were exchanged. The cause for celebration? The passage of the Death Penalty Bill into law. The disgraceful jubilation surrounding such a repugnant law by the racist and extremist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and other members of the government
Mar 311 min read
Abolish the Death Penalty Law
Photo: © Nipa Sawangsri | Dreamstime.com On March 30, 2026, ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding the repeal of the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, minutes after it passed its second and third readings in the Knesset. The law mandates the death penalty by hanging (with limited exceptions) in the military courts in the territories for Palestinian defendants convicted of murder on a terror-related basis, and either the death penalty or life imprisonment in t
Mar 302 min read
The Death Penalty Law: Q&A
Photo: © Alanhutcheson | Dreamstime.com The Knesset has passed a death penalty bill : Penal Code (Amendment—Death Penalty for Terrorists). Below is information about the law, which ACRI unequivocally opposes. What does the law say? The proposal addresses the application of the death penalty in military courts in the territories and in civilian courts in Israel, separately, since these operate within two separate and distinct legal systems. The bill passed and became law o
Mar 307 min read
Renewal, Rejuvenation, and Freedom from War
March 30, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Photo: Wix Dear friend, With Passover around the corner, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and interest in ACRI’s work. I hope that this Passover we can celebrate freedom from war, and that spring brings with it renewal and rejuvenation. ACRI's staff never ceases to amaze me, but I am truly in awe of how much they have been able to accomplish in between
Mar 303 min read
Police Attempt to Suppress Protests Against the Iran War
Illustrative. Antiwar demonstrator during the Gaza War. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok On March 4, 2026, ACRI submitted an appeal to the Attorney General and to the police following the dispersal of a small and quiet demonstration against the war with Iran in Habima Square in Tel Aviv. About 20 protesters participated. Upon their arrival at the location, they found around 40 police officers waiting for them. The officers declared that the gathering was unlawful and was distu
Mar 302 min read
Shut Down the New Incitement Unit
Photo: Amos Gil, Shatil-stok ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court on March 26, 2026, requesting that it order the police to shut down the new Incitement Unit and to return the enforcement authority over speech-related offenses to the national headquarters of the police. The petition argues that for decades, the investigation and enforcement of the criminal prohibition on expressions, including incitement to terrorism, were carried out through an institutional process
Mar 261 min read
Students on the Front Lines in the North Must be Granted Exam Accommodations
Illustrative. Children reading in a shelter during an air raid alert. Photo: © Oleksandr Lypa | Dreamstime.com On March 24, 2026, ACRI appealed to the Minister of Education and senior officials in the ministry with an urgent demand to establish an outline specifically addressing the guidelines for matriculation exams for students in the conflict zone in the north. Although the Ministry of Education published a general outline for the 2026 summer matriculation exams, it did n
Mar 252 min read
Theft of Cows Belonging to a Palestinian Farmer by Soldiers
Soldiers leading the cows from the pen owned by the petitioners to the civilian truck About a dozen armed and uniformed soldiers arrived at a barn belonging to a Palestinian family in the West Bank, handcuffed the barn owner and his son, broke through the barn's fences, and loaded the cattle belonging to the family onto a civilian truck that arrived at the scene escorted by military jeeps. Social media posts from a group that aids settlers in pursuing agricultural projects (l
Mar 243 min read
You Can Stop the Death Penalty Bill
March 24, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Dear friend, I know that there are a million developments in the news that you are following on a number of fronts, but I want to turn your attention to a critical issue that ACRI is strenuously working on—and one that you can do something about. While the world’s attention is on the latest war with Iran, the government is advancing its loathsome Death Penalty Bill , an encapsulation of its cruelty, racism, and deat
Mar 243 min read
Public Comments Before Government Decisions
Photo: © Syda Productions | Dreamstime.com Before weekly government meetings, the agenda is usually published along with attached appendices, which include proposed resolutions. The agenda and appendices are distributed to ministers and professional officials, and published for the public on the website of the Prime Minister's Office. But what was published before the government meeting scheduled for January 25, 2026 was unusual. An agenda was published, but nothing was publ
Mar 232 min read
Connect the School in Rakhma to Electricity
Illustrative. A school in a Bedouin village. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok Approximately 400 students in grades 1–9 study at the school in the Bedouin village of Rakhma. The school is not connected to an electrical system, so its power supply is provided by a generator located on the school grounds. The Local Planning and Building Committee in the nearby city of Yeruham has long refused to grant the required approval to connect the school to electricity, even though the sch
Mar 232 min read
Police violence Against Journalists and Prevention of Press Coverage
Photo by Gil Levin On June 16, 2024, we sent legal correspondence to the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner regarding the conduct of the police towards journalists and their work. In the correspondence, written by Attorney Nitsan Ilani and Freedom of Protest Coordinator Sivan Tahel, we pointed out that recently the police have repeatedly prevented journalists from covering various events, sometimes using force, extreme violence, or false arrests, and that in some
Mar 203 min read
Mounted Police Should Not be Used to Disperse Protests
Illustrative. Photo: © Nathaniel Zorach | Dreamstime.com On August 18, 2025, ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding that the police be prohibited from using mounted units to disperse demonstrations—or, at the very least, that the procedures governing the use of mounted units be amended in such a way that would ensure the safety of demonstrators, including prohibiting the use of mounted units together with other crowd‑control measures, conditioning the use of
Mar 192 min read
Palestinians Must Be Allowed to Enter the Old City and Open their Shops
Illustrative. Shuk in the Old City. Photo: © Rostislav Glinsky | Dreamstime.com Since the beginning of the current war with Iran, the Jerusalem Police have not been allowing Palestinian residents and citizens to enter the Old City of Jerusalem unless they are residents of the area. They have also been ordering shops to close even though there is no prohibition on commercial activity in the Old City, or in Jerusalem in general. Meanwhile, Jews are able to enter the Old City w
Mar 191 min read
Stop the Ethnic Cleansing in the Jordan Valley
A Palestinian shepherd arrested in the Jordan Valley after an attack by settlers, July 2025. Photo: From the Facebook page of Jordan Valley activists Shepherding communities have lived for decades in the northern Jordan Valley, making their living from raising and grazing sheep and cattle. These communities maintain a unique way of life, and family ties are essential for their survival. But residents’ movements have become increasingly restricted over the years, a result of,
Mar 184 min read
Ongoing Violation of the Rights of Duma Residents Due to Military Blockades and Settler Violence
Blockages on the access roads to the village. Photos courtesy of the residents The Palestinian village of Duma is home to approximately 3,500 inhabitants. Its economy relies mainly on agriculture and grazing, including growing olives, grains, fruit trees, and sheep, and in the past enjoyed unfettered access to four natural springs. However, over the last decade, the villagers have seen their economic situation and freedom of movement decline significantly. This has been the r
Mar 164 min read
Roadblocks Cutting Off Arab Neighborhoods in the City of Lod
Photos: Abeer Joubran, ACRI On February 1, 2026, ACRI petitioned the Supreme Court on behalf of four residents of the city of Lod, demanding the removal of concrete roadblocks placed by the police in two of the city's neighborhoods that are home to hundreds of Arab residents. In one neighborhood, the concrete barrier has completely sealed off the area; there is no other way to enter or exit. In the other neighborhood, the alternative road passes through an industrial area tha
Mar 122 min read
Keeping Safe, Keeping Sane, Keeping Busy
March 11, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI In a bomb shelter during the war with Iran in June 2025. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil-stok Dear friend, During these anxious and frightening times, I wanted to update you on how we are doing at ACRI. With sirens warning of missile attacks blaring at all hours of the day and night, children home from school, and dealing with unimaginable levls of uncertainty, we are nonetheless keeping busy. So far ACRI’s staff is shel
Mar 113 min read
Distance Learning Must Be Accessible to All Students
Photo: © Volodymyr Tverdokhlib | Dreamstime.com Against the backdrop of the ongoing hostilities with Iran, the absence of in‑person schooling, and the gaps between the ability of different student populations to participate in online learning, ACRI submitted an appeal to the Director‑General of the Ministry of Education and the Director‑General of the Ministry of Communications. In the appeal, Attorney Tal Hassin noted that the transition to remote learning once again reveale
Mar 112 min read
You Can't Arrest Someone for a Crime that Doesn't Exist
Photo: © Aaron Amat | Dreamstime.com On March 9, 2026, ACRI contacted the State Attorney and senior police officials following the arrest of a resident of Umm al-Fahm on suspicion of "harming symbols of government," after a video was found on his phone of him giving a police station the middle finger. In the appeal, Attorney Hagar Shechter clarified that the crime of "harming symbols of government" does not exist in Israeli law, and that therefore this is an arrest without a
Mar 91 min read
Increasing Violations of Palestinians' Rights in the West Bank Under Cover of War
A village in the West Bank. Photo: © Jose Hernandez | Dreamstime.com Since the beginning of the war with Iran, sweeping and draconian movement restrictions have been imposed on Palestinians (and only Palestinians) in the West Bank, which include checkpoint closures, road blockages, and the installation of new gates deepening the isolation of towns and communities. The army is also not providing residents with even minimal protection--whether from the war or from attacks by s
Mar 82 min read
Suppression of Protests During Wartime
Photo: Arik Segal, "Documenting the Hi-Tech Protest," WhatsApp Days after the start of the latest war with Iran, police violently and unlawfully dispersed an antiwar demonstration in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, this is not a new or unexpected event. Below are summaries of some of the cases that ACRI has handled in which the police have attempted to suppress the right to freedom of protest and freedom of expression during wartime. Each case is an illustration of a tactic attemp
Mar 56 min read
Rights From Day 1. Literally
February 25, 2026 Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter Donate to ACRI Photo: © Andreykuzmin | Dreamstime.com Dear friend, The first few months of a child’s life are critical in monitoring their health and development. In recognition of the importance of this period, and the importance of ensuring that children (and their parents) have access to health information and health services, Israel has a network of well-baby clinics, Tipat Halav (literally, “A Drop of Milk”). At these cli
Feb 263 min read
Repeal the Law Disqualifying Teachers with Degrees from the Palestinian Authority
Illustrative. East Jerusalem school. Photo: Ronit Sela, ACRI On February 24, 2026, ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding the repeal of the Law Preventing the Employment of an Educator Holding an Academic Degree from an Institution in the Palestinian Authority. We also requested that the court issue an interim order preventing the law from entering into force until a decision is rendered on the petition. The law, which amends the State Education Law and the Su
Feb 253 min read
Another Unlawful Attempt By Police to Block a Protest
A demonstration in Pardes Hanna to bring back the hostages. Photo: Amos Gil, Shatil-stok On February 18, 2026, ACRI contacted the Commander of the Coastal District and the Acting Legal Advisor of the Israel Police following unlawful demands made by the police toward the organizers of an event titled “In Pardes Hanna, We Choose Peace and Nonviolence.” The police were requiring the organizers of the event, which was going to take place in an auditorium, to obtain a permit and t
Feb 222 min read
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