Palestinian human rights organizations call on B’Tselem to withdraw from J Street conference featuring Ehud Olmert

Here are two pieces on B’Tselem’s sponsorship of the J Street conference this upcoming weekend which features Ehud Olmert. Olmert was Prime Minister of Israel during the 2006 invasion of Lebanon and Operation Cast Lead in Gaza during the winter of 2008/09.

First is a letter from Raji Sourani, the director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, to B’Tselem’s Executive Director, Jessica Montell:

19 March 2012

Dear Jessica,

I am writing to express my extreme shock and disappointment regarding B’Tselem’s announcement as a ‘proud sponsor’ of an event in the US with Ehud Olmert.

As you are aware, Olmert is accused of numerous international crimes for his role in the planning and execution of Operation Cast Lead. These crimes are among the most serious known to the international community (to the extent that they give rise to the universality principle), and have caused horrific death, injury, and suffering here in the Gaza Strip. Indeed, an arrest warrant has previously been issued for a member of his cabinet in relation to events in which Olmert is also implicated.

The quest for accountability in the context of Cast Lead has received significant international attention, and Olmert is intimately associated with these issues, not just amongst the legal community, but amongst the population at large. For a human rights organization to proudly co-sponsor this event sends an incredibly devastating message, not only to the victims in Gaza but regarding the rule of international law more generally.

I write this letter with a heavy heart. Our relationship with our Israeli counterparts is hugely important to us. These relationships are built on years of professional and personal cooperation and friendship, and have achieved some significant results. With the closure, you are our last links to Israeli society, and this is a relationship we wish only to nurture and further develop.

But we must also stand on principle. As an organisation we get our mandate from the law, and the victims we represent. I strongly urge you to reconsider this event. The message B’Tselem is sending out is incredibly damaging.

Yours,

Raji Sourani

Second, is a statement from The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights and the Palestinian NGO Network, which represents 132 Palestinian NGOs, calling on B’Tselem to withdraw from the J Street conference:

As organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights—including those acting as legal representatives for war crimes victims—we are disappointed by B’Tselem’s active participation in an upcoming event at which former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be fêted as a keynote speaker.

Olmert has been implicated in the commission of war crimes and other serious violations of international law for his role in Operation ‘Cast Lead’, Israel’s winter 2008-2009 onslaught on the Gaza Strip. A court in the U.K. has already issued an arrest warrant for one of Olmert’s alleged co-conspirators in these acts, former foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

Olmert will speak at a gala dinner on Monday hosted by J Street, a self-described “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby group in Washington, DC. Olmert’s speech will be the keynote for J Street’s annual conference. Last week, B’Tselem sent an email to its supporters announcing that it was “proud” of its role in the conference, explicitly mentioning Olmert as a featured speaker.

B’Tselem’s active participation in this event sends a dangerous message. It undermines the fundamental importance of accountability for international crimes, disregards victims’ right to dignity and justice, and implies that political processes may override human rights standards. B’Tselem should be protesting, not celebrating, an event welcoming Olmert.

The decision to release this statement was not taken lightly. We highly value the relationship between Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organisations, and can look back on many years of successful professional cooperation. For some Palestinian organisations – particularly those from the Gaza Strip – the relationship with Israeli counterparts is often the last remaining link with Israeli society. This is a link which we all wish to see strengthened and developed.

However, as human rights defenders, we are united by our standards: by our belief in the universality of human rights and the rule of international law. Our legitimacy derives from our unwavering commitment to these principles, and our obligations to act in the best interests of the victims we represent.

We call upon B’Tselem to withdraw from this event, and to use this opportunity to highlight the need for accountability, justice, and the enforcement of the rule of law.