| Revision as of 08:37, 29 April 2012 editSoosim (talk | contribs)3,874 edits →Activities← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:45, 29 April 2012 edit undoVanished user lt94ma34le12 (talk | contribs)8,065 edits →CriticismNext edit → | ||
| Line 102: | Line 102: | ||
| ==Criticism== | ==Criticism== | ||
| The pro-Israel advocacy groups ] and ] have criticized ICAHD for its activities. CAMERA contends that Halper has made misstatements about Palestinian economic and agricultural growth, and has criticized Halper's view that a Jewish state with "exclusive "ownership"" is "politically, and in the end, morally untenable".<ref>{{cite web | |||
| − | |||
| |url=http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=8&x_nameinnews=94&x_article=898 | |||
| − | |||
| |title=The Professor's Truth Demolition | |||
| − | |||
| |publisher=Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America | |||
| − | |||
| |date=May 12, 2005 | |||
| − | |||
| |author=Alex Safian, PhD | |||
| − | |||
| |accessdate=2007-08-10}}</ref> | |||
| NGO Monitor says<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/summary_of_ngo_monitor_analysis_of_icahd | |||
| − | |||
| |title=Summary of NGO Monitor analysis of ICAHD | |||
| − | |||
| |publisher=NGO Monitor | |||
| − | |||
| |date=A[pril 30, 2009 | |||
| − | |||
| |accessdate=2011-01-01}}</ref> that ICAHD "consistently ignores the context of ongoing Palestinian terror attacks", and asserts that ICAHD, "promote the "]" of boycotts and demonizing Israel, using terms such as "]",<ref>. Icahd.org (December 23, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref><ref>. Icahd.org (September 19, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref> "]",<ref>. Icahd.org. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref><ref>. Icahd.org. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref><ref>. Icahd.org (June 3, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref> "]",<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> "land theft"<ref>. Icahd.org (February 26, 2007). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref> and a "]."<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> | |||
| In addition, Malcolm Hoenlein, in 2007, then executive vice chairman of the ], said ICAHD was "trying to talk about demolitions without presenting the reason or truth for it. They couch it in more moderate terms but the anti-Israel purpose is clear."<ref>Dickter, Adam. (2007-06-08) . Thejewishweek.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref> | In addition, Malcolm Hoenlein, in 2007, then executive vice chairman of the ], said ICAHD was "trying to talk about demolitions without presenting the reason or truth for it. They couch it in more moderate terms but the anti-Israel purpose is clear."<ref>Dickter, Adam. (2007-06-08) . Thejewishweek.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 08:45, 29 April 2012
 | |
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jeff Halper Amos Gvirtz Rabbi Arik Ascherman Meir Margalit Yoav Hess Yael Cohen |
| Focus | "Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories" |
| Location |
|
| Area served | Israel, Palestinian Territories |
| Method | "non-violent, direct-action", domestic and international advocacy, rebuilding of demolished homes, developing informational materials and tours |
| Key people | Jeff Halper – Director/Coordinator Itay Epshtain – Co-Director (formerly of Amnesty International) Meir Margalit Salim Shawamreh Hibat Mahroum |
| Employees | 8 |
| Website | www |
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) is an anti-settlement organisation that describes itself as "an Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. In particular, ICAHD uses non-violent, direct-action means of resistance to end Israel's policy of demolishing Palestinian homes in the Occupied Territories." ICAHD was founded by eight peace activists (see box), among whom was Jeff Halper, a long-time human rights advocate and professor of Anthropology, who serves as ICAHD's Director.
Activities
ICAHD's activities, which are based on nonviolent direct action, include exhibits, films, workshops, tours of the occupied territories, publication of books and articles on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, international advocacy. It also organizes the rebuilding of demolished Palestinian houses using a network of Israeli, Palestinian and international volunteers. In addition to rebuilding demolished Palestinian houses, ICAHD often takes legal actions on behalf of Palestinians whose houses have been demolished or are threatened with demolition (see example of Aqabah).
Members of ICAHD have been arrested numerous times by the Israeli army and police for attempting to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes. Most recently, on April 3, 2008, ICAHD Coordinator Jeff Halper was arrested for the eighth time while nonviolently protesting the bulldozing of the home of the Hamdan family in a Palestinian neighborhood of Jerusalem – a house that had already been torn down once by Israeli authorities and had been rebuilt by ICAHD.
ICAHD sends out action alerts and activists from different groups go out and engage in civil disobedience by stopping the bulldozers.
ICAHD, in January 2005, called for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions "until the occupation" is over.
ICHAD supported the "Jewish Boat to Gaza" in 2010.
International chapters
Because of the worldwide interest in its activities, ICAHD has set up chapters in several countries. ICAHD-USA is headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The United Kingdom branch, ICAHD-UK, is located in London, and the Norwegian branch is located in Tromsø.
Funding
According to ICAHD's website, its "activities . . . depend on assistance from individuals and organizations in Israel and abroad. ICAHD also receives financial support from the European Union." For example, in 2005, the EU provided ICAHD with €472,786 for a project called "Re-framing: Providing a Coherent Paradigm of Peace to the Israeli Public" under the Partnership for Peace program. American folk-singing legend Pete Seeger also donates part of the royalties from his song "Turn, Turn, Turn" (To everything there is a season) (based on the words of King Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes) to ICAHD.
Praise
In 2006, the American Friends Service Committee, a non-profit advocacy group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, nominated Jeff Halper for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his ICAHD-related work, citing ICAHD's work "to liberate both the Palestinian and the Israeli people from the yoke of structural violence" and "to build equality between their people by recognizing and celebrating their common humanity."
In 2007, ICAHD received the Olive Branch Award from Jewish Voice for Peace.
In 2008, Seth Freedman wrote in The Guardian that "the likes of Halper, ICAHD and all the others who are prepared to bring the truth into open should be praised to the skies for the invaluable work that they do." The article rues the fact that Freedman himself earlier condemned ICAHD and its work.
Criticism
The pro-Israel advocacy groups CAMERA and NGO Monitor have criticized ICAHD for its activities. CAMERA contends that Halper has made misstatements about Palestinian economic and agricultural growth, and has criticized Halper's view that a Jewish state with "exclusive "ownership"" is "politically, and in the end, morally untenable".
NGO Monitor says that ICAHD "consistently ignores the context of ongoing Palestinian terror attacks", and asserts that ICAHD, "promote the "Durban Strategy" of boycotts and demonizing Israel, using terms such as "apartheid", "ethnic cleansing", "state terrorism", "land theft" and a "massacre."
In addition, Malcolm Hoenlein, in 2007, then executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said ICAHD was "trying to talk about demolitions without presenting the reason or truth for it. They couch it in more moderate terms but the anti-Israel purpose is clear."
In 2007, Seth Freedman wrote in The Guardian that after a day touring with ICAHD, while the visitors "had not been fed any factual inaccuracies as far as I could tell, the complete glossing over of the other side of the story should set alarm bells ringing". Freedman felt that Halper and ICAHD should have been willing to condemn wrongdoing "on both sides". Freedman changed his mind about ICAHD in 2008 (see above).
Notes
- ^ "About ICAHD". ICAHD.
- Itay Epshtain – Google. Profiles.google.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- "group".
- "What is ICAHD". Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
- Singer, Merrill (2011). A Companion to Medical Anthropology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-4051-9002-2.
- "'Prevent starvation of Gaza'". Ynetnews.com. September 20, 2006. Retrieved 2012-4-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - "NGO: Israel forcing Arabs out of East J'lem". Haaretz. 01.01.2011. Retrieved 2012-4-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - "Israelis and Palestinians build in east Jerusalem". Ynetnews.com. 07.30.07. Retrieved 2012-4-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - "Volunteers rebuild houses demolished in Jerusalem". Ynetnews.com. 08.04.09. Retrieved 2012-4-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - "Announcing – 2007 ICAHD Summer Rebuilding Experience July 14–29, 2007". Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. December 11, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
- ^ "American Israeli Jeff Halper arrested for the 8th time in Jerusalem". Online Journal. April 8, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- Manchester Boycott Model
- ICAHD supports the Jewish Boat to Gaza
- 'How you can help' (icahd.org)
- 'Middle East Peace Projects'. euromedinfo.eu. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- 'EU Partnership for Peace Programme' by European commission's delegation to Israel. Delisr.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- [http://www.haaretz.com/news/pete-seeger-s-role-in-ending-israeli-house-demolitions-1.4618
- "AFSC's nomination for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize: Ghassan Andoni and Jeff Halper" (Press release). American Friends Service Committee. February 14, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
- Freedman, Seth (May 22, 2008). "The Guardian: Comment is free". A true housing crisis. The Guardian. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- {{cite web − |url=http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=8&x_nameinnews=94&x_article=898 − |title=The Professor's Truth Demolition − |publisher=Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America − |date=May 12, 2005 − |author=Alex Safian, PhD − |accessdate=2007-08-10}}
- [http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/summary_of_ngo_monitor_analysis_of_icahd
− "Summary of NGO Monitor analysis of ICAHD −"]. NGO Monitor
−. A[pril 30, 2009
−. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|date=(help); line feed character in|date=at position 16 (help); line feed character in|publisher=at position 12 (help); line feed character in|title=at position 41 (help); line feed character in|url=at position 76 (help) - Palestine 2011: The Break-Out Year. Icahd.org (December 23, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Civil Society as a Watchdog in the Current Negotiations. Icahd.org (September 19, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Afternoon: Tour and meeting ’48 Palestinian residents of Lydda/Lod and Ramle. Icahd.org. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Emergency Resolution, ICAHD UK AGM, 2010. Icahd.org. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Book by Jeff Halper. Icahd.org (June 3, 2010). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Visiting Israeli Peace Activist and MSP Condemn Ongoing Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territory and Demolition of Homes
- ment Planning Council legitimizes Land Theft. Icahd.org (February 26, 2007). Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Jewish Women Occupy Israeli Consulate in Toronto
- Why American academics must join boycott of Israel
- Dickter, Adam. (2007-06-08) Group Against Arab Home Demolitions Seeks Support Here. Thejewishweek.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
- Freedman, Seth (February 14, 2007). "The Guardian: Israel". Missing half the picture. The Guardian. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
Publications
- Jeff Halper, End of the Road Map, Counterpunch, January 3, 2008
- Jeff Halper, The End of a Viable Palestinian State, CounterPunch, March 31, 2005
- Jeff Halper, Nishul (Displacement): Israel's Form of Apartheid An African Conversation on Israel and Palestine, Columbia University, 2002
- Jeff Halper, The Matrix of Control, Media Monitors Network, January 29, 2001
See also
External links
- Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
- ICAHD UK
- ICAHD-USA
- Lecture: Jeff Halper – The United States, Israel and the American Jewish Community (video, 2007)
- Jeff Halper's Blog at Tikkun