VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2780/01 2611013
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 181013Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3303
INFO RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 7936
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 002780 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G, DRL/SEA, AND NEA/IPA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC/DEMOC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2017 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV IL
SUBJECT: EMBASSY RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INPUT ON 
PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT 2007 UNGA 
 
REF: 125456 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (B) and (d). 
 
¶1. (U) Israel is a well-established democracy with a large 
number of influential NGOs and human rights activists.  Human 
rights are guaranteed in a series of "Basic Laws," which 
function as a constitution.  The government's treatment of 
NGOs is consistent with the 2006 Guiding Principles on NGOs. 
As such, most of our outreach on the Freedom Agenda is 
focused on promoting the functional integration of Israeli 
minorities -- particularly the Israeli-Arab community -- into 
the political system. 
 
¶2.  (U) As part of these efforts, the Ambassador and staff 
meet regularly with civil society leaders and human rights 
activists seeking equal treatment for Israel's minorities. 
In recent months, the Ambassador has met with leading figures 
such as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Imam Yahya Hendi, and 
Martin Luther King III to support their efforts to promote 
peace and democracy through multicultural and interfaith 
dialogue.  The Ambassador also hosts an annual Iftar dinner 
attended by many of the country's leading activists and Arab 
community leaders, and regularly includes human rights, 
peace, and interfaith activists in other Embassy-sponsored 
events.  The promotion of human rights -- in Israel and 
internationally -- is a major theme in the Ambassador's 
widely-covered public speaking events. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Ambassador and staff from the Pol, PD and Econ 
sections maintain good relations with all of Israel's 
well-established human rights NGOs, from those working to 
advance the rights of specific groups (e.g. Arab, Bedouin, 
Ethiopian, non-Orthodox Jewish, etc.) to those active across 
the spectrum of human rights advocacy, such as the ACLU-like 
Association for Civil Rights in Israel.  We support the work 
of many of these NGOs with Embassy, PD or MEPI funds: 
 
-- Active MEPI grants to Israel's Arab community include a 
project to increase Arab-sector representation on the boards 
of government-owned corporations and another to strengthen 
leadership and encourage political participation at the 
municipal level. 
 
-- Our ACCESS micro-scholarship program that provides 
supplemental English-language training to Israeli-Arab 
students contributed this year to a significant increase in 
the college entrance exam scores of program graduates, more 
of whom are attending university and establishing the civic 
and financial foundations for meaningful participation in 
Israeli democracy. 
 
-- Speakers participating in PD programs frequently address 
issues relating to defending the rights of minorities in 
democratic countries.  For example, earlier in the year 
Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree and University 
of Rhode Island Professor Bernard LaFayette made separate 
visits to Israel to address the political empowerment of 
minorities and the effective use of democracy to advance 
minority rights. 
 
¶4.  (U) The three "American Corner" libraries that Post's PD 
Section maintains in Beersheva, Karmiel and Yaffo offer a 
unique venue for outreach to Israel's minority communities. 
We often use these locations to conduct activities that 
promote civil rights and minority empowerment in communities 
where the needs are greatest.  Programs at the Corners 
include DVCs for select audiences and presentations by 
Embassy officers and guest speakers on such topics as 
African-American history, women's empowerment, and legal 
issues in civil rights. 
 
¶5.  (C) Because of its open political system and laws which 
encourage Jewish immigration, Israel has a tradition of 
welcoming Jewish dissidents from other countries, 
particularly in the Former Soviet Union.  Human rights 
activist and former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharanski 
found a haven here, as did many who came after him.  As part 
of his work with the large Russian immigrant community in 
Israel, the Embassy's Human Rights Reporting Officer meets 
regularly with exiled Russian dissidents active in the "Other 
Russia" coalition. 
 
Israeli Priorities 
------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U) At a strategic level, the GOI's democracy and human 
rights priorities are geared toward defending against what it 
 
views as anti-Israel bias in international human rights fora. 
 The GOI is also outspoken in its criticism of international 
NGOs that it considers "politicized," such as Human Rights 
Watch and Amnesty International.  The GOI accuses such NGOs 
of failing to fully reflect the security context of alleged 
human rights violations or of failing to adequately represent 
Israeli views on contentious issues such as the treatment of 
Palestinian detainees or the conduct of IDF forces during the 
2006 war in Lebanon. 
 
¶7.  (U) Domestically, the GOI engages with a range of civil 
society organizations, in a manner generally commensurate 
with other democracies.  The GOI provides partial funding to 
registered NGOs and often relies on their expertise to 
conduct human rights training for law enforcement personnel 
and security forces.  GOI officials from the Prime Minister 
down engage with civil society, and speak regularly about the 
need to narrow the gap between Israel's Jewish and Arab 
citizens (although government funding often falls short of 
rhetoric).  Israeli NGOs are also included in Knesset 
(parliament) debates on a wide range of topics, and are 
generally invited to testify in Knesset hearings on issues 
relating to human rights and civil liberties. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
JONES