Cancellation suspended: B'Tselem is carrying on and asks for your support

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Dear Friend,

Last Thursday, the director general of the Authority for National-Civic Service (ANCS) informed us in writing that he would no longer permit national-civic service [an alternative to compulsory military service, available to some young Israelis] at B’Tselem. In a letter replete with lies and errors, he mainly conveyed personal reservations over our work. While we respect his private views, they cannot dictate policy in a government authority.

With the kind help of our friends at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), we acted quickly. Yesterday (Sunday) we received notice from the Deputy Attorney General that she had written to the ANCS director general, stating that his decision "indeed raises tough legal questions, regarding both the mandate to make the decision as well as the way in which the matter was decided". The ANCS was instructed to suspend the decision, "including suspension of any action taken to cancel the service of the volunteer currently with B'Tselem".

In other words, the cancellation was suspended.

Fighting to stay part of the national service framework in Israel is important for B'Tselem. Yesterday marks yet another speedy, significant victory over recent attempts to deter us: attempts to physically assault B'Tselem staff were countered with restraining orders; attempts to shut down our website failed, as the site is back up and running and is now more secure than ever, protected by advanced technology used by some of the bravest – and most beleaguered – human rights organizations in the world to protect their freedom of speech. Moreover, since Operation Protective Edge began, our ongoing updates from the field have reached record exposure of more than 2.5 million viewers via Facebook.

These are important achievements, made possible thanks to your support – you, who believe in B’Tselem’s work and are our constant companions, voicing an interest, making donations, and sharing widely on Facebook.

But the struggle is not over. The months ahead are sure to be difficult as we deal with the most controversial issues in Israel: investigation of Operation Protective Edge; lifting the siege on Gaza; protecting human rights in the Occupied Territories; ending the occupation.

Carrying on and standing by the truth without fear of consequences is no easy task these days. Yet we must and will persevere. Nevertheless, work at present also comes with a greater financial burden, such as expanding our field work in Gaza, broadening our online campaigning, upgrading our online security, a much increased volume of data for translation from Arabic, legal fees, and resolving various hindrances to our work.

Your support is crucial. With one click, your secured credit card payment will help us continue our work and stay strong in the face of threats and harassment.

Thank you very much,

Hagai El-Ad
Executive Director