International Organisations Glossary
Overview of the various bodies investigating Israel (ALL biased according to Israel)
Summary
This article summarises the different international organisations involved in monitoring, reporting on, investigating and issuing judgements on the actions of the Israeli State.
Note that to date virtually none of these rulings or findings from investigations or advocacy have been implemented due to reasons of influence defined elsewhere.
Contents
Introduction
There are multiple bodies involved in the investigation of Israel’s conduct over the years.
International Organisations
United Nations (General Assembly, Security Council, Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights)
Courts - ICJ, ICC
NGOs - international, Israeli, Palestinian
🇺🇳 United Nations
The United Nations is the core international body of countries, formed post World War II to maintain peace, order and co-operation between nations. Members of the UN are (meant to be) bound by
the 1948 UN Charter defining the organisation of the UN and the behaviour of Member States1
resolutions mandated by the UN Security Council relevant to Member States
Israel has ignored both over the years and complained the UN is biased.
The main bodies of the UN are listed below:
UN General Assembly (UNGA)
The UN General Assembly - central council with representatives of all nations. The Chairman of the Council is known as the Secretary-General voted in every 5 years by members of the UN Security Council - 5 of whom can veto his appointment (see below). No Secretary General to date has served more than two terms.
The current Secretary General is António Guterres from Portugal2 is on his second term from 1 Jan 2017 due to end 2026.
The UN Security Council (UNSC)
UN Security Council - a special council with responsibility for issuing legally binding resolutions in the event of a dispute threatening world peace.
The UNSC has 15 members - 10 of which are rotating with 5 permanent members. Each of the permanent members have a veto vote on any resolution that is passed. The 5 Permanent Members do not represent today’s global environment - they are based off the victors of World War II as at 1948:
USA
UK
Russia (USSR to 1991)
China
France
The obvious issue here is vested political interest - and in the case of Israel - the US vetoing or watering down virtually every single UNSC Resolution that could have the power to affect Israel’s behaviour.
There are multiple UN Security Council Resolutions Israel has not complied with over the years, in fact the country with the most unchecked violations in the history of the UN.
In 2021 in response to this ongoing investigations were commenced into the treatment of Palestinians by two UN Human Rights bodies (see below).
Prior to October 7th there were open legal investigations by two international courts (see below also) and post Oct 7th two more.
The breaches of international law outlined indesputably in these reports (read them) and what Israel should actually be doing to comply from and the active investigations speak for themselves in supporting the UN Secretary General António Guterres’s 24 Oct 2023 statement that the October 7th attacks “did not happen in a vacuum”3.
See article here for details of Israel’s breaches of international law:
🇺🇳🕊️ United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) is a specific office to investigate the human rights of the individual (separate from state) formed from the UN’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.
Member states are bound by adverse findings from the UNOCHR findings.
Israel has ignored all findings over the years and discredited the organisation.
Specifically two bodies are investigating:
Special Procedures: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 reporting since 1993
Human Rights Council: Independent International Commission of Inquiry (IOC) on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel from 27 May 2021
These organisations periodically issue reports, by chance delivering checkpoint reports just before October 7th confirming Israel’s ongoing violations of human rights and oppressive regime prior to events of the 7th.
⚖️👩⚖️ International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)- the legal body of the United Nations to provide expert opinions and recommendation to the UN.
⚖️👩⚖️ International Criminal Court (ICC)
The International Criminal Court (ICC)- a separate body from the UN for independently investigating breaches of international law.
☮️⛑️ International Non-Government Organisations (NGO)
In addition to open investigations from Government Organisations (GO) international bodies with government level participation there are countless other findings in this crisis andover the years from respected global humanitarian NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Red Cross etc. all listing breaches from Israel.
Are ALL these organisations - international bodies and NGOs - REALLY “biased and unfair with completely untrue allegations picking on Israel” as is the rhetoric from the Israelis?
🇮🇱🕊️⛑️ Israeli Human Rights NGOs
There are multiple Israeli Human Rights organisations run within Israel.
As a general comment - it is interesting to see how the many voices of dissent against Israeli State action are openly heard WITHIN ISRAEL yet outside Israel they are crushed by local lobbying groups.
Israel truly has a more independent media and open free speech society than the lobby outside of Israel allows in Western Countries! (as the incredulous UN Special Rapporteur to Palestine noted in her November 2023 visit).
The reason of course for this is that internal voices of dissent are less powerful than those in the US - who is relied on for political, military and economic support. There ZERO TOLERANCE can be applied to voices of dissent.
It is worth noting that since Israel REFUSES to allow UN monitoring staff into either the Palestinian Occupied Territories or Israel - the UN would rely on organisations such as these in situ to provide independent monitoring.
Israeli Monitoring of NGOs
Having said that - a note of caution re. funding from B’Tselem websites:
There is a right-wing NGO in Israel called “NGO Monitor” which monitors and reports on NGOs from a strictly pro-Israeli viewpoint.
As such this is referred to by the Israeli State as an “independent” source to frame certain NGOs as untrustworthy (hence B’Tselem’s note on the website above).
NGO Monitor - on checking with independent global Media Bias fact checker - is confirmed to be extremely right wing, with specific examples of reporting skews, including selective reporting excluding right-wing NGOs.
Media Bias fact-checked for NGO Monitor here, summary as below.
Note that even right-wing Western Media refer to NGO Monitor to rubbish or discredit internal criticism within Israel from time to time - most recently Sky News Australia in continuing to pursue the Palestinian Advocacy leaders involvement in Palestinian charities.
Takeaway is - NGO Monitor is NOT a reliable resource for gauging the credibility of NGOs operating in the region.
Human Rights Organisations in Israel
A sample of HR Organisations in Israel. The first 10 on this particular list are those that wrote to the ICC in December 2022 offering to assist with their investigations into the 2014 Gaza Massacre in a visit by the ICC Early 2023.
Check their websites to review their findings in their particular areas.
Human Rights Violations - Cataloguing:
B’TSelem (formed 1989): opposed to an “Israeli Apartheid Regime” committed to peaceful single state solution for all Palestinian and Jewish people alike “from the River to the Sea”.
B’Tselem (in Hebrew literally: in the image of), the name chosen for the organization by the late Member of Knesset Yossi Sarid, is an allusion to Genesis 1:27: “And God created humankind in His image. In the image of God did He create them.” The name expresses the universal and Jewish moral edict to respect and uphold the human rights of all people.
Since B’Tselem’s inception in 1989, we have been documenting, researching and publishing statistics, testimonies, video footage, position papers and reports on human rights violations committed by Israel in the Occupied Territories.
The initial mandate we took upon ourselves focused on the occupation regime in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and in the Gaza Strip. However, over the years, it has become clear that the concept of two parallel regimes operating between the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River – a permanent democracy west of the Green Line and a temporary military occupation to the east of it – is divorced from reality.
The entire area that Israel controls is ruled by a single apartheid regime, governing the lives of all people living in it and operating according to one organizing principle: establishing and perpetuating the control of one group of people – Jews – over another – Palestinians – through laws, practices and state violence.
Legal Services:
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel: (founded November 1996) - Palestinian Arab-run legal center in Israel, and the sole Palestinian organization that works before Israeli courts to protect the human rights of Palestinians in Israel and in the OPT.
Of note Adalah maintains a database of laws discriminatory against Palestinian Israeli Citizens.
Human Rights Defenders’ Fund (HRDF - founded 2011) - Provision of legal aid and defense to HRDs who face different forms of legal persecution (such as false arrests and indictments or other types of legal harassment), ensuring that HRDs can continue carrying out their activism knowing that they have support. Thus the Fund seeks to mitigate the “chilling effect” of harassment by state authorities and extra-parliamentary groups.
HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual (founded 1988)- HaMoked provides free legal aid to Palestinians living under occupation and conducts strategic litigation and advocacy against Israel’s violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights (founded 2005) - protect the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli armed forces’ occupation. We view the occupation as a main source of the violation of the human rights and therefore seek to end it. Comment: Focus on Occupied Territories - including Israeli State forces and Israeli Settlers.
documents, collects and disseminates reliable and updated information regarding systematic human rights violations in the OPT.
We have a two-tiered approach: On the individual level, we work on individual cases to assist those whose rights have been violated. On the systemic level, we use the accumulation of individual incidents to identify structural violations of human rights and advocate for change.
Yesh Din conducts public and legal advocacy in order to pressure Israel’s authorities to implement their duty according to international humanitarian law to protect the Palestinians and their rights, and raise public awareness to human rights violations in the OPT.
Focuses on law enforcement on settlers and other Israeli civilians; criminal accountability of Israeli security forces personnel in the West Bank suspected of offenses against Palestinians; and human rights violations related to takeover of Palestinian land and restricting Palestinians’ access to their land.
Children:
Parents against Child Detention (PACD - founded 2018) - Grassroots Israeli organization, established in 2018 by a group of Israeli parents deeply concerned about the harm Palestinian children endure under Israeli occupation.
At any given moment, between 150 and 250 Palestinian youths aged 12 to 18 are being held in detention or imprisoned by Israeli authorities. The human rights violations experienced by the children and their families are overwhelming: children arrested at home in the middle of the night, on the street or at school, questioned without access to lawyers, subjected to physical violence and threats, restrained and blindfolded for hours, no contact with family members and more.
The Israeli public is generally unaware of the extent of the phenomenon of Palestinian minors’ detention, the practices that accompany it, and the reasons behind the arrests.
PACD’s overall goal is to end the violations of Palestinian children’s rights in detention, interrogation and arrest proceedings, and to reduce the number of Palestinian children arrested, interrogated and imprisoned.
Medical:
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) - (founded 1988) - PHRI works to promote a just society where the right to health is granted equally to all people under Israel’s responsibility.
Employs a multi-faceted approach to achieve its goals through the provision of humanitarian aid and work promoting policy change.
Through our open and mobile clinics, volunteer medical professionals provide services free of charge to people with limited or no access to health care–primarily migrants, refugees, and Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza.
At the same time, PHRI works to change discriminatory and abusive structures and policies towards Palestinians in the Occupied Territory, prisoners and detainees, migrant workers, refugees, undocumented persons, and Israeli residents.
Our methodology includes data collection, casework, legal action, local and international advocacy, education, and mobilization of the medical community.
Torture:
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI - founded 1990) - continuously seeks to abolish the use of torture in Israel.
We protect any individual harmed during interrogation, demonstration, detention, incarceration etc.;
We represent Israelis, Palestinians, refugees and immigrants who were subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by the hands of the Israeli authorities: the ISA [Shin Bet], Israel Police, IDF etc.
In the legal sphere, we document cases of illegal violence in interrogations, demonstrations, detention facilities and during arrests; we file complaints and appeals on behalf of victims; additionally, we submit petitions to the High Court of Justice on matters of principal to abolition and prevention of use of torture.
In the public sphere, we promote and advocate for policies and legislation aimed to criminalize torture and enhance enforcement and accountability; we raise awareness among the Israeli public to the existence of torture practices in Israel through public events, professional training and media exposure. On the international level, we submit reports to UN human rights’ committees, calling for a full implementation of the UN Convention against Torture, to which Israel is a State Party.
Religious Compassion:
Torat Tzedek – Torah Of Justice (founded by a Rabbi in 2017) - Jewish religious organisation focusing on the importance of human rights as a tenet of the Jewish faith. Comment: This is a constant theme coming from Jewish pro-Palestinian protestors - that the Israeli State actions are against Jewish faith compassion (and the two are VERY separate despite pro-Israeli attempts to merge together and hence call any criticism of Israel antisemitic). This NGO based in Israel fights that impression from within.
Torat Tzedek strives for a society that honors God’s Image in every human being, and for the human rights that this necessitates.
Torat Tzedek seeks to educate our society that honoring God’s image in every human being, protecting human rights and taking concrete action to further these goals is a human and religious obligation in general, and in particular a Jewish religious obligation.
Reconciliation & Social Cohesion:
Combatants for Peace: (founded in 2005 - nominated Nobel Peace Price 2017 and 2018) Bringing together Israeli soldiers serving in the IDF and Palestinians as combatants fighting to free their country, Palestine, from the Israeli occupation. To build the social infrastructure necessary for ending the conflict and the occupation: communities of Palestinians and Israelis working together through non-violent means to promote peace. It is a movement based upon nonviolent activism designed to advance the termination of the occupation and to provide a foundation for relations between the two peoples subsequent to a peace agreement (Two-State). Comment: Sensible approach to build social relationships between people’s similar to Truth and Reconciliation Committees of SA to break the cycle of violence and support the two-state solution.
American Friends of Combatants for Peace: American Friends of Combatants for Peace seeks to amplify the work of Combatants for Peace through fundraising, awareness, education and coalition building. We serve as a fiscal sponsor (501c3) for the Combatants for Peace movement in Israel and Palestine.
Breaking the Silence (formed March 2004) - organisation for former IDF soldiers revealing the truth of “the most moral army in the world” with stories of the reality of brutal mistreatment of Palestinians.
“Soldiers who serve in the territories witness and participate in military actions that change them immensely. Cases of abuse toward Palestinians, looting and destruction of property have been the norm for years, but these incidents are still described officially as “extreme” and “unique” cases. Our testimonies portray a different – and much grimmer – picture, in which the deterioration of moral standards finds expression in the character of the military orders and rules of engagement that the state considers justified in the name of Israel’s security.“
Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF): Founded 1995 - joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 600 families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. Moreover, the PCFF has concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace. The organization thus utilizes all resources available in education, public meetings and the media, to spread these ideas
American Friends of the Parents Circle Families Forum: US-based friends of the parents circle.
Standing Together: (Founded 2015) A progressive grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel against the occupation and for peace, equality, and social justice.4
We know that the majority have far more in common than that which sets us apart and only a tiny minority benefits from the status quo.
The future that we want:
- peace and independence for Israelis and Palestinians
- full equality for everyone in this land
- true social, economic, and environmental justice
To achieve this future, we must stand together as a united front: Jewish and Palestinian, secular and religious, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi, rural and urban, and people of all genders and sexual orientations. As the largest Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel, we are committed to creating an alternative to our existing reality and building the political strength to make this transformation possible.Friends of Standing Together: Standing together receives funding from the moderate New Israel Fund who are looking to set up a Friends of Standing Together in Australia with an event in Sydney on 9th November.
Roots (founded 2014) bringing together Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank for dialogue. Not sure how active they are today but here is a founder Ali Abu Awaad speaking at TedX in 2021:
A bereaved palestinian, former prisoner and a non- violence activist talking about his peace work and his activities toward finding nonviolence solution for the israeli palastinian conflict. Ali Abu Awwad is a Palestinian, non-violence activist born in Halhoul, Hebron, raised by politically active refugee family. Following his mother's footsteps, Awwad became a member of Fatah and served 2 prison sentences for violent activism.
During one sentence, a 17-day hunger strike granted him permission to see his mother. This success was a turning point, realizing the power of non-violent protest. Awwad established a Palestinian center for non-violence and formed "Roots", a group based in the West Bank designed to promote dialog between Israelis and Palestinians as a path to peace.
🇵🇸🕊️⛑️ Palestinian Human Rights NGOs
There are other Palestinian Human Rights Organisation working within the West Bank and Gaza.
These are precisely the organisations targeted by NGO Monitor as above and then quoted in right-wing media news sources to try to defame and discredit them, in particular accusations of terrorist financing.
NGOs are linked together as part of the Palestine NGO Network.
Organisation formed to co-ordinate relief efforts by NGOs operating in the region.
Al-Haq
Al-Haq was founded in 1979 to advocate for human rights in Palestine and to take action.
documents violations of the individual and collective rights of Palestinians in the OPT, irrespective of the identity of the perpetrator
seeks to end such breaches by way of advocacy before national and international mechanisms and by holding the violators accountable.
conducts research; prepares reports, studies and interventions on breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law in the OPT;
undertakes advocacy before local, regional and international bodies
cooperates with Palestinian civil society organisations and governmental institutions in order to ensure that international human rights standards are reflected in Palestinian law and policies - comment: this is important; I would like to see the intersection between human rights law and law under a Muslim country, in particular post the current crisis under the new PA whenever formed and however constituted
Specialised international law library for the use of its staff and the local community.
Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights
Al-Mezan was founded in 1999 based in the Gaza Strip. Its goals are:
To promote and protect human rights—particularly economic, social and cultural rights—in occupied Palestine, with a geographical focus on Gaza.
To work towards the realization of both individual and collective human rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, through the channels of international law.
To build and enhance the functioning of democracy and citizen participation in occupied Palestine and press towards good governance that respects human rights.
To advocate for justice for victims of human rights abuses, holding perpetrators accountable through legal mechanisms, and raising awareness both domestically and internationally about violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Areas of action:
Monitoring and Documentation of human rights and international law violations: systematic gathering of data and evidence concerning violations for the purpose of intervention, prevention, protection and/or dissemination. This includes up-keeping a human rights database. Violations are monitored regardless of the identity of the violators—i.e., whether Palestinian or Israeli actors stand behind them.
Advocacy and Accountability: Producing materials aimed at informing the authorities in the OPT, Israel and the international community on the human rights situation and violations, and advocating for respect of human rights in the OPT through statements, advocacy/information documents, events and meetings with stakeholders in the OPT and internationally.Al Mezan’s strategic plan stresses the need to increase the work with international community and the engagement with the UN in terms of parallel reporting and advocacy missions.
Legal Assistance and Advice, especially to victims and/or potential victims, including by litigation in Palestinian, Israeli, and foreign jurisdictions, and following case-files and complaints outside of courts, provision of legal advice relevant to human rights and international law. Legal advice is directed to various domains on international law, with a focus on UN mechanisms related to Palestine's accession to a number of human rights treaties as well as the ICC Rome Statute.
Liaison and Networking: Maintaining relations with human rights networks, coalitions and working groups on local and international levels, collaborating with UN agencies and mechanisms, INGOs and human rights NGOs in Palestine, Israel and abroad. This also includes thematic coalitions to act on specific human rights issues.
Dissemination related to human rights through research, reporting and publication of reliable materials on the human rights conditions, including maintaining a web site in Arabic, and English.
Training and Awareness-raising: Organizing awareness-raising and training courses, workshops, lectures, developing materials and providing library services to local communities. This includes deploying skills needed for increasing the capacity of relevant actors in Gaza, e.g. lawyers, schools, women, children and CBOs.
Capacity-building of the organization and its staff to manage and deliver the best possible services
Related Articles
SubStack:
International Law Definitions (Branches of international law, conventions, treaties & resolutions) - with a view to understanding what Israel has breached:
Israeli Breaches of International Law:
Pro-Israeli Lobby in the US - Hollywood, Academia, Congress & The UN
Sanctions on Israel: What SHOULD be happening due to the breaches of international law:
Other:
N/A
UN Charter Full Text - 1948 - UN Website - https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
UN Website - Secretary General biography - https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/biography
UN Website: 24 Oct Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council - on the Middle East [as delivered] - https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-10-24/secretary-generals-remarks-the-security-council-the-middle-east-delivered
The Green Left Jan 2 2024 “Jews and Arabs stand together against war and racism in Israel“ - https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/jews-and-arabs-stand-together-against-war-and-racism-israel