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She is not a soldier Ten days ago Amane Tatour turned eighteen, but today she is not a soldier. She chose to exercise her exemption from the Civil Service, which means that she will not be joining the Israeli army any time soon. Amane is a Palestinian Arab living in Israel. That is one of the few groups that are afforded exemptions from the mandatory universal conscription into the Israeli military or the National Service.

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HRA Report “Suspected Citizens” Focuses Public Attention on the Discriminatory Security Checks on Arab Citizens at Ben Gurion Airport On 4 December 2006, the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA) published a report entitled “Suspected Citizens: Racial Profiling against Arab Passengers by Israeli Airports and Airlines.” The report examined the subject of the discriminatory security checks to which Arab citizens are subjected by Israeli security personnel. The citizens involved do not present any security threat to the other passengers; have not been suspected in the past of security-related offenses; and have nothing in their past that justifies special attention.As a result of the publication of the report, the subject of the discriminatory security checks against Arab citizens was raised repeatedly over the course of 2007. In this summary, we examine the impact of the report on public discussion of the issue.

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HRA Report “Behind the Walls” Focuses Public Attention on the Separation Fences between Jews and Arabs within Israel On 27 December 2005, the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA) published a report entitled “Behind the Walls: Separation Walls between Arabs and Jews in Mixed Cities and Neighborhoods in Israel.” The report documented a new manifestation of discrimination and racism: the establishment of walls and fences separating Jewish and Arab citizens within mixed neighborhoods and cities in Israel. These walls and fences reflect attitudes that have developed against a background of racism, and are transforming racial separation into a legitimate pattern of behavior in the context of the relations between the different populations. The phenomenon is particularly common in mixed Arab and Jewish cities, which might have been considered the most appropriate locations in which to apply the principle of equal coexistence and acceptance of the other in a society that respects humans and human rights. As a result of the publication of the report, the subject of the separation walls between Jews and Arabs in Israel, which had previously been virtually unknown among the Israeli public, became a focus of public attention. In this summary, we examine the impact of the report on public discussion of the issue.

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Sanctity Denied Sparks Knesset Discussion The HRA’s latest report Sanctity Denied: The Destruction and Abuse of Muslim and Christian Holy Places in Israel was quoted in the most recent knesset meeting on March 10, 2005.