Jenin Jenin bill must be struck immediately, Adalah tells Ministry of Justice
Bill’s passage will silence criticism of Israeli military
On 17 June, Adalah wrote to the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni, demanding that the Prevention of Libel and Defamation Bill, also known as the “Jenin, Jenin Law”, be withdrawn immediately. The bill aims to restrict and silence criticism, political action, and lawsuits against the Israeli military and its actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The bill was approved by
Under the proposed law, any soldier or group of soldiers will be able to file a civil lawsuit against a film director, journalist, or any other individual for defamation regarding information about any military action conducted in the Occupied Palestinian Territories . The plaintiffs will not have to demonstrate that they were personally damaged in any way. It also removes the current requirement that soldiers’ civil lawsuits be approved by the Attorney General.
Adalah: Law gravely breaches freedom of speech, silences crucial discussion
Adalah Attorney Nadeem Shehadeh wrote in the letter that the Prevention of Libel and Defamation Bill constituted a grave breach of freedom of expression and opinion in general, and in particular political opinion. The Israeli military’s actions are a major subject of debate and contention among the Israeli public, and around the world. Adalah emphasized that the law’s enactment would cast a blanket of silence over all criticism of the Israeli Occupation and the Israeli army’s activities in the OPT, and end legitimate political discussions.
Law will strengthen army’s grip on information
The “Jenin, Jenin Law” will make holding an open political debate even more difficult than it currently is. The Israeli military already enjoys wide control to conceal or disseminate information in its possession. Under military censorship laws, the military can censor large quantities of information and keep the public uninformed, allowing it to evade accountability.
“Jenin, Jenin Law” named after film
The law was created in response to a group of soldiers’ civil suit brought against the director of the film Jenin, Jenin, Mohammad Bakri. Jenin, Jenin was filmed in the Jenin refugee camp during Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, during which the Israeli army launched a massive military invasion of the West Bank, and leveled scathing criticism at the Israeli military’s gross violations of human rights in Jenin. The film was composed of interviews with residents of the Jenin refugee camp, and implied that Israeli soldiers had committed war crimes. Despite an outraged public backlash against Bakri in Israel, the Israeli courts did not find that he had committed libel or defamation against a group of soldiers who filed a civil lawsuit against him.
