Compensation Law: Sample Letter

MK Michael EItan
Chairman of Constitution, Law and Justice Committee
The Knesset
Fax: 972-2- 649-6404
e-mail: meitan@knesset.gov.il

Dear MK Eitan,

I am writing to urge you to act to prevent passage of Amendment 5 to the Civil Wrongs Law.

This amendment will severely hinder Palestinians' ability to obtain a remedy for violations of their basic human rights.

It is particularly egregious to deny access to the courts based on the identity of the victim rather than the circumstances of the injury. Thus a Palestinian injured by security forces will have no possibility to receive compensation, whereas an Israeli resident of the Occupied Territories injured in similar circumstances will have full access to the courts. Such blatant discrimination is an affront to basic principles of equality and human dignity.

The implication of this amendment is that Palestinians may be harmed without redress. Such a law would be a stain on the Israeli legal system.

Determination as to who is entitled to compensation for acts of the Israeli security forces must be left to the courts.