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{{Short description|Israeli legal advocacy group}} | |||
{{Infobox company | |||
{{pp|small=yes}} | |||
| name = Shurat HaDin<br>Israel Law Center | |||
{{advert|date=September 2020}} | |||
| type = ] | |||
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} | |||
| logo = Logo-shurat-final.gif | |||
{{Infobox organization | |||
| founder = ], Esq. | |||
| name = Shurat HaDin<br />Israel Law Center | |||
| foundation = 2003, ] | |||
| |
| type = ] | ||
| logo = File:Shurat_HaDin_logo.png | |||
| num_employees = | |||
| founder = ] | |||
| products = Fighting Global Terror Via the Courts | |||
| founding_location = ], Israel | |||
| revenue = | |||
| |
| formation = 2003 | ||
| leader_title = President | |||
| homepage = http://www.israellawcenter.org | |||
| leader_name = Nitsana Darshan-Leitner{{sfn|Rosenbaum|2020}} | |||
| products = | |||
| revenue = | |||
| website = {{URL|https://israellawcenter.org/}} | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Shurat HaDin''', Israel Law Center (ILC), |
'''Shurat HaDin''', also '''Israel Law Center''' ('''ILC'''), is an Israeli ] (NGO) founded in ] in 2003. Shurat HaDin has been described as a ]{{sfn|Narunsky|2012}}{{sfn|Chai|2013}}<ref>{{harvnb|Harel|2014|ps=: The petition -- which was filed by Shurat HaDin - the Israel Law Center, an Israeli based civil rights organization..."|access-date=2015-06-16}}</ref> organization. However, it has also been accused of pro-Israel ].{{sfn|Kittrie|2016|p=48}}{{sfn|Silverstein|2016|p=52}} | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
When Shurat Hadin was founded in 2003 its stated purpose was to "combat ] and promote ] through ], ] and ]."<ref name=July>{{cite news | url= |
When Shurat Hadin was founded in 2003, its stated purpose was to "combat ] and promote ] through ], ] and ]."<ref name=July>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E1DF1E3DF931A3575BC0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all| title=Syria Is Sued by Family of Man Killed by '96 Bomb in Jerusalem | newspaper=] |date=August 2, 2000| first=Judith| last= Miller | access-date = 2008-04-03}}</ref> | ||
According to its founder, ], its creation was inspired by the ] in the ], which used ] to cripple and bankrupt the ] and ] groups in the US.<ref name=Phillips-Melanie>{{cite news | url=http://www.melaniephillips.com/articles-new/?p=574| title=Conservative Using law to fight a war | |
According to its founder and president, ], its creation was inspired by the ] in the ], which used ] to cripple and bankrupt the ] and ] groups in the US.<ref name=Phillips-Melanie>{{cite news | url=http://www.melaniephillips.com/articles-new/?p=574| title=Conservative Using law to fight a war | newspaper=] |date=March 21, 2008 | first=Melanie | last=Phillips | access-date = 2008-03-28}}</ref> | ||
== Organization and funding == | |||
A leaked US Embassy cable from 2007 records the following description of the organisation's links with the Government of Israel (GOI): | |||
By 2012, Shurat HaDin had eleven employees.<ref>{{harvnb|''The New York Times''|2015|ps=: in 2012, the latest year financial reports were available publicly, had 11 employees, three with salaries topping $100,000.}}</ref> It retains two public relations firms, one in Israel and one in New York.<ref>{{harvnb|''The New York Times''|2015|ps=: It retains not one but two public relations firms, in Israel and New York}}</ref> | |||
As of 2015, the annual budget was $2.5 million, though Shurat HaDin does not disclose its donors.<ref>{{harvnb|''The New York Times''|2015|ps=: She said the annual budget was $2.5 million, but declined to name her donors, citing security concerns.}}</ref> According to an ''In These Times'' review in 2019, donations to the organizations include $1.1 million from U.S. foundations and charities over the last decade. Prominent donors are the John Hagee Ministries, run by ] ], which has donated at least $225,000; the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, which has given $475,000; and the Michael and Andrea Leven Family Foundation, which has given $25,000.{{sfn|Kane|2019}} | |||
::Leitner said that in many of her cases she receives evidence from GOI officials, and added that in its early years ILC took direction from the GOI on which cases to pursue. "The National Security Council (NSC) legal office saw the use of civil courts as a way to do things that they are not authorized to do," claimed Leitner. Among her contacts, Leitner listed Udi Levy at the NSC and Uzi Beshaya at the Mossad, both key Embassy contacts on anti-terrorist finance cooperation.<ref>, US Embassy Tel Aviv, 30 August 2007.</ref> | |||
== Israeli government ties == | |||
==Organization== | |||
Shurat HaDin works closely with the Israeli government and the ] community. | |||
Shurat HaDin is staffed with activist ] attorneys and works with numerous other law offices internationally which serve as co-counsel on cases being litigated in courtrooms in the ], ], ] and elsewhere. | |||
According to a leaked U.S. ], Darshan-Leitner told U.S. officials in 2007 that "in its early years" Shurat HaDin "took direction from the GOI on which cases to pursue" and that it received evidence from Israeli government officials. The cable quoted Darshan-Leitner directly: "The National Security Council (NSC) legal office saw the use of civil courts as a way to do things that they are not authorized to do."{{sfn|White|2020|p=74}} She later denied ever saying that to a U.S. diplomat.{{sfn|Kane|2016}} | |||
==Prominent cases== | |||
Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center has been involved in a range of legal actions in Israel<ref name=FoxNews>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,338009,00.html | title=Israeli Town Demands Anti-Missile Laser | publisher=]|date=March 17, 2008| first=Fox| last=News | accessdate = 2008-04-03}}</ref> and abroad on behalf of ] cases.<ref name=Todd-Pitock>{{cite news | url=http://www.jewsweek.com/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Article%5El1645&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Stories&| title=On the trail of terrorists | publisher=] |date=February 22, 2005| first=Todd| last=Pittok | accessdate = 2008-04-03}}</ref> | |||
In an interview in 2014, Darshan-Leitner told a Swedish pro-Israel nonprofit that "governments cannot do what we do", citing "political restraints" and "international treaties".{{sfn|White|2020|p=74}} | |||
===HAN KIM et al. v DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA,1:09-cv-00648-RWR === | |||
In a 2017 book entitled ''Harpoon'' after ]'s finance-tracking unit, Darshan-Leitner described her cooperation with the intelligence agency.{{sfn|Williams|2017}} She wrote that Mossad operatives held regular briefings with her and would tip her off on suspect financing for her to file lawsuits against. In some cases, the Israeli government provided written affidavits to back up claims.{{sfn|Bob|2017b}}{{sfn|Williams|2017}} She claimed that her role in the operation was voluntary and unpaid.{{sfn|Williams|2017}} Two of the cases she credited the cooperation for was the lawsuit against the ] in 2015 and the legal complaints that led to the disbanding of a planned 2011 Gaza flotilla.{{sfn|Williams|2017}} Israel's military censors had to redact a fifth of the text according to Darshan-Leitner.{{sfn|Williams|2017}} | |||
Plaintiffs proved claims under the terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act leading to a $330,000,000 judgement against North Korea. This was the first time that a US court concluded that a foreign regime which abducts an individual who is then never heard from again, has the burden of proving that he has not been murdered.<ref>http://ilcblog.org/2015/04/13/historic-330-million-judgement-against-north-korea-on-behalf-of-family-of-kidnapped-korean-priest/</ref> <ref>https://israellawcenter.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/district-court-judgment.pdf</ref> | |||
Critics have labeled Shurat HaDin a "]" over its ties to the Israeli government.{{sfn|White|2020|p=72}} | |||
===Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization, 04-cv-00397=== | |||
== Lawsuits, legal complaints, and threats == | |||
On February 24, 2015 a New York District Court jury found the PLO and PA liable for six terror attacks under the US Anti-Terrorism Act. The jury was unanimous in its decision regarding six terror attacks in Jerusalem that killed and wounded US citizens. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $218,500,000, which was trebled under the Anti-Terrorism Act to $655,500,000. The plaintiff's argued the defendants provided weapons, bombs, logistics, safe houses and money for these attacks, and provided payments to those responsible for the attacks while they were in jail.<ref>http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202718658496/Jury-Finds-PLO-Authority-Liable-for-Terror-Acts</ref> | |||
Shurat HaDin has filed a large number of lawsuits and legal complaints. | |||
=== The twelve missing Iranian Jews (2006) === | |||
===Gaza flotilla === | |||
In 1994, twelve Iranian Jews disappeared as they, aided by Mossad and the ], attempted to escape the country to Israel.{{sfn|Sharon|2014}} In 2006 Shurat HaDin sued former Iranian President ] on behalf of their families as they thought they had been wrongfully imprisoned when he was president.{{sfn|Melamed|2007}} However, in 2014 it was found that the majority of the Jews had been killed by Iranian security forces who believed them to be members of the dissident group ]. The others had been killed by members of their local tribe for unspecified reasons.{{sfn|Sharon|2014}} | |||
Shurat Hadin used ] to threaten lawsuits against parties associated with the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/07/06/george-jonas-using-lawfare-to-anchor-the-gaza-flotilla/ |title=George Jonas: Using lawfare to anchor the Gaza flotilla |publisher=National Post |date= July 2011 |accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref> This was accomplished in three ways: 1) Inform maritime insurance companies that by insuring sea vessels used by terrorists (for delivery of weapons to be used by terrorists) would be liable for future attacks by those terrorists.; 2) A legal warning to Inmarsat, a U.S. based satellite communications provider, that under U.S. law they will be open to charges of aiding and abetting terrorism if they provide services to these Gaza-bound ships.; and 3) Ongoing civil lawsuits against the ships that were to participate in the flotilla.<ref>The second action was Shurat HaDin’s legal warning to Inmarsat, a U.S. based satellite communications provider, that under U.S. law they will be open to charges of aiding and abetting terrorism if they provide services to these Gaza-bound ships.</ref> | |||
=== American Express Bank and Lebanese-Canadian Bank (2008) === | |||
===Judgement against Iran and Syria=== | |||
In 2008, Shurat HaDin and Attorney Robert Tolchin of New York filed suit against ] Bank (Amex) in the ] in Manhattan accusing the bank of facilitating transfer of money to ]. | |||
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat HaDin Israel won a case in May 2012 in which she was representing the family of Daniel Wultz, a 16 year old American who was killed in a ] ] in 2006. The case was tried in a U.S. ], and represented the first time that a U.S. court issued a judgement against Syria for terror related activities. The amount of the judgement was $323,000,000. The court explained that Iran and Syria were responsible for supporting "Palestinian militants" in that bombing which killed 11 people.<ref>{{cite web|last=AP|first=|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/israeli-group-wins-323-million-terror-suit-syria-iran-article-1.1078838|title=Israeli group wins $323 million terror suit against Syria, Iran|publisher=nydailynews.com|date=May 15, 2012|accessdate=2014-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Deitch|first=Ian|url=http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-group-wins-terror-suit-against-syria-iran-184948425.html|title=Israeli group wins terror suit against Syria, Iran|publisher=news.yahoo.com|date=May 15, 2012|accessdate=2014-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=August 2012}}</ref> | |||
Representing some 85 victims and their family members, the Shurat HaDin lawsuit alleged that the Amex and the ] (LCB) illegally transferred millions of dollars in wire transfers to Hezbollah between 2004 and 2006.<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-14-554183465_x.htm| title=Hezbollah attack victims' relatives sue 2 banks| newspaper=] | access-date = 31 Dec 2011 | first=Samuel | last=Maull | date=July 14, 2008}}</ref>{{clarify |That was 16 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
===Sderot=== | |||
On January 7, 2008, ten families of ] (Israel) residents, whose relatives were killed or seriously injured by ] ]s, filed a lawsuit against the ] in the ] seeking compensation in the amount of NIS 260,000,000 ($65,000,000 US). The court complaint accuses Egypt of intentionally assisting what it calls ] in smuggling explosives and weapons into the ] controlled ]. | |||
=== UBS bank (2008) === | |||
The plaintiffs argue that Cairo assists the organizations by authorizing the smuggling of tons of explosives and thousands of weapons into Gaza. They also argued that the Egyptian government allowed what the group called terrorists to cross back and forth from the Egyptian-held ] into Gaza, permitting them an open route to and from what Shurat HaDin asserted to be terrorist training bases in states | |||
In May 2008, Shurat HaDin was co-counsel in filing in the ] against the Swiss bank, ] which was accused of financing terror.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008May13/0,4670,TerrorLawsuit,00.html | title=Swiss mega bank UBS GA Accused of Financing Terror | work=]|date=May 13, 2008 | access-date = 2008-05-21}}</ref> | |||
like ], ] and ]. | |||
The group alleges that UBS was involved in transferring dollars to regimes such as Iran, ], and ]. The UBS operation was uncovered by American soldiers in Iraq in 2003 who discovered brand new dollars, still wrapped in ] casings behind a wall in ]'s palace.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|author=Finance |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2935936/UBS-help-for-Iran-broke-US-sanctions.html |title=UBS help for Iran 'broke US sanctions' |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date= 4 April 2006|access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> A Federal Reserve investigation of the currency determined that UBS was responsible for illegally transferring between $4 and $5 billion to ] between 1996 and 2004.<ref name="telegraph" /> At first UBS sought to deny the extent of the money transfers it had provided to Iran and others, but eventually was compelled to admit the scope of its criminal activities.<ref name="telegraph" /> UBS, one of world's wealthiest banks, was fined $100 million by the Federal Reserve for its conduct.<ref name="telegraph" /> | |||
===Alien Torts Act and the Torture Victims Protection Act=== | |||
On September 10, 2006, Shurat HaDin and ] attorney Robert Tolchin filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of the families of 12 missing ] against the former Iranian President ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Suissa |first=David |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/david_suissa/article/rebels_with_a_cause_20120208/ |title=Opinion: Rebels with a cause |publisher=Jewishjournal.com |date=2012-02-08 |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref> The complaint alleges that the former president was responsible for the kidnapping and torture of their missing family members in Iran. The families, currently residing in Los Angeles and Israel, claim that Khatami instituted the cruel policy of making Iranian Jewish detainees "disappear" – that is imprisoning Iranian Jews without trials and refusing to provide their families any information concerning their arrests, status or whereabouts. | |||
===North Korea abduction case (2009) === | |||
The families of the missing Jews, who are not U.S. citizens, brought the suit under special laws – the ] and the ] – which permit foreigners to sue their tormentors for torture and kidnapping in American courts. The plaintiffs are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages against Khatami for what they assert to be his role in the ongoing disappearance of their relatives. Khatami has refused to answer the complaint and has defaulted the case. | |||
In 2000 ], a South Korean pastor, was abducted in northeastern China and has not been heard from since.{{sfn|Sang-hun|2015}} In 2009 Shurat HaDin, to help Kim's son and brother, both U.S. citizens, brought a lawsuit against North Korea in a U.S. federal court, seeking damages for Kim's torture and murder because the country was suspected to be behind the abduction.{{sfn|''JTA''|2015}} In 2015 the court ordered North Korea to pay $300 million in punitive damages and $15 million each to Kim's brother and his son.{{sfn|Sang-hun|2015}} According to Darshan-Leitner, this was the first time a US court has found that a foreign regime which abducts an individual who is then never heard from again, has the burden of proving that he has not been murdered.{{sfn|Sang-hun|2015}} | |||
===Gaza flotilla (2011) === | |||
===Israeli collaborators=== | |||
Shurat Hadin used ] to threaten lawsuits against parties associated with the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/07/06/george-jonas-using-lawfare-to-anchor-the-gaza-flotilla/ |title=George Jonas: Using lawfare to anchor the Gaza flotilla |newspaper=National Post |date=July 2011 |access-date=2015-03-03 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711232556/http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/07/06/george-jonas-using-lawfare-to-anchor-the-gaza-flotilla/ |archive-date=2012-07-11 }}</ref>{{clarify |1. POV ("lawfare"). Proof it was frivolous? 2. That was 13 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
On May 1, 2008, Shurat HaDin along with former Soviet ], ] launched a public campaign to save the life of a Palestinian police officer accused of having assisted the Israeli intelligence services in hunting down fugitive terrorists. The policeman, Imad Sa'ad<ref name="Eli Lake">{{cite news | url=http://www.nysun.com/foreign/appeal-is-made-to-bush-to-save-arab-accused/75781/| title=Appeal Is Made to Bush To Save Arab Accused of Helping Israel| publisher=] |date=May 5, 2008| first=Eli| last=Lake | accessdate = 2008-06-01}}</ref> has been sentenced to death by a Palestinian ] in Hebron. Sa'ad, it is alleged, provided the ] with the whereabouts of four suspected bomb makers whom the ] was unwilling to hand over to the Israelis. | |||
=== Jimmy Carter (2011) === | |||
Shurat HaDin accused the Palestinians of having engaged in a ] that did not permit the defendant, a father of four, the ] nor the right to call ]es in his defense. Darshan-Leitner and Nudel wrote to then-president ], the ] and the ] to ask for their support.<ref name="Jeff Jacoby">{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/05/07/who_will_save_imad_saad | title=Who will save Imad Saad| publisher=Boston Globe|date=May 7, 2008| first=Jeff| last=Jacoby | accessdate = 2008-06-01}}</ref> | |||
In 2011 Shurat HaDin, representing five plaintiffs,{{sfn|Turley|2011}} sued former President ] and publisher ] over the publication of Carter's book '']''.{{sfn|Cohen|2011}} It claimed that Carter and his publisher engaged in "deceptive acts in the course of conducting business" and Darshan-Leitner claimed that Carter's "hatred of Israel has led him to commit this fraud on the public."{{sfn|Turley|2011}} Shurat HaDin sought $5 million in damages.{{sfn|Turley|2011}} | |||
Simon & Schuster said the suit was frivolous, without merit, and a "chilling attack on free speech."{{sfn|Bosman|2011}} ] of ] said it was "clearly frivolous" and that the complaint was "written like a press release without a thin pretense of legal claims."{{sfn|Turley|2011}} ] of ] argued that it was an attempt to bully Israel's critics:{{sfn|Heller|2011}} | |||
===UBS bank=== | |||
{{blockquote|text=I would hope that both the left and the right could agree that using consumer-protection laws to sue authors and publishers who publish books with controversial theses is a very bad idea. Indeed, in a world full of Glenn Becks and Pat Buchanans, it is revealing that this is the first lawsuit of its kind (a point of pride, scarily enough, for the plaintiffs' lawyers). But, of course, this is a book about Israel — and this lawsuit is simply a new front in the never-ending war against anyone who has the temerity to criticize Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. The goal of the lawsuit isn't to force Simon & Schuster to pay damages for publishing Carter's book; its goal is to bully Carter and other would-be critics of Israel into not writing books like ''Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid'' in the first place.}} | |||
On May 13, 2008, Shurat HaDin was co-counsel in filing in the ] against the Swiss bank, ]<ref name=FoxNews>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008May13/0,4670,TerrorLawsuit,00.html | title=Swiss mega bank UBS GA Accused of Financing Terror | publisher=]|date=May 13, 2008| first=Fox| last=News | accessdate = 2008-05-21}}</ref> which is accused by the plaintiffs of financing terror. | |||
The plaintiffs dropped the suit after a few months.{{sfn|Bosman|2011}} | |||
=== Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012) === | |||
The plaintiffs in the case, all of whom had family members injured or killed in Israel, allege that ]'s unlawful eight-year-long provision of financial services to the Islamic Republic of Iran at the time that the group allege that Tehran was ] renders the Swiss bank liable for the harm that has been inflicted upon them and their families. This was the first civil action brought by what the group allege to be American victims of ] attacks by ]. | |||
In 2006 ], a 16-year-old American, was killed in a ] ]. ], based in ], Syria, took responsibility.{{sfn|Oster|2012}} Shurat HaDin brought a lawsuit on behalf of the family against Syria and Iran which it argued were responsible. In 2012 the court sided with the plaintiff and awarded the family a $323 million judgement.{{sfn|Oster|2012}} | |||
=== World Vision Australia (2012) === | |||
The group alleges that the Swiss bank was involved in transferring dollars to regimes such as Iran, ], and ]. The UBS operation was uncovered by American soldiers in Iraq in 2003 who discovered brand new dollars, still wrapped in ] casings behind a wall in ]'s palace.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|author=Finance |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2935936/UBS-help-for-Iran-broke-US-sanctions.html |title=UBS help for Iran 'broke US sanctions' |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref> A Federal Reserve investigation of the currency determined that UBS was responsible for illegally transferring between $4 to $5 billion to ] between 1996 and 2004.<ref name="telegraph" /> At first UBS sought to deny the extent of the money transfers it had provided to Iran and others, but eventually was compelled to admit the scope of its criminal activities.<ref name="telegraph" /> UBS, one of world's wealthiest banks, was fined $100 millions by the Federal Reserve for its conduct.<ref name="telegraph" /> The lawsuit charges UBS, which has a branch in New York, with aiding and abetting what the group allege to be Iran's support of terrorism, by illegally providing Tehran the dollars it needed to pass along to the terrorist groups for their purchases and attacks. | |||
In 2012 Shurat HaDin sent a letter to the Christian relief, development, and advocacy group ] (WV) and the Australian government's international aid agency ], asserting that the groups' funding of the ] (UAWC), a ]-based Palestinian nonprofit group, could make WV and AusAID "personally, criminally and civilly liable under Australian and US law."{{sfn|Le Grand|2012}}{{sfn|Paraszczuk|2012a}} Shurat HaDin alleged that UAWC was a ] for the ] (PFLP), a proscribed terrorist organization,{{sfn|Le Grand|2012}}{{sfn|Paraszczuk|2012a}} and asserted that by providing aid to the UAWC, WV and AusAID were "aiding and abetting Palestinian terrorism, and thereby violating Australian and United States anti-terrorism laws."{{sfn|Paraszczuk|2012a}} WV suspended its work with UAWC pending an outcome of the investigation,{{sfn|Le Grand|2012}}{{sfn|Paraszczuk|2012a}} and resumed working with UAWC after AusAID and WV determined that the allegations were unfounded.{{sfn|Paraszczuk|2012b}} | |||
An investigation conducted by AusAID in conjunction with the ] and the ], found no evidence to substantiate Shurat HaDin's claims of a link between UAWC and PFLP.{{sfn|Le Grand|2012b}}<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2012/bc_mr_120531.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211203358/https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2012/bc_mr_120531.html|archive-date=February 11, 2014|title=Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade|date=May 31, 2012}}</ref> In an October 2012 letter to Shurat ha-Din, World Vision Australia CEO ] said that the allegations made by Shurat HaDin were "unsubstantiated, and in some circumstances, defamatory".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jwire.com.au/world-vision-answers-shurat-hadin/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306155035/http://www.jwire.com.au/world-vision-answers-shurat-hadin/|archive-date=March 6, 2016|title=World Vision answers Shurat HaDin|date=October 6, 2012|via=J-Wire}}</ref> | |||
===Iranian families and diplomats=== | |||
On June 30, 2008, Shurat HaDin filed a petition in the ] of Justice on behalf of the families of 12 missing ] seeking to block the Israeli government from releasing information on the fate of ] as part of a ] deal with Hezbollah. The petition was heard on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. The Jews were arrested in the 1990s as they sought to escape from Iran across the border with Pakistan and they are believed to still be in Iranian prisons. The Iranian diplomats disappeared in ] in 1982. | |||
The petition demands that the Prime Minister not authorize the transfer of information regarding the diplomats until such time as reliable and detailed information is received about the missing Jews' fate. | |||
=== ''Shurat HaDin v. Lynch'' (2013) === | |||
Shurat Hadin claims it has reliable information that at least one of the Jews is still alive and being held as a prisoner in Tehran. The families contend that the government must honor the obligations imposed upon it by the Israeli High Court approximately two years ago, in a prior High Court proceeding, that "...push forward diligently without sparing any effort in order to gain information about the Jews of Iran." The families are insisting that there be a "]" on information about their family members in exchange for the release of the details on the fate of the missing Iranians. | |||
In 2012 Dan Avnon, a political theorist at the ] of ], applied for fellowship at ] and asked ] at Sydney to endorse his application. Lynch refused, citing his leadership with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, his support for the ], the fact that the Hebrew University has a campus in the ] and ties to the Israeli military.{{sfn|Safi|2014}} In 2013 Shurat HaDin sued Lynch for violating Australia's anti-racism laws and attempted to use the suit to outlaw BDS in Australia. The ] publicly denounced the suit as an inappropriate use of the courts.{{sfn|Goldberg|2014}}{{sfn|Goldberg|2013}} | |||
In April 2014 the court struck part of the suit, and Shurat HaDin lawyers narrowed the complaint to the specifics of Avnon and Lynch.{{sfn|Goldberg|2014b}} But Avnon made known that he did not support the suit. In July 2014, noting that Shurat HaDin did not represent a willing client and did not have a complaint of its own, the court dismissed the case and awarded attorney fees to Lynch.{{sfn|Goldberg|2014c}} Shurat HaDin said that "the case was thrown out on a ], not on the merits of the arguments ... lawyers came up with a trick to avoid the issue being heard on its merits." Shurat HaDin's spokesperson said the suit was a warning to other Australian academic institutions.{{sfn|Goldberg|2014c}} | |||
Shurat HaDin emphasized that, the families' are not appealing against the deal to bring back the Hizbollah captives itself but rather are demanding that the fate of the 12 missing Jews be included as a "quid pro quo" before any information about the diplomats is released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=105878 |title=Soldiers set to be returned to Israel in 10 days |publisher=Jpost.com |date=2006-07-12 |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref> | |||
=== Presbyterian Church USA (2014) === | |||
===American Express Bank and Lebanese-Canadian Bank=== | |||
In June 2014 the General Assembly of the ] passed a resolution calling for divestment from U.S. companies with business interests in Israel. Altogether approximately $21 million worth of shares was divested from Hewlett Packard, Caterpillar and Motorola Solutions. Consequently, Shurat HaDin filed a complaint with the IRS arguing that PCUSA's tax-exempt status should be revoked. Shurat HaDin also claimed that it had evidence of PCUSA delegates meeting with Hezbollah and distributing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel materials.{{sfn|Brown|2015}}{{clarify | That was 10 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
On July 14, 2008, Shurat HaDin and Attorney ] of New York filed suit against ] Bank accusing it of a role in transferring money for ]. The action was filed in the ] in Manhattan. | |||
=== Coca-cola threat (2015) === | |||
Representing some 85 victims and their family members, the Shurat HaDin lawsuit<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{cite news | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-14-554183465_x.htm| title=Hezbollah attack victims' relatives sue 2 banks| publisher=] | accessdate = 31 Dec 2011 | first=Samuel | last=Maull | date=July 14, 2008}}</ref> alleges that the ] Bank, Ltd. and the ] (LCB) unlawfully executed millions of dollars in wire transfers for Hizbollah between 2004 and 2006. The plaintiffs assert that Hizbollah used the funds transferred by Amex Bank and LCB to prepare and carry out the rocket attacks which the terrorist organization rained on Israeli cities between July 12 and August 14, 2006. | |||
In 2015 Shurat HaDin called on Coca-Cola to drop its Palestinian franchise because its head, ], was endorsing the BDS movement. It advised Coca-Cola not to associate with any entity advocating for boycotts of Israel. Shurat HaDin warned that legal action could be taken to "ensure that The Coca-Cola Company is not engaged in instituting, promoting or inciting boycotts."{{sfn|Grossman|2015}}{{clarify | That was 9 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
=== United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (2015) === | |||
The plaintiffs rested their claims in part on written findings issued by the ] in 2007, which determined that Amex Bank had failed to establish adequate procedures to prevent ] as demanded by state and federal law. This was the first lawsuit brought by victims of terrorism against a U.S. financial institution, alleging that they served as a correspondent for a bank in Lebanon. | |||
In August 2015 ] became the first national trade union in the U.S. to endorse the ].{{sfn|Kane|2016b}} Consequently, Shurat HaDin and David Abrams of the Zionist Advocacy Center filed an ]s against the union.{{sfn|Abunimah|2015}} Shurat HaDin argued that it violated "American labor law for the union to encourage its members to cease doing business with Israelis and Israeli companies." The ] dismissed the complaint.{{sfn|Kane|2016b}}{{clarify | That was 9 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
===Jimmy Carter=== | |||
On February 1, 2011, Shurat HaDin and US attorney David Schoen, Esq. of Montgomery, Alabama filed suit against former president ] and publisher ] for the publication of Carter’s book, '']''.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/class-action-suit-filed-against-jimmy-carter-book/| title=Class Action Suit Filed Against Jimmy Carter Book| publisher=] | accessdate = 25 Jan 2013 | first=Jimmy| last=Carter | date=Feb 2, 2011}}</ref> According to the Center's own information page, the book violated New York's consumer protection law. <blockquote> | |||
=== Palestinian Authority lawsuit (2015) === | |||
The plaintiffs, who hope to have the case certified as a class action, are members of the reading public who purchased Carter’s book expecting that they were buying an accurate and factual record of historic events concerning Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. The lawsuit contends that Carter, who holds himself out as a Middle-East expert, and his publisher, intentionally presented untrue and inaccurate information and sought to capitalize on the author’s status as a former President to mislead unsuspecting members of the public. The complaint alleges that the defendants’ misrepresentations, all highly critical of Israel, violate New York consumer protection laws, specifically New York General Business Law § 349, which makes it unlawful to engage in deceptive acts in the course of conducting business. While acknowledging Carter’s right to publish his personal views, the plaintiffs assert that the defendants violated the law and, thus, harmed those who purchased the book.<ref name="ILC-Carter">{{cite press release | url=http://www.israellawcenter.org/page.asp?id=339&show=photo&pn=1118&ref=report | title=Class Action Suit Filed Against Jimmy Carter for Deliberate Misrepresentations in Anti-Israel Book | publisher=Shurat HaDin | accessdate = 25 Jan 2013}}</ref> </blockquote> | |||
Shurat HaDin is preparing to take the ] (PA) to the ] (ICC). In the event that the Palestinian Authority is accepted into the ICC, it will enable the PA to become susceptible to lawsuits. Shurat HaDin is preparing in advance by collecting thousands of testimonies from Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks.{{sfn|Chai|2013}}{{clarify | That was 9 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
=== ''Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization'' (2015) === | |||
The plaintiffs dropped the suit on May 3, 2011 with no money changing hands.<ref name="ILC-Carter-dropped">{{cite news | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/plaintiffs-drop-suit-over-jimmy-carter-book/| title=Plaintiffs Drop Suit Over Jimmy Carter Book| publisher=] | accessdate = 25 Jan 2013 | first=Jimmy| last=Carter | date=May 5, 2011}}</ref> | |||
{{main|Sokolow et al v. Palestine Liberation Organization et al}} | |||
In 2015, Shurat HaDin represented plaintiffs who were victims of political violence in Israel committed by ] and the ]. Shurat HaDin sued the ] (PLO) and ] (PA) in the ] under the U.S. ], arguing that the PLO and PA had facilitated the attacks by providing financial aid and logistical support to the attackers, and by providing stipends to the families of ]. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $218.5 million, which was automatically trebled under the Anti-Terrorism Act to $655.5 million.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mark Hamblett|url=http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202718658496/Jury-Finds-PLO-Authority-Liable-for-Terror-Acts |title=Jury Finds PLO, Authority Liable for Terror Acts|newspaper=New York Law Journal|date=February 24, 2015}}</ref> In 2016, the ] overturned the verdict, finding that PLO and PA lacked a sufficient connection to the United States for the federal courts to exercise ] over them in a civil case, in accordance with the limits set by the Constitution's ].{{sfn|Weiser|2016}} | |||
=== Facebook lawsuit (2015) === | |||
===World Vision Australia=== | |||
In February 2012, based on information provided by the Shurat HaDin, World Vision Australia, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation, allegedly provided "financial aid to a Gaza-based terrorist group," the ] (UAWC), which they also alleged is a "front for terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine." WV had "suspended its dealings" with UAWC until the outcome of the investigation.<ref>{{cite web|last=Paraszczuk |first=Joanna |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=258227&R=R1 |title=Australian groups accused of aiding PFLP-linked group |publisher=Jpost.com |date=2012-02-17 |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/world-vision-to-investigate-terror-link/story-e6frg6nf-1226274230633 |title=World Vision to investigate terror link |publisher=Theaustralian.com.au |date=2012-02-17 |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref> WV resumed working with UAWC after AusAID and World Vision found the allegations were unfounded. A spokesperson said "UAWC is a nonprofit company that is registered with the Israeli Justice Ministry".<ref name=jp262581/> According to The Australian newspaper, 'AusAID has written to Shurat HaDin to confirm that a detailed investigation has been conducted into the claims and no evidence has been found to substantiate them'.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/vision-back-as-ausaid-dismisses-terror-link/story-fn59nm2j-1226286658838 | title=Vision back as AusAID dismisses 'terror' link | date=March 2, 2012 | work=The Australian}}</ref> In March 2012, Shurat HaDin provided what it described as "conclusive evidence" that Gaza-based UAWC was linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).<ref name=jp262581>{{cite web|last=Paraszczuk |first=Joanna |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=262581 |title='Aussie nonprofit funding PFLP-linked Ga... JPost - National News |publisher=Jpost.com |date=2012-03-20 |accessdate=2012-08-25}}</ref> | |||
In December 2015, Shurat HaDin posted two racist Facebook pages, one anti-Israel and the other anti-] in an effort to establish bias at Facebook; Facebook at first removed only the anti-Arab hate page, while maintaining that the overtly anti-Semitic anti-Israel page "met community standards", but later conceded that the pages were alike and also removed the anti-Israel hate page.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://observer.com/2016/01/facebook-caves-on-israel-hate-page/|title=Facebook Caves on Israel Hate Page|date=2016-01-07|website=Observer|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-14}}</ref> | |||
On 31 May 2012, the Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr issued a statement that "An AusAID examination has concluded there is no evidence to support claims by the Israel Law Center (Shurat HaDin) that funding through World Vision Australia to a Palestinian NGO, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) was in violation of section 21 of the Charter of the United Nations Act, 1945.". He also added, "I understand the material provided by the Israel Law Center has been carefully examined by AusAID in consultation with other agencies including the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2012/bc_mr_120531.html | title=Union of Agricultural Work Committees | date=May 31, 2012 | work=DFAT Media Release}}</ref> | |||
The same year a class-action lawsuit, ''Lakin v. Facebook Inc.'',{{sfn|Volokh|2015}} was filed on behalf of 20,000 Israelis{{sfn|Strickland|2015}} in the State of New York in October 2015; the plaintiffs alleged that Facebook had ignored incitement to violence by Palestinian users.{{sfn|Strickland|2015}}{{sfn|Volokh|2015}} The suit was dismissed under ].{{sfn|Bob|2017}} Nitsana Darshan-Leitner argued that by allowing ], ], ], and ] to use Facebook the social media giant is providing "material support" to those groups.{{sfn|Bob|2017}} | |||
On 6 October 2012, World Vision issued a detailed, 5-page letter to Shurat ha-Din, in which it was stated that the claims were "unsubstantiated, and in some circumstances, defamatory".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jwire.com.au/news/world-vision-answers-shurat-hadin | title=World Vision answers Shurat HaDin | date=October 6, 2012 | work=Jwire}}</ref> | |||
=== Lorde concert cancellation (2018) === | |||
===Case against Palestinian Authority=== | |||
Shurat HaDin is preparing to take the ] (PA) to the ] (ICC). In the event that the Palestinian Authority is accepted into the ICC, it will enable the PA to become susceptible to lawsuits. Shuat HaDin is preparing in advance by collecting thousands of testimonies from Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks.<ref name=icc></ref> Shuat HaDin Chairwoman Nitsana Darshan-Leitner explained, "we've received dozens of terror victims' testimonies, from relatively 'light' stories to truly shocking ones."<ref name=icc/> Shurat HaDin filed a complaint against Mahmoud Abbas before filing complaints against other PLO officials.<ref>http://israellawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ICC-Complaint-Mahmoud-Abbas.pdf</ref> | |||
In January 2018, Shurat HaDin filed a lawsuit demanding NIS 15,000 to each of three teenagers (about $13,000{{sfn|''Associated Press''|2018}}), Shoshana Steinbach, Ayelet Wertzel and Ahuva Frogel, against the New Zealand Palestinian solidarity activists Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab for allegedly convincing the New Zealand singer ] to cancel her scheduled tour of Tel Aviv in mid-2018.{{sfn|Shapiro|2018}} The lawsuit alleged that the cancellation had damaged the teenagers "artistic welfare" and that they had suffered "emotional" injury and "above all damage to their good name as Israelis and Jews."{{sfn|Shapiro|2018}} The lawsuit was filed under the Israeli ].{{sfn|''Associated Press''|2018}} Sachs and Abu-Shanab had earlier penned an open letter on the New Zealand online current affairs magazine ] in December 2017 urging Lorde to cancel her Israel concert, citing human rights abuses against the Palestinians.{{sfn|Abu-Shanab|Sachs|2017}} The letter read:{{sfn|Roy|2018}} | |||
On January 6, 2015, days after PA appealed to join the ICC, Shurat HaDin filed complaint against three PLO officials, Jibril Rajoub,<ref>http://israellawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ICC-communication-Rajoub.pdf</ref> Majid Faraj<ref>http://israellawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ICC-Communication-Faraj.pdf</ref> and prime minister Rami Hamdallah.<ref>http://israellawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ICC-Communication-Rami-Hamdallah.pdf</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israeli group files war crimes suit against Palestinian officials|url=http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=22623|publisher=]|date=6 January 2015}}</ref> A complaint was also filed against Hamas leader Khaled Mashal <ref>http://israellawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ICC-Khaled-Mashal.pdf</ref> | |||
{{blockquote|text=Dear Lorde ... we're two young women based in Aotearoa, one Jewish, one Palestinian, ... | |||
Today, millions of people stand opposed to the Israeli government's policies of oppression, ethnic cleansing, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid. As part of this struggle, we believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out against these crimes. This worked very effectively against apartheid in South Africa, and we hope it can work again. | |||
==Criticism== | |||
] expressed the view that Shurat haDin abuses ] litigation in U.S. courts, and that "Many of the charges are frivolous and only intended to advance foreign political interests through exploitation of the U.S. judiciary system. The suits frequently accomplish little beyond tying up American courtrooms. Those who are sued have to waste time and resources defending themselves, which is precisely what is intended ... Despite describing itself as an NGO, the organization works closely with the Israeli government, and received marching orders to stop the ] at all costs, as well as an offer of full support, directly from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ... Depending on one’s viewpoint, it is possible to perceive Shurat HaDin as either a nuisance or as a necessary resource for fighting terror. But either way, there are potential real world consequences that could result from its desire to punish anyone and everyone in any way linked to activity hostile to Israel ... It would also mean that the specious Israeli claim that they have no one to talk to among the Palestinians would become a reality."<ref>] (February 2015). , '']''</ref> | |||
We can play an important role in challenging injustice today. We urge you to act in the spirit of progressive New Zealanders who came before you and continue their legacy.}} | |||
In two interviews on ''],'' ], President Emeritus of the US-based '']'' and president of the ''],'' expressed the view that Shurat HaDin is a "propaganda arm for Zionism, and particularly for Israel, and brings these cases all over the place, without necessarily expectations of winning." Ratner added that in his view the US Court's ruling against the Palestinian Authority in February 2015 impeded justice for Palestinian victims of Israel while holding the Palestinian people collectively responsible for the acts of a few. Ratner said few are praising the verdict as a victory for human rights because "... the United States ... Palestinians never get justice. U.S. courts are close to their efforts at justice, despite the murders and killings by Israel, on a scale much more massive than those at issue in this trial ... Just think about Gaza — 500 children killed in the ], three attacks killing ... thousands of civilians. No accountability for that. So when it comes to Palestine, our courts are closed for accountability against Israel. But our courts are wide open to Israel and its supporters when it's them going after Palestine and Palestinians. ... Congress will ... pass laws and statutes ... that allow people in the United States, citizens, to sue Palestinians. But those laws will exempt Israel ... this trial should not have occurred at all. Briefly, Palestine should have been treated as a state and immune from suit just like Israel is. There was no jurisdiction over Palestine. It hardly has enough contacts in the United States to let a court rule. There's no link between those carrying out the killings and the Palestine Authority. And in the context of the United States, a fair trial was impossible. There was no way a fair jury could be impaneled in the United States. The propaganda against Palestinians is incredible. Against Muslims it's incredible. Against Hamas, which has been listed by the United States as a terrorist organization, it's incredible. Against the PA. So there's no way a jury could really sit on this without having tremendous bias in favor of Israel. The rule in the U.S. is: okay for Israel to sue Palestine, it's okay for the oppressor to sue the oppressed, but never for the oppressed ... I want to step back for second and tell about my experiences with the '']'' and our efforts to hold Israel legally accountable. I want to share three cases so that we can put what happened in this trial against the Palestinian Authority into context ..." <ref name=Real-News-Ratner-1>] (February 2015). . '']''</ref><ref name=Real-News-Ratner-2>] (February 2015). . '']''</ref> | |||
In October 2018, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered that the two New Zealand activists pay NIS 45,000 in damages to the plaintiffs, plus NIS 11,000 in legal fees (about $23,600{{sfn|''Associated Press'' October|2018}}).{{sfn|Shapiro|2018}} This is believed to be the first successful application of the 2011 law.{{sfn|''Associated Press'' October|2018}} | |||
Ratner added that, in his view, the judge has made some "bad" rulings: "The first bad ruling is pretty remarkable. One of the claims of the plaintiffs is that the Palestinian Authority, through some entities, is giving money or has given money to the families of people who've been imprisoned convicted of various acts in Israel against ... U.S. citizens. And the giving of money to those families implicates somehow the Palestinian Authority in the acts of killing. Well, the first thing the lawyers for the defendants said for the Palestinian Authority is these people were convicted by the Israeli defense forces courts, by military courts, in an occupied territory. How can you give validity to those convictions? The ... U.S. court said, we're giving validity to those convictions ... can be taken into consideration by the jury in seeing the Palestinian authority is responsible ... So, of course, is ... terrible. But should it be tried in basically what I consider ... the court that's behind the colonial occupation court in Palestine? I don't think so. So it's not going to be a very fair jury, a very fair verdict in this case. The defense that there was no policy by the PA, the Palestinian state, no standard operating procedure to do this, these were done by independent people outside of , and therefore the Palestinian state is not liable. I would still be surprised if the U.S. court doesn't find the Palestinian Authority guilty in this case, or at least liable for these damages. ... the evidence doesn't seem to be there ... let's put this into context, not just the context of the occupation, of the West Bank occupation, of the moving of people there, of the three Gaza wars in the last decade, but the context of what's happened in legal cases over the last decade against Palestine and in favor of Israel ... this week on ''The Real News'' you reported on the ] case, bulldozing, a killing of a young woman who was trying to stop a house demolition—clearly a case that ''should'' have gone to trial ... the Israeli Supreme Court says no, that essentially the laws of war don't apply to these cases. They're immune from going to trial on those, essentially giving the Israeli Defense Forces a blank check to do whatever they want, which they've been doing pretty well right along, but here's the highest court in Israel making that blank check even blanker. What we should end on is this context. We've had three Gaza wars ... We have the transfer of half a million people illegally under the Geneva Conventions to occupied territories ... And then what we have in the face of that is the refusal to ... have a trial for the killing of Rachel Corrie. And now we see this charade in the United States court of so-called terrorism trial against the state of Palestine. As I said, imagine if this case were going on against the ] in South Africa during apartheid, a case in Paris against the ] in Paris during that war. Imagine the fairness of those systems. That's what you have in terms of this case going on in the United States. And in general there's no justice for Palestinians within Israel, and there's no justice for Palestinians in the United States courts.<ref name=Real-News-Ratner-1/><ref name=Real-News-Ratner-2/> | |||
The two activists stated that they had "no intention" of paying the teenagers, and launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to give the money to the Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and raised more than $18,000 in three days.{{sfn|Roy|2018}} Darshan-Leitner said that legal agreements between Israel and New Zealand allowed her to enforce the ruling in New Zealand, and to "go after bank accounts until it has been fully realized."{{sfn|Roy|2018}} Legal experts in New Zealand said that the lawsuit was an attempt to chill free speech and that attempts to enforce the judgement were unlikely to be successful.{{sfn| RNZ | 2018}}{{clarify | That was 6 years ago. What was the outcome? |date=May 2024}} | |||
=== Airbnb lawsuit (2018) === | |||
{{main|Airbnb#Delisting_of_West_Bank_settlements}} | |||
In November 2018 ] announced that it would remove listings of properties owned by settlers in the ]. Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister ] called on affected settlers to sue Airbnb.{{sfn|Kershner|2018}} Shurat HaDin consequently sued Airbnb on behalf of a group of Israeli-American Jews owning properties in the West Bank.{{sfn|Zonszein|2019}} In April 2019 Airbnb reversed its decision and would continue to allow listings from illegal Israeli settlements.{{sfn|''Al Jazeera''|2019}} | |||
==Criticism== | |||
In two interviews on ], ], president emeritus of the ] and president of the ], argued that Shurat HaDin was a Zionist propaganda arm for Israel, dedicated to filing multiple suits without necessarily expecting to win them.<ref name=Real-News-Ratner-1>] (February 2015). . '']''</ref><ref name=Real-News-Ratner-2>] {{Cite web |date=2015-02-24 |title=Prejudicial Trial, Prejudicial Verdict: $218 Million |url=http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=13254 |access-date=2024-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224181717/http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=13254 |archive-date=24 February 2015 }} '']''</ref> Australian academic ] has accused Shurat HaDin of acting as a legal attack dog for the Israeli government.{{sfn|Safi|2014}} | |||
Pro-Palestinian blogger ] states that Shurat Hadin files ]s designed to tie up resources and garner headlines, rather than to win a legal case or establish a precedent. The idea, he argues, is to force companies or institutions that Shurat Hadin thinks are acting in ways hostile to Israel's interests to spend enormous sums defending their position.{{sfn|Silverstein|2016|p=52}} Liz Jackson, staff attorney at ], argues along the same lines. In her view, Shurat HaDin files lawsuits it knows it will lose because the publicity allows it to smear ]s as terrorists. It is a "win-win strategy", she argues, because the organization is funded well enough that it can afford to lose.<ref>{{harvnb|Kane|2019|ps=: "They have a lot of resources, so they can throw a lot of spaghetti at the wall," says Liz Jackson, a senior staff attorney for Palestine Legal, which defends Palestine advocates' free speech rights and has defended those whom Shurat HaDin has targeted. " paint anyone who's an advocate for human rights as a terrorist. ... It's a win-win strategy because they have enough money that they can afford to lose. And even when they lose a case, they get media."}}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
===Citations=== | |||
<references/> | |||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
=== Sources === | |||
==== Books ==== | |||
{{refbegin|2}} | |||
* {{cite book | |||
| last = Kittrie | first = Orde F. | |||
| title=Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War | |||
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1jhCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA430 | |||
| year=2016 | |||
| publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-026357-7 | |||
| pages=430– | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite book | |||
| editor1 = John Ehrenberg | |||
| editor2 = Yoav Peled | |||
| first=Richard | last = Silverstein | |||
| chapter=Israeland the Closing of the American Jewish Mind | |||
| title=Israel and Palestine: alternative perspectives on statehood | |||
| publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | publication-place=Lanham, Maryland | |||
| year=2016 | isbn=978-1-4422-4508-2 | page=52 | |||
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Gc11DQAAQBAJ | |||
}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==== Lawsuits, legal complaints, and threats ==== | |||
{{refbegin|2}} | |||
'''The twelve missing Iranian Jews (2006)''' | |||
* {{cite web | last=Sharon | first=Itamar | |||
| title=Missing Iranian Jews were mistaken for rebels, killed by authorities | |||
| website=The Times of Israel | date=March 22, 2014 | |||
| url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/missing-iranian-jews-were-mistaken-for-rebels-killed-by-authorities/ | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=San Diego Jewish family wins verdict against Iran | |||
| website=Jewish Journal | date=September 11, 2007 | |||
| url=https://jewishjournal.com/uncategorized/16825/san-diego-jewish-family-wins-verdict-against-iran/ | |||
| last = Melamed | first = Karmel | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''North Korea abduction case (2009)''' | |||
* {{Cite news | |||
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/world/asia/after-15-years-victory-of-sorts-for-family-of-pastor-believed-abducted-by-north-korea.html | |||
| title=After 15 Years, Legal Victory for Family of Pastor Believed Abducted by North Korea | |||
| last=Sang-hun | |||
| first=Choe | |||
| date=April 15, 2015 | |||
| newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-12-12}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Israel Law Center wins $330m case against North Korea | |||
| website=The Times of Israel | |||
| date=April 17, 2015 | |||
| url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-law-center-wins-330m-case-against-north-korea/ | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
| ref={{sfnref | JTA | 2015}} | |||
}} | |||
'''Jimmy Carter (2011)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=A Basis for Damages or Sanctions? Jimmy Carter Sued Over His Book on Palestine | |||
| website=JONATHAN TURLEY | |||
| date=February 16, 2011 | |||
| last = Turley | first = Jonathan | |||
| url=https://jonathanturley.org/2011/02/16/jimmy-carter-sued-over-his-book-on-palestine/ | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Another Dangerous Lawsuit - This One Involving a Former U.S. President | |||
| website=Opinio Juris | date=February 17, 2011 | |||
| url=http://opiniojuris.org/2011/02/16/another-dangerous-lawsuit-this-one-involving-a-former-us-president/ | |||
| last=Heller | first = Kevin Jon | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/class-action-suit-filed-against-jimmy-carter-book/ | |||
| title=Class Action Suit Filed Against Jimmy Carter Book | |||
| newspaper=New York Times | access-date = 25 Jan 2013 | |||
| first = Patricia | last = Cohen | |||
| date=Feb 2, 2011 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/plaintiffs-drop-suit-over-jimmy-carter-book/ | |||
| title=Plaintiffs Drop Suit Over Jimmy Carter Book | |||
| newspaper=New York Times | |||
| access-date = 25 Jan 2013 | first=Julie| last=Bosman | |||
| date=May 5, 2011 | |||
}} | |||
'''Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Oster | first=Marcy | |||
| title=Bombing victim's family wins $323M judgment against Iran, Syria | |||
| website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency | date=May 16, 2012 | |||
| url=https://www.jta.org/2012/05/16/united-states/bombing-victims-family-wins-323m-judgment-against-iran-syria | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''World Vision Australia (2012)''' | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/world-vision-to-investigate-terror-link/story-e6frg6nf-1226274230633 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218185926/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/world-vision-to-investigate-terror-link/story-e6frg6nf-1226274230633 |archive-date=2012-02-18 | |||
| title=World Vision to investigate terror link | |||
| newspaper=The Australian | |||
| date=February 18, 2012 | |||
| first=Chip | last = Le Grand | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| last=Paraszczuk|first=Joanna | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=258227&R=R1 | |||
| title=Australian groups accused of aiding PFLP-linked group | |||
| newspaper=Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=February 17, 2012 | |||
| ref={{sfnref|Paraszczuk|2012a}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Paraszczuk |first=Joanna | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=262581 | |||
| title='Aussie nonprofit funding PFLP-linked Gazan group'|newspaper=Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=March 20, 2012 | |||
| ref={{sfnref|Paraszczuk|2012b}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Narunsky | first=Gareth | |||
| title=Legal threat over alleged terror links | |||
| website=The Australian Jewish News | |||
| date=March 8, 2012 | |||
| url=http://ajn.timesofisrael.com/legal-threat-over-alleged-terror-links/ | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/vision-back-as-ausaid-dismisses-terror-link/news-story/23832fd5441d3aab3dcc3f2feadd3e57 | |||
| title=Vision back as AusAID dismisses 'terror' link | |||
| date=March 2, 2012|work=The Australian | |||
| first=Chip | last = Le Grand | |||
| ref={{sfnref|Le Grand|2012b}} | |||
}} | |||
'''Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Harel | first=Amos | |||
| title=Court demands Livni explain her withholding documents on Bank of China | |||
| website=Haaretz.com | date=January 14, 2014 | |||
| url=https://www.haaretz.com/livni-must-explain-withholding-docs-1.5311231 | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''''Shurat HaDin v. Lynch (2013)''''' | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title = Australian court case fires up BDS campaign against Israel | |||
| url = http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.588059 | |||
| access-date = 2015-06-18 | |||
| first = Dan|last = Goldberg | |||
| newspaper = Haaretz | |||
| date = April 10, 2014 | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Goldberg|2014b}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title = Australian court drops racism case against professor who backs BDS | |||
| url = http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/.premium-1.605672 | |||
| access-date = 2015-06-18 | |||
| date = July 17, 2014 | |||
| first = Dan|last = Goldberg | |||
| newspaper = Haaretz | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Goldberg|2014c}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title = BDS case splits Australia's pro-Israel lobby - Jewish World News | |||
| url = http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.597200 | |||
| access-date = 2015-06-18 | |||
| first = Dan|last = Goldberg | |||
| newspaper = Haaretz | |||
| date = June 6, 2014 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title = Landmark case puts 'anti-Semitic' BDS on trial in Australia | |||
| url = http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.555797 | |||
| access-date = 2015-06-18 | |||
| first = Dan|last = Goldberg | |||
| newspaper = Haaretz | |||
| date = February 11, 2013 | |||
}} | |||
'''Presbyterian Church USA (2014)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Israeli NGO Blows Whistle | website=Baltimore Jewish Times | |||
| date=January 8, 2015 | url=https://www.jewishtimes.com/33107/israeli-ngo-blows-whistle/news/ | |||
| first = Ebony | last = Brown | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''United Electrical (2015)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=NLRB Upholds Union's Right To Endorse BDS Against Israel | |||
| website=In These Times | date=July 27, 2016 | |||
| url=https://inthesetimes.com/article/nlrb-upholds-unions-right-to-endorse-bds-against-israel | |||
| last = Kane | first = Alex | |||
| access-date=November 7, 2020 | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Kane|2016b}} | |||
}} | |||
'''''Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization'' (2015)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Court Throws Out $655.5 Million Terrorism Verdict Against Palestinian Groups | |||
| website=The New York Times | |||
| date=August 31, 2016 | |||
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/nyregion/appeals-court-terror-verdict-plo-palestinian-authority.html | |||
| first = Benjamin | last = Weiser | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''Facebook lawsuit (2015)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Strickland | first=Patrick | |||
| title=Israel arrests Palestinian teenager over Facebook posts | |||
| website=Al Jazeera | date=November 5, 2015 | |||
| url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/5/israel-arrests-palestinian-teenager-over-facebook-posts | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| last1=Volokh|first1=Eugene | |||
| title=Lawsuit tries to apply foreign speech restrictions in U.S. court, hold Facebook liable for not censoring allegedly terrorism-inciting pages | |||
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/11/12/lawsuit-tries-to-apply-foreign-speech-restrictions-in-u-s-court-hold-facebook-liable-for-not-censoring-allegedly-terrorism-inciting-pages/ | |||
| access-date=4 August 2016|newspaper=Washington Post|date=12 November 2015 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Bob | first=Yonah Jeremy | |||
| title=US court dismisses new tactic to sue Facebook for terrorism | |||
| website=The Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=May 18, 2017 | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/us-court-dismisses-new-tactic-to-sue-facebook-for-terrorism-492197 | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| last1=Kane|first1=Alex | |||
| title=Critics Fear Crackdown on Palestinian Free Speech as Israel Takes Aim at Facebook | |||
| url = https://theintercept.com/2016/07/28/critics-fear-crackdown-on-palestinian-free-speech-as-israel-takes-aim-at-facebook/ | |||
| access-date=27 February 2018 | |||
| work=The Intercept | |||
| date=28 July 2016 | |||
}} | |||
'''Palestinian Authority lawsuit (2015)''' | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| last=Chai | first=Shahar | |||
| title=Israeli NGO to sue PA for terrorism | website=ynetnews | |||
| date=April 14, 2013 | url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4367659,00.html | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''Coca-Cola threat (2015)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Grossman | first=Michelle Malka | |||
| title=Israeli NGO urging Coca-Cola to drop Palestinian franchise | |||
| website=The Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=June 16, 2015 | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/israeli-ngo-urging-coca-cola-to-drop-palestinian-franchise-after-support-for-bds-406169 | |||
| access-date=November 4, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
'''Lorde concert cancellation (2018)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Safi | first=Michael | |||
| title=Israel sanctions campaigner violated Australian race laws, says lawsuit | |||
| website=the Guardian | date=10 February 2014 | |||
| url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/israel-sanctions-campaigner-violated-australian-race-laws-says-lawsuit | |||
| access-date=3 November 2020}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title=Israelis sue New Zealanders over Lorde boycott | |||
| website=Ynetnews | date=31 January 2018 | |||
| url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5078695,00.html | |||
| access-date=3 November 2020 | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Associated Press|2018}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite magazine | |||
| last1=Moore|first1=Jack | |||
| title=Israel Boycott Activists Sued Over Lorde Tel Aviv Concert Cancellation | |||
| url=http://www.newsweek.com/lorde-boycotted-israel-now-two-new-zealanders-face-lawsuit-persuading-her-nix-795821 | |||
| access-date=31 January 2018|magazine=]|date=31 January 2018 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| last1=Shapiro |first1=Amy | |||
| title=NEW ZEALAND BDS ACTIVISTS ORDERED TO PAY DAMAGES OVER LORDE ISRAEL BOYCOTT | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/New-Zealand-BDS-activists-ordered-to-pay-damages-over-Lorde-Israel-boycott-569194 | |||
| access-date=11 October 2018 |newspaper=] | |||
| date=11 October 2018 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | last1=Abu-Shanab | first1=Nadia | last2=Sachs | first2=Justine | |||
| title=Dear Lorde, here's why we're urging you not to play Israel | |||
| website=The Spinoff | date=20 December 2017 | |||
| url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/21-12-2017/dear-lorde-heres-why-were-urging-you-not-to-play-israel/ | |||
| access-date=3 November 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite news | |||
| title=Israeli courts fines two Kiwi activists $23,000 over Lorde boycott letter | |||
| url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/israeli-court-fines-two-kiwi-activists-23-600-over-lorde-boycott-letter | |||
| access-date=11 October 2018 |agency=] | |||
| publisher=] |date=12 October 2018 | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Associated Press October|2018}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Roy | first=Eleanor Ainge | |||
| title=Israel fines New Zealand women $18,000 for urging Lorde concert boycott | |||
| website=the Guardian | date=October 12, 2018 | |||
| url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/12/israel-fines-new-zealand-teenagers-18000-for-urging-lorde-concert-boycott | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=NZ activist being sued in Israel calls it 'publicity stunt' | |||
| website=] | date=October 12, 2018 | |||
| url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/368509/nz-activist-being-sued-in-israel-calls-it-publicity-stunt | |||
| ref={{sfnref | RNZ | 2018}} | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020}} | |||
'''Airbnb lawsuit (2018)''' | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Airbnb Bans Listings in Israeli Settlements on West Bank | |||
| website=The New York Times | date=November 20, 2018 | |||
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/world/middleeast/airbnb-west-bank.html | |||
| last = Kershner | first = Isabel | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| url = https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/airbnb-settlement-lawsuit-palestinian-challenge/ | |||
| title = Airbnb May Have Caved to Israel's Settler Movement, but Palestinians Aren't Giving Up | |||
| last = Zonszein | first = Mariav | |||
| date = April 15, 2019 | |||
| website = The Nation | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Airbnb to allow listings from illegal Israeli settlements | |||
| website=Al Jazeera | date=April 10, 2019 | |||
| url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/4/10/airbnb-to-allow-listings-from-illegal-israeli-settlements | |||
| ref={{sfnref | Al Jazeera | 2019}} | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==== Other ==== | |||
{{refbegin|2}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| url = https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/09/Palestine%20Exception%20Report%20Final.pdf | |||
| title = The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: a Movement Under Attack in the US | |||
| publisher = Palestine Legal & Center for Constitutional Rights | |||
| ref={{sfnref | PL-CCR | 2015}} | |||
| date = September 2015 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Williams | first=Dan | |||
| title=Fighting Israel's foes in U.S. courts, lawyer had help from Mossad | |||
| website=U.S. | date=November 2, 2017 | |||
| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-security-israel-lawyer-idUSKBN1D2296 | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Bob | first=Yonah Jeremy | |||
| title=How did the Mossad and an Israeli NGO destroy terrorist money networks? | |||
| website=The Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=November 7, 2017 | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/operation-harpoon-how-the-mossad-and-an-israeli-ngo-destroyed-terrorist-money-networks-513622 | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
| ref = {{sfnref|Bob|2017b}} | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Rosenbaum | first=Alan | |||
| title=Does the ICC war crimes investigation threaten Israel? | |||
| website=The Jerusalem Post | |||
| date=October 29, 2020 | |||
| url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/does-the-icc-war-crimes-investigation-threaten-israel-647379 | |||
| access-date=November 3, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| title=Crusading for Israel in a Way Some Say Is Misguided | |||
| website=The New York Times | date=January 24, 2015 | |||
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/world/middleeast/crusading-for-israel-in-a-way-some-say-is-misguided.html | |||
| ref={{sfnref | The New York Times | 2015}} | |||
| access-date=November 6, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite journal | last=White | first=Ben | |||
| title=Delegitimizing Solidarity: Israel Smears Palestine Advocacy as Anti-Semitic | |||
| journal=Journal of Palestine Studies | volume=49 | issue=2 | |||
| date=February 1, 2020 | issn=0377-919X | doi=10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.65 | |||
| pages=65–79 | |||
| s2cid=218853797 | |||
| url=https://online.ucpress.edu/jps/article-abstract/49/2/65/107373 | |||
| access-date=November 7, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
| last=Kane | first=Alex | |||
| title=Israel's Scheme To Defund the BDS Movement | |||
| website=In These Times | date=November 11, 2019 | |||
| url=http://inthesetimes.com/features/BDS-movement-Israel-Palestine-activists-boycott-occupation.html | |||
| access-date=November 7, 2020 | |||
}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* Official Website | |||
{{Portal|Human rights}} | |||
* Official Website | |||
* Official Blog | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] |
Latest revision as of 04:29, 22 November 2024
Israeli legal advocacy group
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Formation | 2003 |
---|---|
Founder | Nitsana Darshan-Leitner |
Founded at | Tel Aviv, Israel |
Type | Non-profit organization |
President | Nitsana Darshan-Leitner |
Website | israellawcenter |
Shurat HaDin, also Israel Law Center (ILC), is an Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Tel Aviv in 2003. Shurat HaDin has been described as a civil rights organization. However, it has also been accused of pro-Israel lawfare.
History
When Shurat Hadin was founded in 2003, its stated purpose was to "combat terrorism and promote civil rights through research, education and litigation."
According to its founder and president, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, its creation was inspired by the Southern Poverty Law Center in the United States, which used civil litigation to cripple and bankrupt the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups in the US.
Organization and funding
By 2012, Shurat HaDin had eleven employees. It retains two public relations firms, one in Israel and one in New York.
As of 2015, the annual budget was $2.5 million, though Shurat HaDin does not disclose its donors. According to an In These Times review in 2019, donations to the organizations include $1.1 million from U.S. foundations and charities over the last decade. Prominent donors are the John Hagee Ministries, run by Christian Zionist John Hagee, which has donated at least $225,000; the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, which has given $475,000; and the Michael and Andrea Leven Family Foundation, which has given $25,000.
Israeli government ties
Shurat HaDin works closely with the Israeli government and the Israeli intelligence community.
According to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable, Darshan-Leitner told U.S. officials in 2007 that "in its early years" Shurat HaDin "took direction from the GOI on which cases to pursue" and that it received evidence from Israeli government officials. The cable quoted Darshan-Leitner directly: "The National Security Council (NSC) legal office saw the use of civil courts as a way to do things that they are not authorized to do." She later denied ever saying that to a U.S. diplomat.
In an interview in 2014, Darshan-Leitner told a Swedish pro-Israel nonprofit that "governments cannot do what we do", citing "political restraints" and "international treaties".
In a 2017 book entitled Harpoon after Mossad's finance-tracking unit, Darshan-Leitner described her cooperation with the intelligence agency. She wrote that Mossad operatives held regular briefings with her and would tip her off on suspect financing for her to file lawsuits against. In some cases, the Israeli government provided written affidavits to back up claims. She claimed that her role in the operation was voluntary and unpaid. Two of the cases she credited the cooperation for was the lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority in 2015 and the legal complaints that led to the disbanding of a planned 2011 Gaza flotilla. Israel's military censors had to redact a fifth of the text according to Darshan-Leitner.
Critics have labeled Shurat HaDin a "government-organized non-governmental organization" over its ties to the Israeli government.
Lawsuits, legal complaints, and threats
Shurat HaDin has filed a large number of lawsuits and legal complaints.
The twelve missing Iranian Jews (2006)
In 1994, twelve Iranian Jews disappeared as they, aided by Mossad and the Jewish Agency, attempted to escape the country to Israel. In 2006 Shurat HaDin sued former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on behalf of their families as they thought they had been wrongfully imprisoned when he was president. However, in 2014 it was found that the majority of the Jews had been killed by Iranian security forces who believed them to be members of the dissident group People's Mujahedin of Iran. The others had been killed by members of their local tribe for unspecified reasons.
American Express Bank and Lebanese-Canadian Bank (2008)
In 2008, Shurat HaDin and Attorney Robert Tolchin of New York filed suit against American Express Bank (Amex) in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan accusing the bank of facilitating transfer of money to Hezbollah.
Representing some 85 victims and their family members, the Shurat HaDin lawsuit alleged that the Amex and the Lebanese Canadian Bank (LCB) illegally transferred millions of dollars in wire transfers to Hezbollah between 2004 and 2006.
UBS bank (2008)
In May 2008, Shurat HaDin was co-counsel in filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Swiss bank, UBS which was accused of financing terror.
The group alleges that UBS was involved in transferring dollars to regimes such as Iran, Cuba, and North Korea. The UBS operation was uncovered by American soldiers in Iraq in 2003 who discovered brand new dollars, still wrapped in Federal Reserve casings behind a wall in Saddam Hussein's palace. A Federal Reserve investigation of the currency determined that UBS was responsible for illegally transferring between $4 and $5 billion to states designated by the U.S. as sponsors of terrorism between 1996 and 2004. At first UBS sought to deny the extent of the money transfers it had provided to Iran and others, but eventually was compelled to admit the scope of its criminal activities. UBS, one of world's wealthiest banks, was fined $100 million by the Federal Reserve for its conduct.
North Korea abduction case (2009)
In 2000 Kim Dong-shik, a South Korean pastor, was abducted in northeastern China and has not been heard from since. In 2009 Shurat HaDin, to help Kim's son and brother, both U.S. citizens, brought a lawsuit against North Korea in a U.S. federal court, seeking damages for Kim's torture and murder because the country was suspected to be behind the abduction. In 2015 the court ordered North Korea to pay $300 million in punitive damages and $15 million each to Kim's brother and his son. According to Darshan-Leitner, this was the first time a US court has found that a foreign regime which abducts an individual who is then never heard from again, has the burden of proving that he has not been murdered.
Gaza flotilla (2011)
Shurat Hadin used lawfare to threaten lawsuits against parties associated with the Gaza Flotilla.
Jimmy Carter (2011)
In 2011 Shurat HaDin, representing five plaintiffs, sued former President Jimmy Carter and publisher Simon & Schuster over the publication of Carter's book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. It claimed that Carter and his publisher engaged in "deceptive acts in the course of conducting business" and Darshan-Leitner claimed that Carter's "hatred of Israel has led him to commit this fraud on the public." Shurat HaDin sought $5 million in damages.
Simon & Schuster said the suit was frivolous, without merit, and a "chilling attack on free speech." Jonathan Turley of George Washington University Law School said it was "clearly frivolous" and that the complaint was "written like a press release without a thin pretense of legal claims." Kevin Jon Heller of Australian National University argued that it was an attempt to bully Israel's critics:
I would hope that both the left and the right could agree that using consumer-protection laws to sue authors and publishers who publish books with controversial theses is a very bad idea. Indeed, in a world full of Glenn Becks and Pat Buchanans, it is revealing that this is the first lawsuit of its kind (a point of pride, scarily enough, for the plaintiffs' lawyers). But, of course, this is a book about Israel — and this lawsuit is simply a new front in the never-ending war against anyone who has the temerity to criticize Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. The goal of the lawsuit isn't to force Simon & Schuster to pay damages for publishing Carter's book; its goal is to bully Carter and other would-be critics of Israel into not writing books like Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid in the first place.
The plaintiffs dropped the suit after a few months.
Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012)
In 2006 Daniel Wultz, a 16-year-old American, was killed in a suicide attack in a Tel Aviv restaurant. Islamic Jihad, based in Damascus, Syria, took responsibility. Shurat HaDin brought a lawsuit on behalf of the family against Syria and Iran which it argued were responsible. In 2012 the court sided with the plaintiff and awarded the family a $323 million judgement.
World Vision Australia (2012)
In 2012 Shurat HaDin sent a letter to the Christian relief, development, and advocacy group World Vision Australia (WV) and the Australian government's international aid agency AusAID, asserting that the groups' funding of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a Gaza-based Palestinian nonprofit group, could make WV and AusAID "personally, criminally and civilly liable under Australian and US law." Shurat HaDin alleged that UAWC was a front group for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a proscribed terrorist organization, and asserted that by providing aid to the UAWC, WV and AusAID were "aiding and abetting Palestinian terrorism, and thereby violating Australian and United States anti-terrorism laws." WV suspended its work with UAWC pending an outcome of the investigation, and resumed working with UAWC after AusAID and WV determined that the allegations were unfounded.
An investigation conducted by AusAID in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, found no evidence to substantiate Shurat HaDin's claims of a link between UAWC and PFLP. In an October 2012 letter to Shurat ha-Din, World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello said that the allegations made by Shurat HaDin were "unsubstantiated, and in some circumstances, defamatory".
Shurat HaDin v. Lynch (2013)
In 2012 Dan Avnon, a political theorist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, applied for fellowship at Sydney University and asked Jake Lynch at Sydney to endorse his application. Lynch refused, citing his leadership with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, his support for the BDS movement, the fact that the Hebrew University has a campus in the West Bank and ties to the Israeli military. In 2013 Shurat HaDin sued Lynch for violating Australia's anti-racism laws and attempted to use the suit to outlaw BDS in Australia. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry publicly denounced the suit as an inappropriate use of the courts.
In April 2014 the court struck part of the suit, and Shurat HaDin lawyers narrowed the complaint to the specifics of Avnon and Lynch. But Avnon made known that he did not support the suit. In July 2014, noting that Shurat HaDin did not represent a willing client and did not have a complaint of its own, the court dismissed the case and awarded attorney fees to Lynch. Shurat HaDin said that "the case was thrown out on a technicality, not on the merits of the arguments ... lawyers came up with a trick to avoid the issue being heard on its merits." Shurat HaDin's spokesperson said the suit was a warning to other Australian academic institutions.
Presbyterian Church USA (2014)
In June 2014 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) passed a resolution calling for divestment from U.S. companies with business interests in Israel. Altogether approximately $21 million worth of shares was divested from Hewlett Packard, Caterpillar and Motorola Solutions. Consequently, Shurat HaDin filed a complaint with the IRS arguing that PCUSA's tax-exempt status should be revoked. Shurat HaDin also claimed that it had evidence of PCUSA delegates meeting with Hezbollah and distributing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel materials.
Coca-cola threat (2015)
In 2015 Shurat HaDin called on Coca-Cola to drop its Palestinian franchise because its head, Zahi Khouri, was endorsing the BDS movement. It advised Coca-Cola not to associate with any entity advocating for boycotts of Israel. Shurat HaDin warned that legal action could be taken to "ensure that The Coca-Cola Company is not engaged in instituting, promoting or inciting boycotts."
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (2015)
In August 2015 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America became the first national trade union in the U.S. to endorse the BDS movement. Consequently, Shurat HaDin and David Abrams of the Zionist Advocacy Center filed an unfair labor practices against the union. Shurat HaDin argued that it violated "American labor law for the union to encourage its members to cease doing business with Israelis and Israeli companies." The National Labor Relations Board dismissed the complaint.
Palestinian Authority lawsuit (2015)
Shurat HaDin is preparing to take the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In the event that the Palestinian Authority is accepted into the ICC, it will enable the PA to become susceptible to lawsuits. Shurat HaDin is preparing in advance by collecting thousands of testimonies from Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks.
Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization (2015)
Main article: Sokolow et al v. Palestine Liberation Organization et alIn 2015, Shurat HaDin represented plaintiffs who were victims of political violence in Israel committed by Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Shurat HaDin sued the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, arguing that the PLO and PA had facilitated the attacks by providing financial aid and logistical support to the attackers, and by providing stipends to the families of suicide bombers. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $218.5 million, which was automatically trebled under the Anti-Terrorism Act to $655.5 million. In 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the verdict, finding that PLO and PA lacked a sufficient connection to the United States for the federal courts to exercise jurisdiction over them in a civil case, in accordance with the limits set by the Constitution's Due Process Clause.
Facebook lawsuit (2015)
In December 2015, Shurat HaDin posted two racist Facebook pages, one anti-Israel and the other anti-Palestinian Arab in an effort to establish bias at Facebook; Facebook at first removed only the anti-Arab hate page, while maintaining that the overtly anti-Semitic anti-Israel page "met community standards", but later conceded that the pages were alike and also removed the anti-Israel hate page.
The same year a class-action lawsuit, Lakin v. Facebook Inc., was filed on behalf of 20,000 Israelis in the State of New York in October 2015; the plaintiffs alleged that Facebook had ignored incitement to violence by Palestinian users. The suit was dismissed under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner argued that by allowing Hamas, Hezbollah, PLO, and ISIS to use Facebook the social media giant is providing "material support" to those groups.
Lorde concert cancellation (2018)
In January 2018, Shurat HaDin filed a lawsuit demanding NIS 15,000 to each of three teenagers (about $13,000), Shoshana Steinbach, Ayelet Wertzel and Ahuva Frogel, against the New Zealand Palestinian solidarity activists Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab for allegedly convincing the New Zealand singer Lorde to cancel her scheduled tour of Tel Aviv in mid-2018. The lawsuit alleged that the cancellation had damaged the teenagers "artistic welfare" and that they had suffered "emotional" injury and "above all damage to their good name as Israelis and Jews." The lawsuit was filed under the Israeli Law for Prevention of Damage to State of Israel through Boycott. Sachs and Abu-Shanab had earlier penned an open letter on the New Zealand online current affairs magazine The Spinoff in December 2017 urging Lorde to cancel her Israel concert, citing human rights abuses against the Palestinians. The letter read:
Dear Lorde ... we're two young women based in Aotearoa, one Jewish, one Palestinian, ...
Today, millions of people stand opposed to the Israeli government's policies of oppression, ethnic cleansing, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid. As part of this struggle, we believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out against these crimes. This worked very effectively against apartheid in South Africa, and we hope it can work again.
We can play an important role in challenging injustice today. We urge you to act in the spirit of progressive New Zealanders who came before you and continue their legacy.
In October 2018, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered that the two New Zealand activists pay NIS 45,000 in damages to the plaintiffs, plus NIS 11,000 in legal fees (about $23,600). This is believed to be the first successful application of the 2011 law.
The two activists stated that they had "no intention" of paying the teenagers, and launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to give the money to the Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and raised more than $18,000 in three days. Darshan-Leitner said that legal agreements between Israel and New Zealand allowed her to enforce the ruling in New Zealand, and to "go after bank accounts until it has been fully realized." Legal experts in New Zealand said that the lawsuit was an attempt to chill free speech and that attempts to enforce the judgement were unlikely to be successful.
Airbnb lawsuit (2018)
Main article: Airbnb § Delisting_of_West_Bank_settlementsIn November 2018 Airbnb announced that it would remove listings of properties owned by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan called on affected settlers to sue Airbnb. Shurat HaDin consequently sued Airbnb on behalf of a group of Israeli-American Jews owning properties in the West Bank. In April 2019 Airbnb reversed its decision and would continue to allow listings from illegal Israeli settlements.
Criticism
In two interviews on The Real News Network, Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights and president of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, argued that Shurat HaDin was a Zionist propaganda arm for Israel, dedicated to filing multiple suits without necessarily expecting to win them. Australian academic Stuart Rees has accused Shurat HaDin of acting as a legal attack dog for the Israeli government.
Pro-Palestinian blogger Richard Silverstein states that Shurat Hadin files frivolous lawsuits designed to tie up resources and garner headlines, rather than to win a legal case or establish a precedent. The idea, he argues, is to force companies or institutions that Shurat Hadin thinks are acting in ways hostile to Israel's interests to spend enormous sums defending their position. Liz Jackson, staff attorney at Palestine Legal, argues along the same lines. In her view, Shurat HaDin files lawsuits it knows it will lose because the publicity allows it to smear human rights activists as terrorists. It is a "win-win strategy", she argues, because the organization is funded well enough that it can afford to lose.
References
Citations
- Rosenbaum 2020.
- Narunsky 2012.
- ^ Chai 2013.
- Harel 2014: The petition -- which was filed by Shurat HaDin - the Israel Law Center, an Israeli based civil rights organization..."
- Kittrie 2016, p. 48.
- ^ Silverstein 2016, p. 52.
- Miller, Judith (2 August 2000). "Syria Is Sued by Family of Man Killed by '96 Bomb in Jerusalem". NY Times. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
- Phillips, Melanie (21 March 2008). "Conservative Using law to fight a war". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
- The New York Times 2015: in 2012, the latest year financial reports were available publicly, had 11 employees, three with salaries topping $100,000.
- The New York Times 2015: It retains not one but two public relations firms, in Israel and New York
- The New York Times 2015: She said the annual budget was $2.5 million, but declined to name her donors, citing security concerns.
- Kane 2019.
- ^ White 2020, p. 74.
- Kane 2016.
- ^ Williams 2017.
- Bob 2017b.
- White 2020, p. 72.
- ^ Sharon 2014.
- Melamed 2007.
- Maull, Samuel (14 July 2008). "Hezbollah attack victims' relatives sue 2 banks". USA Today. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Swiss mega bank UBS GA Accused of Financing Terror". Fox News. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ Finance (4 April 2006). "UBS help for Iran 'broke US sanctions'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ Sang-hun 2015.
- JTA 2015.
- "George Jonas: Using lawfare to anchor the Gaza flotilla". National Post. July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ Turley 2011.
- Cohen 2011.
- ^ Bosman 2011.
- Heller 2011.
- ^ Oster 2012.
- ^ Le Grand 2012.
- ^ Paraszczuk 2012a.
- Paraszczuk 2012b.
- Le Grand 2012b.
- "Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade" (Press release). 31 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.
- "World Vision answers Shurat HaDin". 6 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 – via J-Wire.
- ^ Safi 2014.
- Goldberg 2014.
- Goldberg 2013.
- Goldberg 2014b.
- ^ Goldberg 2014c.
- Brown 2015.
- Grossman 2015.
- ^ Kane 2016b.
- Abunimah 2015. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAbunimah2015 (help)
- Mark Hamblett (24 February 2015). "Jury Finds PLO, Authority Liable for Terror Acts". New York Law Journal.
- Weiser 2016.
- "Facebook Caves on Israel Hate Page". Observer. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ Volokh 2015.
- ^ Strickland 2015.
- ^ Bob 2017.
- ^ Associated Press 2018.
- ^ Shapiro 2018.
- Abu-Shanab & Sachs 2017.
- ^ Roy 2018.
- ^ Associated Press October 2018.
- RNZ 2018.
- Kershner 2018.
- Zonszein 2019.
- Al Jazeera 2019.
- Ratner, Michael (February 2015). Why the $655 Million Verdict Against the PA is Not A Victory for Human Rights. The Real News
- Ratner, Michael "Prejudicial Trial, Prejudicial Verdict: $218 Million". 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2024. The Real News
- Kane 2019: "They have a lot of resources, so they can throw a lot of spaghetti at the wall," says Liz Jackson, a senior staff attorney for Palestine Legal, which defends Palestine advocates' free speech rights and has defended those whom Shurat HaDin has targeted. " paint anyone who's an advocate for human rights as a terrorist. ... It's a win-win strategy because they have enough money that they can afford to lose. And even when they lose a case, they get media."
Sources
Books
- Kittrie, Orde F. (2016). Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War. Oxford University Press. pp. 430–. ISBN 978-0-19-026357-7.
- Silverstein, Richard (2016). "Israeland the Closing of the American Jewish Mind". In John Ehrenberg; Yoav Peled (eds.). Israel and Palestine: alternative perspectives on statehood. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4422-4508-2.
Lawsuits, legal complaints, and threats
The twelve missing Iranian Jews (2006)
- Sharon, Itamar (22 March 2014). "Missing Iranian Jews were mistaken for rebels, killed by authorities". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Melamed, Karmel (11 September 2007). "San Diego Jewish family wins verdict against Iran". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
North Korea abduction case (2009)
- Sang-hun, Choe (15 April 2015). "After 15 Years, Legal Victory for Family of Pastor Believed Abducted by North Korea". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- "Israel Law Center wins $330m case against North Korea". The Times of Israel. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
Jimmy Carter (2011)
- Turley, Jonathan (16 February 2011). "A Basis for Damages or Sanctions? Jimmy Carter Sued Over His Book on Palestine". JONATHAN TURLEY. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Heller, Kevin Jon (17 February 2011). "Another Dangerous Lawsuit - This One Involving a Former U.S. President". Opinio Juris. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Cohen, Patricia (2 February 2011). "Class Action Suit Filed Against Jimmy Carter Book". New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- Bosman, Julie (5 May 2011). "Plaintiffs Drop Suit Over Jimmy Carter Book". New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012)
- Oster, Marcy (16 May 2012). "Bombing victim's family wins $323M judgment against Iran, Syria". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
World Vision Australia (2012)
- Le Grand, Chip (18 February 2012). "World Vision to investigate terror link". The Australian. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012.
- Paraszczuk, Joanna (17 February 2012). "Australian groups accused of aiding PFLP-linked group". Jerusalem Post.
- Paraszczuk, Joanna (20 March 2012). "'Aussie nonprofit funding PFLP-linked Gazan group'". Jerusalem Post.
- Narunsky, Gareth (8 March 2012). "Legal threat over alleged terror links". The Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- Le Grand, Chip (2 March 2012). "Vision back as AusAID dismisses 'terror' link". The Australian.
Iran and Syria lawsuit (2012)
- Harel, Amos (14 January 2014). "Court demands Livni explain her withholding documents on Bank of China". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
Shurat HaDin v. Lynch (2013)
- Goldberg, Dan (10 April 2014). "Australian court case fires up BDS campaign against Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- Goldberg, Dan (17 July 2014). "Australian court drops racism case against professor who backs BDS". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- Goldberg, Dan (6 June 2014). "BDS case splits Australia's pro-Israel lobby - Jewish World News". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- Goldberg, Dan (11 February 2013). "Landmark case puts 'anti-Semitic' BDS on trial in Australia". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
Presbyterian Church USA (2014)
- Brown, Ebony (8 January 2015). "Israeli NGO Blows Whistle". Baltimore Jewish Times. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
United Electrical (2015)
- Kane, Alex (27 July 2016). "NLRB Upholds Union's Right To Endorse BDS Against Israel". In These Times. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization (2015)
- Weiser, Benjamin (31 August 2016). "Court Throws Out $655.5 Million Terrorism Verdict Against Palestinian Groups". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
Facebook lawsuit (2015)
- Strickland, Patrick (5 November 2015). "Israel arrests Palestinian teenager over Facebook posts". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Volokh, Eugene (12 November 2015). "Lawsuit tries to apply foreign speech restrictions in U.S. court, hold Facebook liable for not censoring allegedly terrorism-inciting pages". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- Bob, Yonah Jeremy (18 May 2017). "US court dismisses new tactic to sue Facebook for terrorism". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Kane, Alex (28 July 2016). "Critics Fear Crackdown on Palestinian Free Speech as Israel Takes Aim at Facebook". The Intercept. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
Palestinian Authority lawsuit (2015)
- Chai, Shahar (14 April 2013). "Israeli NGO to sue PA for terrorism". ynetnews. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
Coca-Cola threat (2015)
- Grossman, Michelle Malka (16 June 2015). "Israeli NGO urging Coca-Cola to drop Palestinian franchise". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
Lorde concert cancellation (2018)
- Safi, Michael (10 February 2014). "Israel sanctions campaigner violated Australian race laws, says lawsuit". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- "Israelis sue New Zealanders over Lorde boycott". Ynetnews. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Moore, Jack (31 January 2018). "Israel Boycott Activists Sued Over Lorde Tel Aviv Concert Cancellation". Newsweek. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- Shapiro, Amy (11 October 2018). "NEW ZEALAND BDS ACTIVISTS ORDERED TO PAY DAMAGES OVER LORDE ISRAEL BOYCOTT". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- Abu-Shanab, Nadia; Sachs, Justine (20 December 2017). "Dear Lorde, here's why we're urging you not to play Israel". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- "Israeli courts fines two Kiwi activists $23,000 over Lorde boycott letter". 1News. Associated Press. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- Roy, Eleanor Ainge (12 October 2018). "Israel fines New Zealand women $18,000 for urging Lorde concert boycott". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- "NZ activist being sued in Israel calls it 'publicity stunt'". RNZ. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
Airbnb lawsuit (2018)
- Kershner, Isabel (20 November 2018). "Airbnb Bans Listings in Israeli Settlements on West Bank". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- Zonszein, Mariav (15 April 2019). "Airbnb May Have Caved to Israel's Settler Movement, but Palestinians Aren't Giving Up". The Nation.
- "Airbnb to allow listings from illegal Israeli settlements". Al Jazeera. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
Other
- "The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: a Movement Under Attack in the US" (PDF). Palestine Legal & Center for Constitutional Rights. September 2015.
- Williams, Dan (2 November 2017). "Fighting Israel's foes in U.S. courts, lawyer had help from Mossad". U.S. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Bob, Yonah Jeremy (7 November 2017). "How did the Mossad and an Israeli NGO destroy terrorist money networks?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- Rosenbaum, Alan (29 October 2020). "Does the ICC war crimes investigation threaten Israel?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- "Crusading for Israel in a Way Some Say Is Misguided". The New York Times. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- White, Ben (1 February 2020). "Delegitimizing Solidarity: Israel Smears Palestine Advocacy as Anti-Semitic". Journal of Palestine Studies. 49 (2): 65–79. doi:10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.65. ISSN 0377-919X. S2CID 218853797. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- Kane, Alex (11 November 2019). "Israel's Scheme To Defund the BDS Movement". In These Times. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
External links
- Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center Official Website