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| '''Machsom Watch''' is a ] ] composed exclusively of ]i women. | '''Machsom Watch''' is a ] ] composed exclusively of ]i women. | ||
| The word ''machsom'' is Hebrew for "checkpoint", in reference to ] in the ] and between the West Bank and Israel. The group also calls itself "Women for Human Rights". | The word ''machsom'' is Hebrew for "checkpoint", in reference to ] in the ] and between the West Bank and Israel. The group also calls itself "Women for Human Rights". | ||
| Their stated aims (as apear on the group web site) are to: | Their stated aims (as apear on the group web site) are to: | ||
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| * Ensure that the human and civil rights of ]s attempting to enter Israel are protected | * Ensure that the human and civil rights of ]s attempting to enter Israel are protected | ||
| * Record and report the results of their observations to the widest possible audience, from the decision-making level to that of the general public | * Record and report the results of their observations to the widest possible audience, from the decision-making level to that of the general public | ||
| The women presence in checkpoints have caused security forces to act with more restrain than in the past. | |||
| Some members of Machsom Watch see their role to include protesting against the very existence of the checkpoints. | Some members of Machsom Watch see their role to include protesting against the very existence of the checkpoints. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Machsom Watch was founded in 2001 by Ronnee Jaeger, Adi Kuntsman, and Yehudit Keshet in response to concerns about reports of human rights abuses against Palestinians at ] and border police |
Machsom Watch was founded in 2001 by Ronnee Jaeger, Adi Kuntsman, and Yehudit Keshet in response to concerns about reports of human rights abuses against Palestinians at ] and border police checkpoints. Machsom Watch also express concern about what they claim to be "the excessive Israeli response to the ], the prolonged closure and siege of villages and towns on the West Bank". | ||
| At the beginning of ], Machsom Watch had approximately 400 members. Early on, Machsom Watch had some male monitors but that didn't work out. According to Keshet, "Their relationship was totally different. They were horrified by what was going on, but at the same time they bonded with the troops." | At the beginning of ], Machsom Watch had approximately 400 members. Early on, Machsom Watch had some male monitors but that didn't work out. According to Keshet, "Their relationship was totally different. They were horrified by what was going on, but at the same time they bonded with the troops." | ||
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| Late in ], Machsom Watch was accused of falsely claiming that the IDF forced a Palestinian violinist to play his violin at a checkpoint, a story which was printed worldwide. While originally the IDF said the soldier had acted insensitively, the IDF's commission on the issue, citing the testimonies of several soldiers, members of Machsom Watch, and after reviewing of the incident, concluded that the violinist had played voluntarily. The Palestinian in question claimed that he was "asked" to play a sad song. | Late in ], Machsom Watch was accused of falsely claiming that the IDF forced a Palestinian violinist to play his violin at a checkpoint, a story which was printed worldwide. While originally the IDF said the soldier had acted insensitively, the IDF's commission on the issue, citing the testimonies of several soldiers, members of Machsom Watch, and after reviewing of the incident, concluded that the violinist had played voluntarily. The Palestinian in question claimed that he was "asked" to play a sad song. | ||
| ⚫ | IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told the women at a 2006 meeting that "Humanitarianism is not exclusively owned by Machsom Watch and it is tested not only at the checkpoints, but also in preventing suicide bombers from reaching the markets of Tel Aviv and Netanya." | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| * some including Machsom Watch volunteers | * some including Machsom Watch volunteers | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 12:08, 9 March 2006
Machsom Watch is a human rights organization composed exclusively of Israeli women. The word machsom is Hebrew for "checkpoint", in reference to checkpoints in the West Bank and between the West Bank and Israel. The group also calls itself "Women for Human Rights".
Their stated aims (as apear on the group web site) are to:
- Monitor the behaviour of soldiers and police at checkpoints
- Ensure that the human and civil rights of Palestinians attempting to enter Israel are protected
- Record and report the results of their observations to the widest possible audience, from the decision-making level to that of the general public
Some members of Machsom Watch see their role to include protesting against the very existence of the checkpoints.
History
Machsom Watch was founded in 2001 by Ronnee Jaeger, Adi Kuntsman, and Yehudit Keshet in response to concerns about reports of human rights abuses against Palestinians at IDF and border police checkpoints. Machsom Watch also express concern about what they claim to be "the excessive Israeli response to the Al Aqsa Intifada, the prolonged closure and siege of villages and towns on the West Bank".
At the beginning of 2004, Machsom Watch had approximately 400 members. Early on, Machsom Watch had some male monitors but that didn't work out. According to Keshet, "Their relationship was totally different. They were horrified by what was going on, but at the same time they bonded with the troops."
Ronnee Jaeger is an activist who was previously a human rights worker in Guatemala and Mexico. Adi Kuntsman is a feminist originally from the Soviet Union, who arrived in Israel in 1990. Yehudit Keshet was an Orthodox Jew and scholar of Talmudic ethics, although she has abandoned Orthodoxy.
In March 2004, Machsom Watch received the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award. This annual prize is given by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel "to an individual or NGO that has made a unique contribution to the advancement of human rights in Israel".
Accusations of bias and the "violin incident"
The organization NGO Monitor has accused Machsom Watch of political bias. They have been accused of "Producing regular reports from IDF checkpoints using emotive and politically charged language that contributes to the demonization of Israel."
They have often been accused by soldiers of comparing them to Nazis and throwing other derogatory comments and curses. According to Yossi Olmert, a political commentator, Machsom Watch volunteers "disrupt the work of soldiers at checkpoints who are trying, not always successfully, to prevent the entry of terrorists."
Late in 2004, Machsom Watch was accused of falsely claiming that the IDF forced a Palestinian violinist to play his violin at a checkpoint, a story which was printed worldwide. While originally the IDF said the soldier had acted insensitively, the IDF's commission on the issue, citing the testimonies of several soldiers, members of Machsom Watch, and after reviewing the videotape of the incident, concluded that the violinist had played voluntarily. The Palestinian in question claimed that he was "asked" to play a sad song.
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told the women at a 2006 meeting that "Humanitarianism is not exclusively owned by Machsom Watch and it is tested not only at the checkpoints, but also in preventing suicide bombers from reaching the markets of Tel Aviv and Netanya."
References
- Hammer, Joshua, "Grandmothers on Guard". Mother Jones, November/December 2004, 36-41.
- Nirgad, Lia, "Winter in Qualandia - Eine Strassensperre zwischen Jerusalem und Ramallah", Melzer Verlag Neu-Isenburg 2005, ISBN 3-937389-57-1 (German translation of Hebrew original, Xargol Books/Israel)
External links
- Machsom Watch home page
- Press articles about Machsom Watch
- Checkpoint photos by Eyah Dor-Ofer some including Machsom Watch volunteers
- NGO Monitor on Machsom Watch
- Gallery of photos by Machsom Watch women