Kolot– Voices of Hope: Human Rights Defenders Fund

KOLOT – Voices of Hope, Post-October 7 Series

 

 

At the Human Rights Defenders Fund, We Defend the Defenders

By Arielle Gordon

The Defenders

Last month, a Palestinian documentary filmmaker was viciously beaten, detained and tortured by the Israeli army while documenting a settler attack on his village of Susiya, in the South Hebron Hills. His name is Hamdan Ballal.

His offense? Hamdan Ballal’s film ‘No Other Land,’ which portrays the ethnic cleansing of his home Masafer Yatta, won an Oscar in February at the Academy Awards. In retaliation, he was targeted by soldiers, who left him overnight blindfolded, bleeding, and shackled to a cement floor. Ballal is still recovering from his injuries.

A month before, in February 2025, a bookshop in East Jerusalem was raided by Israeli police, on the suspicion of “selling books that incite terrorism,” and two of the booksellers were arrested and detained. Their names are Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna, and they work at the Educational Bookshop, a renowned cultural institution that sells thousands of politically-conscious books by all kinds of authors (including Israeli Jews).

So why were they arrested? They unabashedly sold books on Palestinian thought, discourse, and history. Over 100 books containing references to Palestinian freedom were confiscated, including a children’s coloring book.

A year earlier, in March 2024, a Palestinian social worker from the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem was released from prison after being locked away in administrative detention for three months. He had been arrested in an army night raid on his home in December 2023, during which his family members were beaten unconscious and his sons clothing torn off. At the time of his release from detention, he had lost 73 pounds from starvation, and he reported torture and sexual abuse during his time in prison. His name is Munther Amira.

What was he accused of? Nothing specifically. Munther Amira is a respected community leader who has been publicly committed to nonviolence for over two decades. In the past, Munther has organized peaceful protests against the occupation. Because he was an administrative detainee, the Israeli Security Agency (“Shin Bet”) did not need to bring forward any official charge; in court, they conceded that they had arrested him because they wanted to preclude him from organizing any demonstrations in the future.

A month before Munther’s arrest, in November 2023, a 62-year-old Jewish-Israeli schoolteacher was detained for five days on suspicion of “the intent to commit treason.” His name is Meir Baruchin.

Why? He wrote on social media about the killing of two Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank, and the police found anti-occupation protest posters in his home.

A month earlier, in the north of Israel in a town called Umm al Fahm, an esteemed human rights lawyer was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for four months, and charged in Israeli courts with incitement to terrorism. His name is Ahmad Khalefa. 

His crime? As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, he peacefully protested against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza alongside other peacefully protesting Palestinian citizens of Israel. For this, he may face up to eight years in prison.

We could list hundreds of other stories just like these. But you get the picture.

It takes a lot of courage – and, some might say, chutzpah – to stand up for human rights in Israel and Palestine. Every day, Israeli state authorities repress freedom of speech, arrest political organizers, and use every tactic in their playbook to quash all forms of public political dissent. In both the Israeli civilian courts and the IDF military courts, Israeli and Palestinian human rights defenders are targeted, arrested, and indicted every day.

If we want these brave women and men to continue to put themselves on the frontlines to protect fundamental human rights on both sides of the Green Line, we need them to know that they will be protected no matter what. That’s where we come in.

The Defense

The Human Rights Defenders Fund (HRDF) is the legal safety net for individuals, grassroots movements, civil society organizations, and marginalized communities advocating for their rights in Israel, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. We believe that no one should face prison for fighting to protect human rights.

Whether you are a Sheikh Jarrah resident organizing against unjust evictions in East Jerusalem, or an Ethiopian activist protesting racist police brutality, or a Bedouin in the Negev resisting land expropriation, or a Palestinian shepherd in Area C of the West Bank fighting expulsion by both the army and settlers, or an Israeli social justice advocate… it is our job to ensure that no one ever has to face trial alone.

As the sole organization in the region that is dedicated exclusively to protecting human rights defenders as a target group, the Human Rights Defenders Fund is the only place for human rights defenders to access free and expert legal services, capacity-building trainings, and advocacy & media support. We are also the only organization in the region working both in Israeli civil courts and IDF military courts, and our unique position working in both courts enables us to leverage Israeli civil law against the inequities of military law on behalf of the rights of Palestinians living under military occupation.

So, what does that look like on the ground?

If you are arrested at a protest, you will receive a legal consultation from our expert attorneys prior to interrogation. If you are prosecuted for your human rights activities, we will provide the highest quality legal representation, with a proven track record of 88% average success rate in our cases. If you are sued by litigious right-wing extremists in civil courts, we will do everything in our ability to prevent undue financial burden. If you are a victim of a settler attack, you will receive legal support every step of the way, from filing a complaint at the police station to testifying in court during the trial. If you need us, anytime, anywhere, you can call our 24/7 Emergency Hotline, and you will receive rapid-response legal assistance immediately. All of our services are free of charge.

HRDF works to end the criminalization of human rights defenders at every level of the Israeli court system. We have sued the police in civil court for false arrests. We have petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court against the army’s unjust policies: including illegal prolonged arbitrary detentions, and the inequitable use of “closed military zone orders” to deny Palestinians access to their private lands and arrest land defenders. We are currently taking on unjust “search and seizure” procedures to prevent police from routinely confiscating the electronic devices of activists.

In the aftermath of October 7th and the rise of the current right-wing settler-led government, HRDF‘s legal caseload has doubled. The demand for our capacity-building trainings has tripled. People are being targeted, arrested, sued, indicted, and imprisoned at unprecedented rates. But as long as there are people on the frontlines defending human rights, we will be right beside them.

Despite the tremendous difficulties of the last few years, we are very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve.

Here’s a quick look at HRDF‘s impact “by the numbers” since 2022:

• 2,300+ participants in our specialized workshops and legal rights trainings.

• 1,300+ individuals rendered free expert legal services in 600+ cases.

• 1,100+ callers given rapid response assistance through our 24/7 Emergency Hotline.

• 200+ advocacy initiatives and media interventions.

• 110+ Palestinian human rights defenders free from prison after hearings and trials in Military Court.

• 88% average annual success rate in our legal cases.

• 75+ grassroots collectives and NGOs provided with tools, knowledge, and skills to continue their work toward a shared Arab-Jewish society.

• 60+ acquittals, cancelled indictments, overturned convictions, and positive verdicts in cases that reached trial.

• 8 petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court challenging unjust policies.

• 5 tort claims against police and settlers for damages and injury.

• 1 Aachen Peace Prize awarded to HRDF (September 2023).

• And more. See HERE for a full list of recent highlights and victories.

The demand for our services has skyrocketed since October 7th. We’re doing everything we can to meet the needs on the ground, but we are stretched thin in terms of resources and capacity. Now more than ever, we need support from like-minded people so we can continue our urgent work.

Things are hard. We aren’t stopping. 

The Wins

Remember Hamdan Ballal, the documentary filmmaker and Oscar-winning co-director of ‘No Other Land,’ who was targeted and detained for documenting a settler attack? Because of us, he was released within 24 hours.

Remember Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna, of the Educational Bookshop, who were arrested after police raided their bookstore on the grounds that they supported terrorism? Because of us, they were released within 48 hours.

Remember Munther Amira, the social worker from Bethlehem who was tortured in administrative detention and lost half his body weight? Because of us, he was freed before the end of his detention order and hasn’t been arrested since.

Remember Meir Baruchin, the schoolteacher who was arrested for treason because of a political social media post? Because of us, he was out within five days, and never indicted.

Remember Ahmad Khalefa, the human rights lawyer who was accused of terrorism because he protested against the war? Because of us, he is back home with his family and able to return to work.

Without us, thousands of human rights defenders would be sitting in jail. We make sure that doesn’t happen. 

• To learn more about HRDF, visit our website at hrdf.org.il.

• To read our most recent publication, “Voices of Human Rights Defenders,” click here.

• To subscribe to our mailing list, click here.

• To find out how you can support HRDF in our critical work, contact arielle@hrdf.org.il.

 

Arielle Gordon is HRDF’s Head of Strategic Partnerships