Professors for a Strong Israel

Statement to the Press - 5 January 2004


Re: PSI’s Bagatz suit against the IDF commander of the central region

Professors for a Strong Israel rejects the assortment of plots laid to transfer Jewish residents out of their homes in the heart of their country. We affirm that these initiatives are in opposition to Zionist, Jewish, democratic, and human values, as well as to common notions of human rights.

Represented by Atty. Mordecai Mintzer, PSI appealed to the High Court (Bagatz) against the order issued by the IDF commander of the central region to prepare for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Neither the order nor our appeal referred to any particular settlement or outpost. The appeal sought to void the draconian order by pointing to defects in its issuance; to its patent lack of reasonability; to its violation of the basic rights of its intended targets; to the violation of the Basic Law: Human Freedom and Dignity; to the injury it would cause to freedom, dignity, and property; and to the racism inherent in its discrimination between Jewish residents and their Arab neighbors.

We welcome the High Court’s decision to require the government to extend appreciably the time period allowed for appeals against eviction. But this order has no place at all in a democratic society. We will continue in our public and legal efforts to protect the human rights of Jews in their land.

Finally, we call on all organizations that proclaim their commitment to human rights to join us in this struggle for the character of Israel’s state and society.

Dr. Ron Breiman, Chairman of PSI
Tel: 050-518 940