Public Campaign against the Decision by the Israeli Authorities to Dismantle WAC–MA'AN

Selected Letters of Protest

To send letters of protest, see the e-mail addresses on this site. If you, your trade union, or your organization wishes to participate in this campaign, please contact:

Mr. Assaf Adiv - WAC's National Coordinator

asafadiv@netvision.net.il Tel: (M) +972-57-7586198

In Hebrew, from October 2005 (pdf files):

1. Letter to the Registrar from Attorney Dana Alexander, Director of the Legal Department, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

2. Letter to the Registrar from Shulamit Aloni, former Chairperson of Meretz.

3. Letter to the Registrar from Attorney Yuval Elbashan, founder and director, The Clinical Legal Education Center for Human Needs and Social Responsibility, Faculty of Law, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

4. Letter to the Registrar from Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, director of Ittijah, the Union of the Arab Community Based Organisations.

5. Letter to the Registrar from Attorney Frances Raday, Elias Lieberman Chair in Labor Law, Th Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In English, from October 2004:

1. Letter from CC.OO to the Israeli Ambassador in Spain

2. Letter from Professor Ian S. Lustick, University of Pennsylvania

3. Letter from Professor Noam Chomsky, MIT

4. Letter from the President of FNV Bondgenoten

5. Letter from Annuschka Vandewalle, Secretary General of FOS, Belgium

6. Letter from Poul Erik Skov Christensen, President of SiD in Denmark

Letter from CC.OO to the Israeli Ambassador in Spain

Sr.Victor Harel

Embajador de Israel en España

Velázquez, 150, 7º

28002 Madrid

Fax: 91.564 59 74

Madrid, 16 de noviembre de 2004

[TRANSLATION:]

Mr. Ambassador,

It has come to our knowledge through our Israeli companions at WAC-MA'AN that their activities are in danger of being declared illegal. Attorney Yaron Kedar, the Registrar for NPA’s in Israel, has decided to revoke the license permitting WAC’s activities, claiming that these activities do not correspond to its stated goals.

In view of this, I would like to make the following remarks:

- For several years, the Comisiones Obreras has been acquainted with and followed WAC's work in organizing, giving legal advice and training workers inside Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

- The activity of WAC has been recognized by various European trade union federations and NGO's. It is very much appreciated by many Israeli and Palestinian associations working with Israeli workers, migrant workers and Palestinian workers; recently (April 2004), Comisiones Obreras took part in an international delegation, including ten European trade unions, and we received first-hand confirmation of WAC's work.

-WAC is a source of information in matters concerning employment of Arab workers and migrant workers in Israel. It is consulted by Knesset ad hoc committees, and it is recognized as a representative body by the Employment Service and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

- For the last three years, the Paz y Solidaridad Foundation, connected to Comisiones Obreras, has supported  these activities with Spanish public funds, and it plans to continue doing so in the coming years.

We are very concerned that this threat to revoke WAC's license could be connected with other actions of harassment against Israeli civil organizations that stand for human rights and democracy, organizations whose members are known for their struggle against discrimination and the occupation.

Comisiones Obreras will bring these measures against Israeli civil society to the knowledge of the international trade union movement. The measures are in clear contravention of Convention C087 of the ILO, effective since 1950 – (which Israel joined in 1957).

I kindly ask you to transmit to the incumbent authorities our concern and the profound distress we feel as a result of these actions.

Respectfully,

Jose Maria Fidalgo

General Secretary, CC.OO (Confederacion Sindical de Comisiones Obreras)

Cc:

M.A. Moratinos Cuyaube, Minister of Foreign Affairs

L. Pajin, State Secretary for International Cooperation.

Letter from Professor Ian S. Lustick, University of Pennsylvania

Dear Mr. Abramovitsh, Mr. Mazuz, and MK Cohen,

I am a Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. I am considered an expert on Israeli politics and Arab-Jewish relations in Israel in particular.  I am regularly consulted as a reviewer for appointment and promotion decisions at Israeli Universities, from the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem to Bar Ilan.

In the course of my work I have had occasion to follow with great professional interest the work of the WAC.  While I understand your concerns about whether its relationship with the ODA is consistent with Israeli law, I wish to register my opinion that in fact this relationship is fully consistent with Israeli law and that if legal action is taken against the WAC on this basis it will be widely and properly regarded as an example of political persecution and discrimination against one of the only organizations in Israel that acts effectively to protect the rights of Arab and guest workers in Israel.

Sincerely,

Ian S. Lustick

Bess W. Heyman Professor

University of Pennsylvania

Letter from Professor Noam Chomsky, MIT

Dear Mr. Abramovitch,

I have received disturbing information about attempts to close the

WAC-Ma'an Advice Center, which, to my knowledge, has been carrying out very

important efforts to inform working people of their rights, and to

participate constructively in protecting and advancing these rights.

I would like to join those who are urging that every protection be given to

such highly praiseworthy efforts, and that any contemplated actions against

WAC-Ma'an be terminated.

Sincerely,

Noam Chomsky

Institute Professor

MIT

Letter from the President of FNV Bondgenoten, Mr. Henk Van Der Kolk

...to the Israeli Ambassador in the Netherlands, Mr. Eitan Margalit, dated Dec. 9, 2004:

H.E. Eitan Margalit

Ambassador of Israel in the Netherlands

Dear Mr. Eitan Margalit

According to our information there is a possibility that the activities of the organization WAC (MA'AN) will be declared illegal. Attorney Yaron Kedar, the Registrar for NPA's in Israel, has decided to start a procedure to revoke the license permitting WAC's activities, claiming that these activities do not correspond to its stated goals.

In view of this, I would like to make the following remarks:

• For some years FNV Bondgenoten has been acquainted with and followed WAC's work in organizing, giving legal advice and training workers inside Israel and Occupied East  Jerusalem.

• The activity of WAC has been recognized by various European trade union federations and NGO's. It is much appreciated by many Israeli and Palestinian associations working with Israeli workers, migrant workers and Palestinian workers; recently (April 2004) FNV Bondgenoten took part in an International delegation, including nine European trade unions, and FNV Bondgenoten received first-hand confirmation of WAC's work.

• WAC is a source of information in matters concerning employment of Arab workers and migrant workers in Israel. It is consulted by Knesset ad hoc committees, and it is recognized as a representative body by the Employment Service and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

We are very concerned that this threat to revoke WAC's license would be connected with other actions of harassment against Israeli civil organizations that stand for human rights and democracy, organizations whose members are known for their struggle against discrimination and against the occupation.

FNV Bondgenoten will bring this action against the Israeli civil society to the knowledge of the international trade union movement. The initiative of the Registrar is in clear contravention of Convention C 87 of the ILO, effective since 1950 (which Israel joined in 1957). Consequently WAC (MA'AN) has addressed this issue also to the authorities concerned at the ILO.

I kindly ask you to transmit to the responsible authorities our concern and the profound distress we feel as a result of this action.

Respectfully,

Henk van der Kolk

President

FNV Bondgenoten   

C.C.

• H.E. Mr. B. Bot, Minister of Foreign Affairs

• WAC (MA'AN)

Letter from FOS (Fonds voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking - 

Socialistische Solidariteit)

Dear Mr. Abramovitsh,

 We were informed last week through befriended organisations in the

 Israeli labour movement that the organisation Ma'an-WAC is in danger

 of being declared illegal. Attorney Yaron Kedar, the Registrar for

 NPA's in Israel, has decided to revoke the license permitting WAC

 activities, claiming that these activities do not correspond to its

 stated goals.

 It seems though, that there is no proof of this whatsoever. We are

 therefore wondering about the true meaning of the decision of the

 Registrar.

 We have learnt from the work of Ma'an-WAC through our Israeli partners

 and through Belgian trade unionists that visited the organisation in

 May last year. Moreover, various European trade union federations

 recognize and appreciate the value of the WAC-activities. Their work

 is of great importance for the disfavoured workers in Israel, such as

 the Arab workers in the construction industry.

 What worries us most, is that the decision to dismantle Ma'an-WAC

 might be aimed at their special interest in the plight of Israel's

 Arab citizens, and the workers among them in peculiar. We fear that

 Israeli authorities disregard with this decision the right of all

 workers to organise themselves and the right to freedom of thought and

 political opinion.

 FOS is an organisation belonging to the Belgian socialist movement. We

 have passed the news about Ma'an-WAC's situation to our friends in the

 socialist party, the socialist Trade Union, and other socialist

 organisations. We have been supporting for several years organisations

 that defend the rights of Palestinian workers from Gaza and the West

 Bank on the Israeli labour market. We have good relationships with

 Israeli organisations that are concerned with the same Palestinian

 workers, but also with the rights of Israel's Arab workers, Israeli

 low-wage workers and foreign workers in Israel.

 The current threats to Ma'an-WAC are not a good sign for the utterly

 important work of our own Palestinian and Israeli friends, and for all

 the disadvantaged workers in Israel in general. Therefore, we would

 like to kindly request you to take notice of our concern and the

 distress we feel as a result of these actions. We hope the Israeli

 authorities will take the appropriate steps to ensure that Ma'an can

 continue its valuable work, in the way that will suit the interests of

 the workers best.

  Respectfully, 

 Annuschka Vandewalle

 Secretary General of FOS 

 Sabine Craenen

 Asia Desk Officer - FOS 

 Grasmarkt 105 bus 46

 1000 Brussel

 Tel. +32 2 552 03 06

 Fax +32 2 552 02 96

 www.fos-socsol.be

Letter from Poul Erik Skov Christensen, President of SiD in Denmark to the Israeli ambassador

Mr. Ambassador,

It has come to our knowledge that the Registrar of Non-Profit Associations (NPA’s) in Israel, Attorney Yaron Kedar, has decided to start procedures towards canceling the legal status of the Workers Advice Center (WAC, referred to as MA’AN in Arabic and Hebrew). This dramatic step has been taken on the basis of a claim that the activities of WAC do not correspond to its stated goals.

The General Workers’ Union in Denmark is shocked that such a threat can be made against an Israeli non-governmental organisation that works to promote democracy, human rights in general and labour rights in particular. As a trade union, we are particularly concerned about this violation of the freedom of association, and we intend to bring these measures against Israeli civil society to the knowledge of the international trade union movement. The measures are in clear contravention of Convention C087 of the ILO, effective since 1950 (ratified by Israel in 1957).

We kindly ask you to transmit to the incumbent authorities our concern and the profound distress we feel as a result of these actions.

Yours sincerely,

Poul Erik Skov Christensen

President