Counterpoint: Pigeonholing rights groups
This article was published in the Jerusalem Post, March 27, 2008. Click here to read.
[Excerpt:]
"Most Israelis turn a blind eye to civil liberties violations. Regrettably, when they hear of the activities of human rights groups, for the most part they only hear of the ones that seem excessive. Too often, these multi-faceted NGOs are labeled as "radical" because they are perceived as continually creating confrontations with Israeli authorities."
"…More so, if an NGO is viewed as being only critical of Israel, then the organization’s mainstream supporters will question its sense of proportion, and more fundamentally, its Zionist credentials…."
The work of B’Tselem, RHR, ACRI and IRAC is inspiring, but each organization needs to speak two languages – that of critic and advocate – in ways that one language does not drown out the other."