Israel seeks ban on publication of settlement report

[Violet_Crumble]

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli authorities are asking the courts to bar the publication of a 2006 government report on settlement activity, saying it could harm state security and foreign relations, an anti-settlement group said on Monday.

Peace Now and the Movement for Freedom of Information in Israel had filed a petition at a Tel Aviv administrative court asking that the so-called Spiegel report be released publicly.

The defence ministry responded by arguing that the report should not be made public "for fear of harming state security and foreign relations," Peace Now chief Yariv Oppenheimer told AFP.

Israeli settlements on Arab land captured in the 1967 Six Day War -- all considered illegal by the international community -- are one of the most contentious issues of the decades-old Middle East conflict.

The issue has been a key source of discord between the two sides since they relaunched their peace talks in late November at a US conference after a break of nearly seven years.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGurixSXf4VWciAI1-wbSDGHJ2wA

[kayecy]

1. Why can't Israel hold its head high?

Hi Violet - You beat me to it!

I was going to ask whether Israel had a 'Freedom of Information' law and whether the US was happy about their ally concealing such matters?

A state prepared to allow Abu Ghraib photo publication can hold its head high: The Israeli government obviously prefers to
cover its head like a criminal

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Apparently Israel does have an FOI Act...

But (and keep in mind the only info I could find was on Wiki) there does seem to be some problems with how it works:

'In Israel, the Freedom of Information Law, 5758-1998, supported by the Freedom of Information regulations, 5759-1999, controls freedom of information. It defines the bodies subject to the legislation by a set of listed categories - essentially, most public bodies - and provides for the government to publish a list of all affected bodies. However, this list does not seem to have been made publicly available, if indeed it was ever compiled.

Many public bodies are not obliged to follow the law, which limits the potential for use by the public. Currently, the freedom of information regime in Israel is unusual in that it is the only country where public universities and colleges are not subject to the legislation on a national basis; the justice minister, however, has looked into extending the law to cover these institutions.

The Israeli Freedom of Information Law has actually achieved the opposite intended result. Government agencies now take the position that a citizen may only request information via FOIL, i.e. an official letter designated as such and including a $22 fee. Thus an Israeli citizen in many cases can not simply write a letter asking a question, and instead they are asked to file a FOIL with a fee and wait the minimum statutory 30 days for a reply, which the agency can easily extend to 60 days. In many cases FOIL letters are simply ignored, or some laconic response is sent stating the request is either unclear, unspecific, too vague or some other legalse, anything in order to keep the information away from the public. When the 60 days are up, the anticipated result usually yield nothing significant, and the applicant must petition the District Court to compel disclosure, a procedure that requires attorneys to draft pleadings and a payment of a $420 Court fee. A judgment in such FOIL appeals in Israel can take years, and again the agency can easily avoid disclosure by simply not complying. The usual attitude in Israel towards FOIL applicants is the same as an annoying mosquito. While there are rare successes in Courts compelling the Israeli Government to disclose information, they are usually in non-annoying areas such as environment, or other harmless civil matter. Arabs and minorities can not rely on, or expect to benefit from FOIL to obtain information due to an almost automatic "security" exception being cited.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act#Israel

I think that article's really really REALLY anti-Israel coz the bit about Israel has got like the lonnnngest word count! ;)

[kayecy]

3. A law to please the US 'nice guys'?

wait the minimum statutory 30 days for a reply, which the agency can easily extend to 60 days. In many cases FOIL letters are simply ignored, or some laconic response is sent stating the request is either unclear, unspecific, too vague or some other legalse, anything in order to keep the information away from the public. When the 60 days are up, the anticipated result usually yield nothing significant, and the applicant must petition the District Court to compel disclosure, a procedure that requires attorneys to draft pleadings and a payment of a $420 Court fee

Yes, I guess that says it all. Have a law to fool the US 'nice guys' but make sure it can't work in practice.

[Tom Joad]

4. what? In the "only democracy in the Middle East"?

The Israeli regime is trying to cover up its criminal actions in the Occupied Territories.

[Scurrilous]

5. Israel hiding settlement facts to protect image

<snip>

"THE Israeli Government has told a court that it does not want to reveal the true extent of Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories because the information would damage its image abroad, a local newspaper has reported.

The news comes on the eve of the arrival of the US President, George Bush, for a three-day state visit in which the settlement issue is likely to figure.

Last week Mr Bush said that Israeli settlement building in the West Bank was an obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has said that during the visit he would again commit Israel to removing some of the smaller and newer settlements.

The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz said the Israeli Defence Ministry, which rules the Arab territories seized by Israel in 1967, is resisting a petition from two Israeli rights groups for the publication of an official report showing the extent of settlement is greater than Israel has previously admitted.

The newspaper said that the report showed both veteran settlements and newer "outposts" had been built extensively without legal permits on land deemed as state land by the Israeli military courts and on the private property of local Palestinians."

more

[rateyes]

6. Surprise, freaking surprise...

...criminals always want to hide.