Last Tuesday, November 14, I wrote a polite email to a human rights organization and a lawyer company in the USA which uses the slogan "We uphold civil and human rights in the U.S. and worldwide" on their website, asking if they would represent me in court in order to sue the Government of Israel for, succintly, redress of damages. I had found them because they, together with the ACLU, filed a complaint against Donald Rumsfeld for his role in the atrocities taking place in Iraq. Usually emails are answered within one or two workdays, but I have not (yet) received an acknowledgement of my email from either organization. I would have accepted a "No interest" from either organization. But no answer at all ? Did I scare them ? Or is it just that I, as a Palestinian, am excluded from seeking redress for human rights abuses perpetrated against me ?

Before this, last year, I wrote the to the ICJ in The Hague to ask about the possibility of presenting my case with them. They expressed scant interest. In their answer, they said there was no guarantee that they would even admit the case in their court.

Back in Israel, the same thing happened. I tried often to bring my complaints before the Israeli courts, with no success. The only lawyer who did some serious work on my behalf, Lea Tsemel, told me that the files "had been closed", and that "everything is political at this time". In the police stations, of course, the officers were busy speaking with their girlfriends on the phone while I tried to find out anything about the lodged complaints. I had another - expensive - lawyer who limited his efforts to taking my money and writing two or three letters. My contact with several Israeli human rights organizations were no different. They seemed to only be interested in my cases until I signed that they had taken over my case. After signing such a statement I would never again hear from them; I think in retrospect that signing up lots of "cases" guaranteed a flow of subventions coming to these organizations and a good life for a few people within those organizations. I said as much in a conference in Istanbul in 2001. Some of the "human rigths" organizations I remember were "Hamokid for Protecting the Individual", "Association for the civil rights in Israel", "Jerusalem Center for the Law", "ACRI - Association for the civil rights in Israel" which seem to not exist anymore, at least not under those names. Of the many "human rights" organizations and initiatives I had contact with, only the "Alternative Information Center" exists.

There were also decent individuals and organizations who helped me along the way, but the questions remains: Where is the respect for the International Laws ? Why does it look like only certain people have acces to Justice ? Where is Justice ? Is there any Justice at all ?



I am still looking for a way to seek redress in my case before a court of Justice. I have posted a solicitation here.