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Following the Eisner/Andreas incident, "the officer was widely criticized by the public - not for using excessive force, but for granting human rights groups a photo op serving their interests."
Damage control required Gantz and other Israeli officials to say and do something. "Such reactions are necessary, but certainly not sufficient."
Beating up on nonviolent peace activists can't "be swept aside" with denunciations or transfers. Criminal offenses require punishment. They also demand policy changes. What's almost daily routine must stop.
They don't because Netanyahu, other officials, and top military officers call activists "anarchists," "provocateurs," and "terror supporters." Palestinians are called worse. Doing so sanctions violence.
Haaretz said Netanyahu and other officials "should memorize the verdict Jerusalem Magistrate Judge Haim Li-Ran" rendered recently regarding Sheikh Jarrah solidarity activists in Jerusalem, saying:"The right to demonstrate or express an opinion is deeply rooted in the foundations of democratic government....Thousands of human being have paid and are paying with their lives on this alter."
Protesting is a human right. International law permits it. Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states:
"The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others."Article 22 affirms "the right to freedom of association with others...." In democratic societies, no restrictions are permitted "in the interests of national security or public safety...."
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
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