Tuesday, 21 February 2012
NGO Monitor: Background Information on NGO Reporting of Khader Adnan
In statements on the hunger strike of senior member of Islamic Jihad, Khader
Adnan, currently held in administrative detention by Israel, numerous NGOs
and media accounts have omitted critical information in order to create a
false "good vs. evil" narrative.
This is not Adnan's first hunger strike. In October 2010, Adnan initiated a
hunger strike following his arrest by the Palestinian National Authority
security services. At the time, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights
(PCHR) (funded by the European Union; Ireland; Denmark; Norway; Christian
Aid (UK); Grassroots International (US); and Switzerland, Sweden,
Netherlands, Denmark via the NGO Development Center) issued a statement,
referring to Adnan as an "Islamic Jihad leader" and condemning his
detention. However, PCHR's February 19 statement regarding his latest hunger
strike in Israel omits information about his membership in Islamic Jihad.
Reflecting bias and double standards, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International, which are campaigning against the current detention, did not
release statements regarding Adnan's 2010 arrest by the PNA and his
subsequent hunger strike.
Most NGO statements omit the fact that administrative detention is a common
procedure used by democratic and rights- respecting states around the world
in security-related cases, including the US and the UK. Israel's detention
law meets and often exceeds the due process standards required by criminal
procedure and human rights law.
Contrary to the claims of NGOs, it is not true that Adnan's detention is
"without charge." The administrative detention laws require that the
detainee be brought before a judge within a short period of time and any
detention must be based upon credible evidence. All detainees have the right
to challenge their detention to the Israeli Supreme Court sitting as the
High Court of Justice.
Islamic Jihad is recognized as a terrorist organization by the EU, US, UK,
Israel, Australia, Canada, and Japan. The "right of association" does not
grant immunity from punishment for activities in terrorist organizations.
Amnesty International has an ongoing campaign relating to Adnan. While some
statements identify his involvement in Islamic Jihad, others ignore or
minimize this key aspect of the
story. Instead, he is referred to as a "baker" and "political activist."
This creates the distorted impression that Adnan is being persecuted for his
political beliefs.
In multiple statements, the Palestinian NGO Addameer (funded by Switzerland,
Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands via NDC; indirectly by the Netherlands
via ICCO) fails to note his
membership in Islamic Jihad.
Al Haq's (funded by Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands via
NDC; Norway; Ireland; and Spain) statement also fails to note his membership
in Islamic Jihad.
In a June 8, 2005 Boston Globe article, Adnan admonished the Palestinian
Authority for cooperating with Israeli officials to apprehend suspects in
the wake of a Tel Aviv suicide bombing: "'We have strong suspicions that the
security coordination' between Israeli and Palestinian authorities that has
resumed in recent weeks 'is responsible for this,' Adnan said. He said there
had been no response to Islamic Jihad demands that the PA say publicly that
it was not involved in helping Israel identify jihadis who were planning
fresh attacks."
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