Some Jewish defenders of Mary Robinson

A group of Israeli human rights organizations are coming to the defense of contoversial Presidential Medal of Freedom choice Mary Robinson. A letter from leaders of seven such groups, including B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, have written President Obama to say that Robinson "deserves this honor for a lifetime of unflagging support to the cause of human rights in its many dimensions."

"We are greatly saddened by the media furor that has been generated by statements from AIPAC and the ADL, who have referred to Mrs. Robinson’s ‘long public record of hostility and one-sided bias against the Jewish state,’ and ‘animus’ towards Israel, respectively, they write. "These statements contain factual errors and are misleading, particularly with regard to the Durban anti-racism conference. Such rhetoric distracts attention from the real issues that need to be addressed to foster peace and security for Israel and its neighbors."

The full letter is after the jump. Also, here’s a link to a letter from a British and Jewish human rights lawyer defending Robinson in the Irish Times:[[READMORE]]

President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC
August 10, 2009
Dear Mr. President:

We, the directors and senior staff of the undersigned Israeli human rights organizations, would like to publicly support your choice of Mrs. Mary Robinson to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom award. Mrs. Robinson deserves this honor for a lifetime of unflagging support to the cause of human rights in its many dimensions.

We are greatly saddened by the media furor that has been generated by statements from AIPAC and the ADL, who have referred to Mrs. Robinson’s “long public record of hostility and one-sided bias against the Jewish state,” and “animus” towards Israel, respectively. These statements contain factual errors and are misleading, particularly with regard to the Durban anti-racism conference. Such rhetoric distracts attention from the real issues that need to be addressed to foster peace and security for Israel and its neighbors.

As leaders of a sector within Israeli civil society that monitors and often criticizes government and military policy for violating human rights, we do not see such actions as plausible reason for denying Mrs. Robinson the award. We believe that holding Israel accountable to its obligations under international law is part of the role of the international community through agencies like the United Nations and others.

Furthermore, we had the opportunity to meet with Mary Robinson and her staff when she visited Israel in 2008 as head of a delegation of eminent women leaders. We saw firsthand her genuine commitment to human rights principles. During her 2008 visit, we understand that Mrs. Robinson met with a broad spectrum of Israelis including officials like Mayor of Sderot Eli Moyal, Israeli Supreme Court Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch, as well as members of the Peace and Security Council, a group of retired senior military officials who provide expert opinions on security matters, and with human rights activists.

We urge those who voice this unwarranted criticism to turn their attention to finding constructive solutions to the challenges that stand in the way of peace and acknowledge Mary Robinson – who has worked diligently for the promotion of human rights and conflict resolution – as the deserving recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

With sincere thanks,

Hagai Elad
Executive Director, Association for Civil Rights in Israel

Dr. Dalia Dromi
Executive Director, Bimkom –Planners for Planning Rights

Jessica Montell
Executive Director, B’Tselem

Advocate Sari Bashi
Executive Director, Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement

Dalia Kerstein
Executive Director, Hamoked – Center for the Defense of the Individual

Hadas Ziv
Executive Director, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel

Yehudit Elkana
Founder and Board Member, Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights