Special Interview New Program Geared to Improve Civil Liberties in Israel

A new program designed to improve civil liberties in Israel and increase the number of Israeli lawyers devoted to civil liberties laws, has been underway in Washington since last August. The program, “The Israel-U.S. Civil Liberties Law Program,” is sponsored by the New Israel Fund and the Washington College of Law at the American University.

The idea to train Israeli lawyers and public servants in civil liberties laws in Washington was conceived and developed by Herman Schwartz, a professor of law at American University. In an interview here with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency he said that the idea came up during a visit he made to Israel in the summer of 1983. He said that Israelis involved in the issue of civil liberties drew his attention to the fact that American civil liberties laws have a positive influence on Israeli laws.

“American civil liberty laws are the most developed in the world,” Schwartz said, adding that the new program offers the Israeli trainees “to see how you really run a civil liberty organization” in the United States.

The Israel-U.S. Civil Liberties Law Program is a two year fellowship. The first year includes a Master of Laws studies at the American University and an internship with one of the many civil rights and civil liberties organizations in Washington. The second year of the fellowship is spent in Israel where the trained Israeli lawyer works with an Israeli civil rights organization.

Schwartz said that the cost of each participant in the program is $38,500. This figure includes tuition and living expenses, transportation, stipends for fellows in Israel, and all administrative costs. He said that the program hopes to train a total of 12 to 15 Israeli lawyers in civil liberties laws. Contributions to the program may be made to the New Israel Fund or The Washington College of Law, Dean’s Fund.

CIVIL LIBERTIES PROBLEMS ASSESSED

Joshua Schoffman, a 31-year-old Israeli lawyer who graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is the first participant in the program. Along with his studies for a Master of Laws degree at the American University he has been an intern at the American Civil Liberties Union.

This month he will start working as an intern at the Center For National Securities Studies. When he completes his one-year training and study in Washington he will return to Israel to work as a fulltime staff member of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

Asked in an interview here to assess Israel’s main civil liberties problems, Schoffman said that they include a whole range of issues from freedom of speech and freedom of the press, to women’s rights and minority rights. But in Israel, he added, the issue of civil liberties has an added dimension when examined against the issue of national security.

“The issue is the relationship between the rights of the individual and the need to maintain national security,” Schoffman said. “The question is to what extent Israel’s national security needs can limit civil liberties.” He said that a balance has to be found between the legitimate security needs of the state and the rights of the individual.

Another issue of major concern in Israel is the rights of minorities, especially the Arabs. Schoffman said that the issue of the Arabs in Israel is also related to the issue of national security because they are deprived of certain rights, in employment, for instance, because they do not serve in the army or because they are considered a security risk.

Other civil liberties issues in Israel include women’s rights, free speech and the right to demonstrate, Schoffman said. However, he said that in his view, there is “a complete freedom of press” in Israel despite the military censorship for national security reasons.