CAN ISRAEL NEGOTIATE PEACE WHILE TARGETING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS?

Yesterday, Amnesty International called on Israel to end what it says "smacks of pure harassment, designed to hinder" the human rights work of a prominent Palestinian citizen of Israel. Ameer Makhoul of the Israeli human rights group Itijah was arrested on May 6 and has since been denied access to legal advice. Also on May 6, Israeli soldiers arrested Mazin Qumsiyeh, a US citizen, while he peacefully protested the confiscation of land in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja. Analysts see the arrests as part of an intimidation campaign that over the past six months has included the arrest of scores of leaders in the non-violent protest movement in the West Bank and of several civil rights leaders inside Israel.