NIF supports some organisations that oppose settlements and the continued occupation of the disputed territories captured in 1967, and some human rights groups that report on alleged human rights abuses by the Israeli government, the IDF and others.

Most credible surveys show that a majority of Israelis want an end to the occupation of the disputed territories.  This is not an anti-Israel or anti-Zionist position.  An end to the occupation is an outcome that NIF hopes can be achieved in the interest of a better Israel, and without sacrificing Israel’s security needs.

A healthy democracy respects and protects human rights.  As Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said: 

“One of the characteristics of a democracy is the protection of human rights. For that reason in Israel, as in every other democracy, human rights organizations are allowed to operate freely.”

If a human rights abuse is shown to have occurred, it is not the Israeli human rights community that has given ammunition to Israel’s detractors;  it is those who committed the abuse in the first place.  The fact that an enquiry into such acts takes place reflects well on Israeli democracy.

The IDF itself acknowledges the vital work that Israeli human rights organisations perform.  It has, for example, expressly acknowledged the contribution made by human rights monitors to improving the IDF’s protocols for minimising civilian casualties in urban warfare.