Anti-Israel extremism and terrorism are on the rise. Israelis live in constant fear of being stabbed by Palestinian so-called “lone-wolf” terrorists, Iran and Qatar are pumping billions into terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, and the BDS movement grows more and more popular. For the past 12 years, Shurat HaDin has actively fought back against terrorists, their funders, and those who seek to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist. We are so grateful for your help and support along our journey.
But as these geopolitical pressures against Israel continue to mount, we know that our toughest challenges and greatest days are still ahead of us.
More than ever, Shurat HaDin must continue to fight terrorism and protect Israel and Jews around the world. In 2016, our efforts must be increased. This is a unique opportunity to make double the impact, as every dollar you give will be matched by a very generous group of donors who have already pledged a total of $75,000.
Please help us reach this goal by (1) donating, (2) sharing the campaign page and video on social media and via email, and (3) connecting us with others like you who are passionate about Israel. While the campaign is open until December 31, if you give on December 1 (#Giving Tuesday) we will not pay any processing fees.
Please join us to support our work to bankrupt terrorism - one lawsuit at a time. Help us take action against terrorism and stand up for Israel!
THIS YEAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2015 was not an easy year for Israel. But Shurat HaDin led the fight against terrorism and Anti-Semitism, and succeeded over and over again. Below is a list of our achievements in the year of 2015.
We Crippled Terror Organizations by Interrupting Their Sources of Funding Through Lawsuits Around the World
- We won a historic $655 million judgment in federal court in New York this past February in the case of Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization, holding the PLO and the Palestinian Authority liable for a number of suicide bombings perpetrated during the Second Intifada. We are currently pursuing Palestinian assets to execute on the judgment.
- We filed an injunction against the U.S. administration to prevent the release of funds to the Islamic Republic after the nuclear deal is implemented. Our plaintiffs have millions of dollars in judgments against Iran, and we are arguing that the unfreezing of Iranian assets will rob them of what could be their last and only chance to realize justice.
- We filed a lawsuit against Facebook in the United States in response to the ongoing, horrific terror attacks in Israel in October 2015, seeking an injunction requiring Facebook to remove all pages inciting Palestinian terrorism, to monitor these methods of incitement and block them, and to place responsibility on Facebook for this rampant terrorism on its network.
- We won a $330 million judgment against North Korea on behalf of the family of a pastor the outlaw regime murdered. And we began an effort to seize and sell a North Korean ship to help pay the judgment.
- We are currently working on collecting judgments against North Korea, Syria and Iran, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, as well as others.
We Fought the BDS Movement and Defended Israelis and IDF Soldiers from War Crimes Allegations
- We challenged the tax exempt status of the Presbyterian Church that declared its intent to divest from the Jewish State.
- We demanded that the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court recuse herself because of her publicly expressed bias against Israel.
- In May 2015 we presented the first-ever annual Towards a New Law of War Conference in Jerusalem, which placed front and center for international policy and opinion makers the critical issues facing democracies as they fight non-traditional non-state terrorist actors.
- We called on FIFA to expel Palestinian Authority sports chief Jibril Rajoub for incitement to murder. Rajoub urged FIFA to ban Israel’s football team from the world body. But Rajoub himself is deeply involved in Palestinian terrorism and inciting violence against the Jewish State. Shurat HaDin argued that it was Rajoub, not Israel, who needed to be expelled from sports.
- We warned the Park Slope, Brooklyn, Food Co-Op not to adopt anti-Israel boycott-divestment-sanctions (BDS) policies. The PSFC, located in Brooklyn, New York, debated a resolution to discontinue the sale of Israeli products including those manufactured by the SodaStream Company. The meeting of the food coop turned violent as pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian factions clashed over the boycott resolution. The resolution has not yet been brought to a final vote.
- We asked Coca-Cola Co. to end its affiliation with its Palestinian Authority franchisee, the Palestine National Beverage Company, and its head, Zahi Khouri, because he has supported the BDS movement against Israel and made other incendiary comments against the Jewish state. We warned Coca Cola that it should not affiliate with any person who calls for a boycott or similar effort against Israel or its manufacturers, products and services and said that we were prepared to take legal action if necessary to ensure that the company did not promote a boycott of Israel.
- We demanded that Swedish bank SEB cancel its mortgage on a ship trying to run Israel’s legitimate blockade of Gaza. SEB holds a maritime lien on the Marianne of Gothenburg, the lead ship in the 2015 Gaza flotilla. The bank issued a mortgage to the owner of the boat, Charles Bertel Andreasson, a veteran anti-Israel provocateur who has engaged in illegal efforts against the Jewish State in the past.
- We called on soccer team FC Barcelona to end its sponsorship deal with Qatari organizations– namely Qatar Airways – and refuse the $90 million endorsement it receives from them annually. Qatar is internationally notorious for financing terror.
- We sent a letter to General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, urging the company to void its labor accords with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America in light of the union’s declared support for BDS.
- We are closely monitoring on-campus anti-Israel activities and warning academic institutions that they face liability if they tolerate intimidation of and hostility toward Jewish students.
- We produced the “Killstarter” satirical video, demanding that the U.S. not release Iran’s frozen assets.
Our Educational Programs Encouraged Others To Advocate For Israel And The Jewish People
- We trained dozens of lawyers from around the globe how to fight BDS in our first week-long Activist Lawyers’ Training Seminar. The next Seminar will be held in March 2016.
- We hosted a law student internship program during the summer, in which law students from all over the world learn how to fight for the State of Israel and the international Jewish community. We are hosting a Winter Internship program starting in December 2015.
- We hosted two Ultimate Missions to Israel, in which we took visiting groups on a dynamic and intensive week exploration of Israel’s struggle for survival and security in the Middle East.