Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Democracy Movements
Explore why most countries in the Middle East have dismal human rights and civil liberties records, how human rights groups in many Middle Eastern countries are battling authoritarian governments for influence, and where democracy movements are having an impact.
Origins of Peace Now Movement: Soldiers' 1978 Open Letter to Menahem Begin
In March 1978, in the wake of Israel's invasion of Lebanon, 348 Israeli soldiers and reservists urged Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin to choose peace with Arabs over "Greater Israel." The letter was at the origin of the Peace Now movement.
What Is the Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 1988?
Written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Algiers Declaration of 1988, defined the Palestinian state, rejected violence and terrorism, and implicitly recognized Israel's right to exist.
Amnesty International, Middle East Portal
Amnesty International, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977, is an advocacy organization campaigning for "a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards." It produces regular and extensive reports on human rights abuses in the Middle East and North Africa.
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