The New Israel Fund (NIF), recently connected to the one-side Goldstone Report, appears to have made inroads in Israel’s judicial system, the weekly Makor Rishon reports.

For example, prior to the last general elections, the Central Election Committee disqualified the Arab Ra’am-Ta’al and Balad parties for their racist platforms. The New Israel Fund-affiliated Adalah human rights organization petitioned the High Court of Justice, which overturned the ruling, permitting the Arab parties to run, and they are now continuing to serve in Knesset. Representing Adalah in the petition was attorney Hassan Jubran, a graduate of a NIF legal training program.

Let us take a look at who represented the state in the case, against Adalah in support of the Central Election Committee. Senior state attorney Donna Briskman, a former employee of ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) handled the case. She too was a recipient of NIF scholarship funding, part of the NIF US Civil Liberties Law Program. She actually preempted the election committee’s decision, telling the attorney general prior to the announcement that the parties may not be banned. At the petition hearing, she represented the attorney general on behalf of the state, basically supporting the position of the petitioners (Adalah) before the High Court.

This was not the first encounter of the threesome, Jubran, Briskman, and Adalah. The two attorneys are both graduates from the program funded by the NIF under the guise of producing lawyers who will remain committed to human rights issues. The funding also covers their master’s studies in the United States and in a recent ceremony marking 25 years since the establishment of the program, they were photographed with the founder, Herman Schwartz.

55 attorneys, all graduates of the program are working in Israel, spreading the NIF agenda the report adds, with the graduates found in human rights organizations, in the state legal system and on staff in Israeli law schools.

In a recent publication honoring the program’s silver anniversary, Briskman writes that the wealth of experienced amassed as a result of the program and her affiliation with ACRI continue to influence her personal and professional life impact her daily, even today as a member of the state’s legal system.

The Justice Ministry responded, stating Briskman has been a member of the staff dealing with High Court petitions and she has over the past 15 years proven herself as among the outstanding members of the team. The ministry confirms that over 20 years ago she did receive a scholarship from the NIF and that she was affiliated with ACRI. This however does not disqualify her from being a civil servant in the Justice Ministry the statement adds and this does not necessarily represent a conflict of interests.

Kadima MK Otniel Schneller responded as well, stating that as a result of her former affiliations, she is indeed not disqualified from working in the Justice Ministry but representing the state against those organizations undoubtedly represents a fear of a conflict of interests and a probe addressing this reality is in order.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)