On video: IDF forces in the Shifa Hospital complex, Gaza, March 18, 2024/documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
A dismissal lawsuit currently underway at the Labor Court reveals an acute crisis at the top of the left-wing human rights organization "Betzlem".
This, in the background of the war of iron swords and the massacre on October 7.
The heart of the crisis deals with the dispute over the wording of the call for a ceasefire, when a senior employee of the organization was fired after insisting on a different wording than the one dictated by the management.
At the center of the lawsuit are the chairman of the organization's management, Orly Noy, and the CEO, Yuli Novek, who are being sued by the director of the organization's public department in recent years, Roi Yelin.
Yelin, is suing the organization for hundreds of thousands of shekels for unlawful dismissal.
This, after he claimed he was fired due to his opposition to publishing a call for a ceasefire that did not include a call to protect the citizens on both sides on the organization's Instagram page, in accordance with the mandate given to him.
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According to the lawsuit filed by lawyer Nava Pinchuk, during his work at the B'Tselem organization, Yelin handled a series of serious media crises that could have harmed the organization.
Also, Yelin promoted the exposure of the organization in the media and social networks in a good way and more.
According to the indictment, the events of the October 7 massacre had a profound effect on the organization.
"The events created a deep shock and crisis in B'Tselem," the lawsuit described, "severe intra-organizational tensions arose due to differences of opinion between employees in the organization regarding the events of that day, including painful phenomena of denial or an attempt to downplay the severity and scope of the crimes, the horror and tragedy experienced by the citizens of Israel, and In offensive statements towards fellow employees, including the plaintiff."
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"The events created a deep shock and crisis in B'Tselem."
A burnt house in Kibbutz Bari/Reuven Castro
The lawsuit also describes that various departments in the organization had difficulty functioning, and that several employees announced their intention to retire and went on temporary leave.
The CEO of the organization, Yuli Novak, who was on maternity leave, also left for an extended period abroad after she felt threatened as part of the attacks on the organization and her role in it.
During this period, Novak announced that Orli Noy and the management of the organization would take her place.
The founding event
Two days after the October 7th massacre, a statement was published on behalf of the organization referring to the crimes of the terrorist organization Hamas and its partners.
However, a day later, close to CEO Nobek's announcement about the structural changes in the organization's management due to her vacation, B'Tselem's management chairperson Orli Noy instructed to change the wording of the announcement published by the organization about the massacre in the communities surrounding Gaza.
In the original message, it was written that "anyone who abandons the basic principle that all human beings are created in an image - has lost a human image", as a statement of moral judgment immediately after describing the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian organizations on October 7.
However, according to Yelin, this sentence was finally lowered so that it appeared at the end of the press release, in a way that left only a dry description of Hamas' crimes.
According to Yelin, the announcement was made due to a protest by Palestinian employees of the B'Tselem organization "some of whom denied the crimes or Hamas' responsibility for their commission."
Yelin also claimed that the change in the text published in the press release was done behind his back and contrary to the accepted work procedures in the organization.
Some denied the crimes or Hamas' responsibility for their commission.
Hamas terrorists on October 7/Flash 90, Abed Rahim Khatib - Flash 90
In another case, during the month of November 2023, Orli Noy announced that B'Tselem would issue a call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and claimed that this was the management's position.
However, after investigation it emerged that the issue was not discussed at the management meeting and there was no organized discussion about it.
"It soon became clear that Mrs. Noy was promoting her political agenda," accused Yelin.
A few days later, a discussion of the issue was held in the management of the organization.
Yelin, for his part, opposed the publication of the call for a unilateral ceasefire, as this call is not appropriate for a human rights organization, and at the very least exceeds the organization's professional mandate and is too deeply rooted in the political field.
Yelin also claimed that a call for a cease-fire by B'Tselem, while the organization does not know how the safety of the residents of the south and other Israeli citizens, who are under the threat of rocket fire, will be guaranteed, is also tactically wrong, and will harm the organization's ability to promote a public discussion about the severe killings in Gaza.
In response to Yelin's words, he was harshly attacked by his colleagues who even accused him of supporting "genocide", when none of the board members stood by him or other employees of the organization who believed in him.
"Promotes her political agenda."
Orly Noy/Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel
At the end of the discussion, it was decided not to publish a call on behalf of the organization for a ceasefire.
But, about a month later, Noy convened another management meeting to discuss the issue, during which it was decided to publish a call for a ceasefire.
Yelin, who did not participate in the meeting, accepted the decision, "due to his deep commitment to the organization" and helped prepare the message, but later in the day he noticed that the final message included the laconic title "ceasefire now".
In Yelin's opinion, the call violated the text itself, which was balanced and also included "an explicit reference to the fact that Hamas fires rockets at Israeli civilians and holds hostages" and stated that "the call in the text to stop harming civilians is addressed to both the Israeli government and Hamas."
Yelin proposed to add in the subtitle a call "for the protection of civilians on both sides", but in the end this call was omitted from the official publication, and the title remained only "ceasefire now".
In response, Yelin returned and claimed that this wording is interpreted as a one-sided call addressed only to the Israeli government.
interpreted as a unilateral reading.
B'Tselem organization's call for a "ceasefire now"/documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law, use according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
Yelin admitted that he was upset by the sequence of events and Noy's behavior, and in response to this he changed the password to the organization's Instagram page for hours, due to his refusal to share the matter.
Following this action, he was summoned to a hearing due to his conduct during the relevant period, after which he was fired from the organization.
"The chairman of the board's insistence on denying and negating this principled message that is at the core of the goals of the organization, for which it was founded and for which it is named, that is, that all human beings were created in Tselem," accuses Yelin in the lawsuit, "so once again, Mrs. Noy has taken powers that are not hers.
used her title as chairman of the board to create an internal organizational conflict."
Finally, Yelin stated in the lawsuit that "Mrs. Noy acted forcefully and overbearingly to force her opinions and political positions both on issues of content and on issues of ongoing work in a way that harmed the work of the organization."
Mbtselem responded: "We did not receive the lawsuit itself. The exact circumstances regarding the termination of Roy's employment were detailed in the letter sent to him at the time of his termination. Due to the respect we have for all employees at Btselem, past and present, we have no intention of publicly discussing the personal affairs of any of them or engage publicly in a labor dispute."
"The organization's positions regarding the horrific war crime committed by Hamas on the seventh of October are clearly presented on the organization's website and in a series of public announcements that we have published. Our clear position regarding the need to protect the human rights of all people, Jews and Palestinians, and our resolute opposition to any harm to civilians was and still is unequivocal and has been published many times since the seventh of October. We are again calling for a deal to release the abductees and an immediate ceasefire - the only thing that will prevent further harm to civilians and violation of human rights."
"At B'Tselem, as in a large part of society, we are faced day and night with a painful and horrifying reality, in the midst of a war that claims countless victims. The depth of the upheaval and trauma also creates difficult and painful discussions. The need for the staff to have a protected space that will enable them to deal with the trauma is our first priority, therefore The fact that parts of the initial and so painful and intimate conversations were removed from the organization and their context is a cause for great sorrow for us. B'Tselem's position, which was derived following the discussions and out of a commitment to the fundamental values of the organization since its founding, has been published in a clear and unambiguous manner numerous times and we stand behind every word we have said in recent months. Indeed, these words were carefully chosen and were the result of long discussions and much thought, of which we are certainly proud. Despite the difficulty and complexity, we will continue to fight to make this place safe, equal and free for everyone."
More on the same topic:
B'Tselem
War of Iron Swords