Bassem Eid
Born (1958-02-05) 5 February 1958
East Jerusalem, Jordanian West Bank (now West Bank)
NationalityPalestinian
OccupationPolitical Analyst
Known forFounder, Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group

Bassem Eid (born 5 February 1958) is a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, Israel, who comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Israeli TV and radio.[1] During his early career, he reported on the IDF's alleged use of force against Palestinian civilians but now his research focusses on human rights violations committed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian armed forces.[2] He founded the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group in 1996, although it ceased operations in 2011. He now works as a political analyst for Israeli TV and radio and speaks on university campuses.[3][4]

Biography

He was born in the Jewish Quarter of the Jordanian-ruled Old City of Jerusalem. In 1966, the Jordanian government evacuated over 500 Palestinian families, including Eid's family, and relocated them to Shuafat Refugee Camp, with no clear reason given.[1] Eid spent the first 33 years of his life in the United Nations Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) refugee camp of Shuafat. He rose to prominence during the first Intifada, the Palestinian uprising, and was a senior field researcher for B’Tselem,[5][6] a non-governmental organization reporting on alleged human rights abuses in Israeli administered areas of the West Bank.

During the Oslo Accords, Eid's views began to change as PLO leader Yasser Arafat came to power.[1] Eid states that the violence and corruption committed by Arafat stalled the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process and it has "been stuck for many years".[1]

In response, Eid set up his own organization to monitor violations of human rights being committed by the Palestinian Authority against his own people. In 1996, he founded the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. He formally ended his work at the group in October 2010.

Since 2003 he has worked as a paid political commentator for Israeli TV and since 2009 he has worked as a commentator on Palestinian politics for Israeli Radio (Reshet Bet).[7] In 2016, he became the chairman of The Center for Near East Policy Research.[8]

Human rights and advocacy work

In 1997, The Washington Post called Eid, "an internationally recognized rights campaigner."[9]

He publicly condemned the widespread murder of Palestinian dissidents,[10] often for reasons unrelated to the Intifada. In 1995, following his report about the Palestinian Preventative Security Service,[11] he came under attack by some Palestinian leaders for revealing human rights violations committed by the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 1996, he was arrested by Yasser Arafat's Presidential Guard (Force 17) and denounced as an Israeli agent. He was released after 25 hours following widespread and international condemnation.[12]

In response to the deterioration of the human rights situation under the Palestinian Authority, he founded the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG),[13] which monitored abuses committed by the PA and also dealt to some extent with Israel. It was a nonpartisan human rights organization dedicated to exposing human rights violations and supporting a democratic and pluralistic two-state solution. The group closed in 2011.

He has spent 26 years researching UNRWA policies and has written extensively on the subject of UNRWA reform.[14][15] He advocates against the right of return of Palestinian refugees.[16] He also is an outspoken critic of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, otherwise known as BDS.[17][18][19] According to Tablet Magazine, some Palestinians have considered Eid to be a traitor for his views.[20]

He has traveled widely to lecture on the Palestine-Israel conflict and has attended international conferences to present his views on the subject. In recent years he has traveled to Canada, Italy, Japan, and South Africa, where he was invited by The South African Jewish Board of Deputies to speak at universities,[21] Australia and New Zealand, where he was a guest of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council,[22] and the United States, where he conducted a speaking tour sponsored by pro-Israel advocacy group Stand With Us.[23] In the United Kingdom he presented his research on UNRWA to the British think tank The Henry Jackson Society in December, 2015.[24] He has also appeared as a speaker for a workshop at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel.

Views

Eid supports a two-state solution in principle, but believes Palestinian leadership is a major obstacle to peace. Eid stated to the Jewish News Syndicate in 2022, that Palestinian culture is taught to celebrate grievance rather than peace with Israel. He further stated that the "Nakba" Day perpetuates this cycle of grievance and hatred as it distorts history and Israel's existence.[25]

On refugees, Eid sees the right of return as unworkable and thinks host countries should resettle refugees or grant them citizenship, particularly Jordan and Syria.[26] Eid blames Arab countries rather than Israel for the status of Palestinian refugees. He believes the Palestinian leadership uses refugees as a political tool against Israel. Further, he sees Zionism as a principle that is not discriminatory towards Arabs. He stresses that peace requires confidence-building not just agreements.[27]

Eid is against dividing Jerusalem and favors it remaining open to all communities and religions. On security, he blames Palestinian leadership for failures in Gaza post-Israel's withdrawal and has condemned Hamas on several occasions.[26][28] Moreover, Eid thinks the majority of West Bank Palestinians prioritize economic issues over land and believes the majority of East Jerusalem Palestinians are leaning towards Israeli citizenship for more rights.[27]

Eid is very critical of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, as it harms Palestinians economically. He disputes accusations of Israeli apartheid, noting Arab integration in hospitals, in the Israeli government. He acknowledges some discrimination exists but sees it as normal for any country. He believes Palestinians would face harsher crackdowns of violence in other Middle Eastern countries.[27]

During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Eid has condemned Hamas for the October 7 attacks against Israel and has criticized Turkey and Jordan for supporting Hamas.[29]

Published works

His publications include Neither Law Nor Justice: Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Since the Oslo Accords (co-written by PHRMG and B’Tselem, 1996);[11] The State of Human Rights in Palestine I: The practice of torture by the Palestinian Authority (1997),[30] violations of freedom of the press and freedom of expression (1997),[31] deaths in custody (1997),[32] and police brutality (PHRMG); The State of Human Rights in Palestine II. In-depth report on the judicial system (1997),[33] illegal arrests, and long term illegal detention (PHRMG); Fatah and Hamas Human Rights Violations in the Palestinian Occupied Territories from April 2006 to December 2007 (in Fatah and Hamas Human Rights Violations, in The Israel–Palestine Conflict, published by the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011).[34] He also contributes editorial articles to publications such as The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel.[35] He participated in the Doha Debates series by the Qatar Foundation in 2007 advocating for the motion "This House believes the Palestinians should give up their full right of return."[16]

Awards

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel awarded him its Emil Gruenzweig Memorial Award in 1992.[36] He is also the recipient of the Robert S. Litvak Human Rights Memorial Award granted by the McGill University Faculty of Law and the International Human Rights Advocacy Center, Inter Amicus; in 1999, the International Activist Award given by the Gleitsman Foundation, USA; and the award of Italy’s Informazione Senza Frontiere (Reporters without Borders).

Personal life

Eid calls himself "a proud Palestinian who grew up in a refugee camp and raised a large family".[37] He currently lives in East Jerusalem,[27] and works as an analyst on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Israeli TV and radio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eid, Bassem (July 27, 2018). "This year in Jerusalem". The Times of Israel Blogs. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Abandoned by the Israeli Left: The story of Bassem Eid". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  3. ↑ "Students Supporting Israel hosts activist Bassem Eid, discusses Palestinian leadership, Israel-Palestine conflict". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  4. ↑ Gundersen, Laura (2015-10-26). "Palestinian Human Rights Leader Condemns Hamas, BDS at Cornell Lecture". The Cornell Review. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  5. ↑ "Human Rights Links". B'Tselem. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Arab Human Rights Activist Bassem Eid, Caught in the Middle of Unending Conflict". Tablet Magazine. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  7. ↑ Eid, Bassem. "Bassem EID". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Our Staff". Center for Near East Policy Research. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  9. ↑ Gellman, Barton (27 May 1997). "Palestinian Rights Group Accuses Arafat's Authority Of 'Large-Scale' Torture". The Washington Post. ProQuest 1456655490.
  10. ↑ "Public death for 'collaborators'". Guardian. January 14, 2001. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Neither Law Nor Justice: Extra-Judicial Punishment, Abduction, Unlawful Arrest, and Torture of Palestinian Residents of the West Bank By the Palestinian Preventive Security Service: Bassem & Eitan Felner 'Eid. B'Tselem - the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. January 1995. Retrieved 2016-02-25 – via Amazon.com.
  12. ↑ "Violations of Freedom of Expression and Association". Human Rights Watch.
  13. ↑ "About". Bassemeidhumanrights.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  14. ↑ Reprints, Media (2015-12-20). "Search for "bassem eid unrwa"". Israel Behind the News. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  15. ↑ "Palestinian Human Rights Activist Calls for Major Overhaul of UNRWA". Algemeiner. December 4, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  16. 1 2 Sebastian, Tim, Bassem Eid, Yossi Beilin, Ilan Pappe, and Ali Abunimah. This House Believes the Palestinians Should Give up Their Full Right of Return. Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation, 2007. https://archive.dohadebates.com/debates/item/indexc5fa.html?d=11&s=3&mode=transcript
  17. ↑ "BDS Efforts Are Counter-Productive" (PDF). Ornico.co.za. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  18. ↑ Eid, Bassem (2015-03-05). "Search for "bassem eid bds"". Israel Behind the News. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  19. ↑ "Bassem Eid calls for Palestinian Peace". Sun-Sentinel. October 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ Muravchik, Joshua. "Bassem Eid Made 'B'Tselem' Famous by Reporting Israeli Abuses. Now He's a Traitor". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  21. ↑ "Q&A with Bassem Eid". witsvuvuzela.com/. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  22. ↑ "Media appearances by AIJAC guests Bassem Eid and Hillel Neuer". aijac.org.au. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  23. ↑ "IN CONVERSATION WITH BASSEM EID – A MAN OF COURAGE". standwithus.com. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  24. ↑ "HJS Event: 'Perpetuating Statelessness? UNRWA, Its Activities and Funding' | Israel Behind the News". Israel Behind the News. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  25. ↑ Eid, Bassem (2022-05-12). "Abolish 'Nakba Day'". JNS.org. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  26. 1 2 Eid, Bassem (June 24, 2021). "Free the Palestinians from Hamas". The Times of Israel Blogs. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Basset Eid at Where do we stand? Perspectives On Obstacles To Peace In The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Re-accessed 14 Oct 2023.
  28. ↑ Newsdesk, J.-Wire (2021-06-09). ""A Palestinian case against Hamas" – Bassem Eid in AIJAC webinar". J-Wire. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  29. ↑ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  30. ↑ Schmemann, Serge (1997-05-27). "Palestinian Rights Monitor Charges Torture of Prisoners". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  31. ↑ "Google Groups". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  32. ↑ "Google Groups". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  33. ↑ "Justice Undermined – Underlying Weaknesses in the Palestinian Justice System". Hrw.org. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  34. ↑ Elizabeth Matthews, ed. (2011). "10". The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Parallel Discourses. Routledge. ISBN 9781136884320.
  35. ↑ "Bassem Eid Articles in the Times of Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  36. ↑ "Human Rights". WRMEA.org. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  37. ↑ "We Palestinians hold the key to a better future". blogs.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
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