ABOUT JCSER What? The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) is a Palestinian non-governmental human rights organization based in Jerusalem. It was established in 1997 by lawyers and members of the Palestinian community of Jerusalem. JCSER provides legal assistance and representation to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem subjected to discriminatory policies by the Israeli authorities. JCSER makes use of the Israeli legal system to assist Palestinian Jerusalemites to survive on a day-to-day basis in the city. It seeks to find ways to take the initiative to proactively fight discrimination and improve conditions of daily life in the short term without conferring political legitimacy on Israel's illegal annexation of East Jerusalem. Presently, JCSER is one of the only institutions specifically devoted to providing representation and other legal services on social and economic rights to the Palestinian community in Jerusalem.
Why?
JCSER aims to protect and promote the social and economic rights of Palestinians in Jeruslem. It systematically challenges discriminatory Israeli legislation, regulations, and practices, which violate basic Palestinian rights in Jerusalem. In practice, JCSER strives to secure and achieve the maximum protection of individual and collective Palestinian rights in Jerusalem realizable under the current circumstances of military occupation.
For whom? JCSER's activities are intended for the benefit of all current, former, or potential Palestinian residents of Jerusalem whose rights to reside and lead a normal life in Jerusalem are threatened or actually violated by the Israeli authorities. Any member of this community can obtain information and advice from JCSER, and its programmes are intended for their collective benefit.
How? JCSER implements several programmes to realize its goal: Individual Legal Assistance & Legal Advocacy JCSER’s Legal Unit aims to defend the existing individual and collective social and economic rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem against further erosion, and aims to ensure that these rights are not violated. Furthermore, it aims to challenge and reduce institutional discrimination against the Palestinian community in Jerusalem and to expand the rights available to them within Israel’s legislative environment.Legal representation designed to defend the Palestinian right to remain in Jerusalem has from the outset formed the essential core of JCSER’s work. The Unit provides legal advice, assistance, and representation to individual Palestinians living and/or working in Jerusalem, whose rights are threatened or actually violated. On the other hand it focuses on legal advocacy and brings cases of strategic importance for the Palestinian population in general to the Israeli courts.
Research The Research Unit collects data and publishes studies and research on social and economic rights violations, discriminatory Israeli legislation, regulations and practices, and its consequences on the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem. These studies are primarily conducted to supplement its legal advocacy program. It also aims to provide information for the Center’s awareness raising, lobby and advocacy activities.
Awareness Raising, Lobby & Advocacy The Public Relations Unit of the Center aims to promote awareness among decision-makers and the general public, locally as well as internationally, about Israeli violations of Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem, and more broadly the fundamental incompatibility between Palestinian rights and Israeli military occupation. Furthermore, it aims to empower the Palestinian community in Jerusalem to effectively challenge Israeli violations of their social and economic rights and to resist Israeli attempts to evict or pressure them into leaving their city.
Click here to read more about JCSER's activities. Which issues? JCSER acts on the following issues: Residency rights: ID Card confiscation Family unification Child registration Social security rights, including social insurance: Access to health services Provision of allowances and social benefits Municipal services & municipality (Arnona) tax system Business tax / Property tax Provision of equal services Building restrictions and illegal building Consequences of illegal building like house demolitions Land confiscation Cases related to other Israeli violations of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem Click here to read more about the issues JCSER is working on.
Which issues? JCSER acts on the following issues: Residency rights: ID Card confiscation Family unification Child registration Social security rights, including social insurance: Access to health services Provision of allowances and social benefits Municipal services & municipality (Arnona) tax system Business tax / Property tax Provision of equal services Building restrictions and illegal building Consequences of illegal building like house demolitions Land confiscation Cases related to other Israeli violations of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem Click here to read more about the issues JCSER is working on.
Residency rights:
ID Card confiscation
Family unification
Child registration
Social security rights, including social insurance:
Access to health services
Provision of allowances and social benefits
Municipal services & municipality (Arnona) tax system
Business tax / Property tax
Provision of equal services
Building restrictions and illegal building
Consequences of illegal building like house demolitions
Land confiscation
Cases related to other Israeli violations of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem
Click
With whom?
JCSER is part of the following networks/coalitions/committees:
The Jerusalem Coalition against House Demolition;
The coalition for the Defense of Jerusalem;
The Coalition to Stop ID Card Confiscation from Palestinian Jerusalemites;
The Coalition for Education;
The Land Defense Committees;
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All rights reserved, Copyright © 2002 Jerusalem Center for Social & Economic Rights 2001.
