It is with great pride, coupled with humility, that I accept this award on behalf of B'Tselem. Pride because of what this award represents: a living legacy of a courageous group of resistance fighters during World War II who themselves adopted the legacy of resistance hundreds of years earlier. In turn this legacy has inspired a universal message that brings all of us together today: a message of resistance to discrimination, racism and oppression in all of its forms and throughout the world. 

And I stand here with humility, as B'Tselem takes its place alongside the group of prior Geuzen medal recipients, individuals and organizations of inestimable courage and conviction dedicated to the cause of freedom and peace. This group embodies the values that B'Tselem has worked tirelessly to uphold throughout our twenty-year history.  We appreciate in particular the honor of sharing this award with our colleagues at Al Haq, an organization that mentored B'Tselem in our early years and whose work we respect and admire. 

We at B'Tselem are in a unique position as human rights defenders – an organization created from within the society of an occupying power, advocating for the rights of those whose are occupied. It is from this special position that we work to promote human rights protections, and in particular to pursue accountability – public, legal and moral – for the policies and practices that deny Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories the ability to enjoy their most basic rights.  The legal accountability we tenaciously fight for is both on the level of the individual – the soldier and policeman who act with impunity in violating the rights of Palestinians, whether at checkpoints, in arrest operations or in widescale military operations. But we do not stop with pursuing individual accountability, as so many human rights violations are the result of military and government policies at the highest levels. So we demand accountability from the Israeli security forces as a whole for rules of engagement that result in the death and injury of Palestinian civilians, and accountability from the Israeli government for policies that expand settlements and further choke the movement of Palestinians, to name only a few of the issues B'Tselem addresses. Alongside this, we also demand accountability from the international community, calling on those who provide humanitarian assistance to ensure that aid does not take the place of genuine and effective remedies.  

Although B'Tselem is operating within the framework of international legal instruments and treaties, implicit in our message to the Israeli public is also a call for moral accountability, essential for a country that repeatedly declares its adherence to democratic values and to humanistic principles embedded in Jewish religious teachings.

This award is given in recognition of the achievements of B'Tselem and Al Haq, and the broader human rights community in Israel and the Occupied Territories that we represent.  We take pride in what we have managed to achieved, in spite of the obstacles and set-backs: the abolition of the most severe forms of torture by Israel's security services, the four-year hiatus in carrying out punitive house demolitions, the rerouting of Israel's separation barrier that have benefitted certain villages and individuals.
As these examples illustrate, no success is absolute. Small achievements must be celebrated, but also maintained and built upon. And we see in very graphic terms from Israel's recent military operation in the Gaza Strip - the severe human toll and physical destruction, compounded by the sweeping and unquestioning support of the Israeli public for this operation – just how much work lies ahead.  The extent of the harm to the Gaza civilian population from the recent operation is unprecedented. Whole families were wiped out. Children were killed before their parents' eyes. People watched as their loved ones literally bled to death waiting for ambulances that could not reach them. The extensive harm to the civilian population is not, in and of itself, proof of violations of the laws of war. However the allegations are extremely severe. B'Tselem has called upon Israel to conduct an independent and credible investigation into its conduct in Gaza. Such an investigation is mandated by law. It is also in Israel’s best interest, as the Israeli public has a right to know what was done in its name in the Gaza Strip. We also call upon the international community to ensure an impartial and effective investigation into these events and ensure real accountability for all parties found to have violated human rights and IHL. 

For us at B'Tselem, our vision is clear: we strive for an Israeli society that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every human being; where we all can live in dignity and safety. And we strive for a global community where every human being enjoys equally the full spectrum of rights. We are not naïve. We know well the magnitude of the challenges before us, the political and security obstacles, both locally and globally. Yet we at B'Tselem remain committed and even optimistic that together, working with our allies in Israel, in Palestine and around the world, we can make this vision a reality.

I thank the Geuzen Foundation, and all of you present, for your recognition and support, which contribute so significantly to our ongoing work.  We are honored to take our place among the "resistance fighters" for freedom from discrimination, racism and tyranny who have preceded us.