Representatives of Al Haq and B'Tselem,

Excellencies, Mr Mayor, former Geuzen, their family, knights of the Military Order of William, ladies and gentlemen,

Promoting democracy in the Netherlands and increasing our vigilance against all forms of dictatorship, discrimination and racism: that is the aim of the Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940-1945. Inherent to this mission is that this aim will never be achieved. We must be constantly on the alert for all forms of dictatorship, discrimination and racism. It seems to be an unfortunate fact of life that people reject anyone who is ‘different’ in some way: different racial background, different sex, different religion, different philosophy, different political opinion. The Dutch people totally oppose this tendency. Since 1983, Article 1 of our Constitution prohibits discrimination on any of these grounds. This clause was included for a reason. The legislative authority obviously considered a written record vital to ensure that every Dutch man and woman was aware of its importance. The ban on discrimination is in turn bounded by other civil rights, such as the equally constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech.

Human rights have traditionally had a difficult time. Human rights need constant care and attention. Initiatives aimed at protecting them are slow to produce results. Back in 1998, for example, the Rome Statute which led to the creation of the International Criminal Court in The Hague was adopted. The aim of this Court was to prosecute and bring to justice those responsible for the worst crimes  - genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes - committed anywhere in the world. It was also hoped that the Court might have a deterrent effect. The Court has been operational since 2003, but the first criminal trial against a Congolese militia leader only started in January 2009. It is therefore difficult to say whether this Court can and will contribute to the protection of human rights, but it is a start.

When the board of the Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940-1945 met in the spring of 2008 to discuss who or which organisation would be awarded the Geuzenpenning 2009, it had no idea how poignant its choice would be.

Since 27 December 2008, the decades-long violent struggle between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people has intensified. News broadcast to the world through radio and television gives a desolate picture of many dead and wounded resulting from the violence between the two sides. This is the next chapter in a conflict whose end is still nowhere in sight. It is also a conflict in which right and wrong are almost indistinguishable. Both parties have good arguments. It is difficult to distinguish between perpetrator and victim. Many heads of government, missions and special delegations from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, among others, have tried to untangle this Gordian knot. The closest anyone came to a solution was probably in 1994 with the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. When signing the agreement, former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, said: "From today, we can look forward to days without worries and nights without fears. Our lives will completely change. There are chances for good relations with our neighbours, for an end to the bereavement which has afflicted our homes, for an end to war.

Let the sun rise!” In 1994, Rabin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards the Accords together with his Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. There were hopes that Rabin’s dream of good relations with his neighbours was within reach. We now know that this dream was not fulfilled. The armed conflict which has since continued to ravage the region is a catastrophe for the civilian population. Anyone can see that decades of war or threat of war will produce a totally traumatised generation. Every dead or injured soldier or civilian intensifies the hate towards the other party and results in further hardening of positions. As the long struggle continues, reconciliation will become more and more difficult to achieve. This is a situation which has no winners, only losers.

There is a danger of focusing too much on the leaders of the parties involved in this conflict, losing sight of ordinary citizens who suffer daily under these impossible conditions. Each and every day, they live with poverty, road blocks, difficult access to medical services, food shortages, lack of clean drinking water, etc.

These nameless victims need ambassadors - ambassadors who can tell the world about their suffering.

I started by stating the aim of Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940-1945.  In the framework of that objective, every year the foundation awards a Geuzenpenning to individuals or institutions that have, in some special way, devoted themselves to fighting for democracy or against dictatorship, discrimination and racism.

Both laureates of 2009, the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq and the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem have devoted themselves to their cause in a special way.

Both these organisations are the ambassadors who tell the world about the suffering of ordinary citizens in this dreadful conflict.

I will now read you the award decision: 

The board of the Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940 -1945 has, pursuant to the objective established in the statutes, uniformly agreed to award the Geuzenpenning 2009 to:

Al-Haq and B’Tselem

Al-Haq is an independent Palestinian human rights organisation and B'Tselem is the Israeli information centre for human rights in the Occupied Territories. Both organisations critically monitor the activities of the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Their work focuses on reporting violations of Palestinian human rights in the Occupied Territories.

Al-Haq campaigns nationally and internationally against human rights violations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, appealing to the UN, the EU and other states which are not involved in the conflict.  Al-Haq works to hold those responsible for violations to Palestinian human rights to account through international bodies.

Al-Haq continues to address the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Territories, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  In 2008 Al-Haq made a documentary showing the connection between Israeli war crimes dating back four decades and the crimes of today.

Through its reports and press conferences, Al-Haq draws attention to arbitrary imprisonments and torture by the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian factions. The organisation appeals for the integration of the international human rights standards in Palestinian legislation.

B'Tselem wants to inform Israeli citizens and policy makers about the current human rights situation in the Occupied Territories and bring an end to human rights violations. Working together with the Israeli authorities, B'Tselem strives to ensure that claims of violations by the military or government are investigated. The organisation acts as a reliable source of information for the international community.

Partly based on reports by B’Tselem, the High Court in Israel outlawed methods of physical violence applied by the security service during interrogations of Palestinians.  B'Tselem also played a key role in abolishing punitive house demolition and in addressing the issue of the West Bank barrier. An innovative approach pioneered by B’Tselem was to distribute video cameras among Palestinians in high conflict areas to record human rights violations.

By awarding the Geuzenpenning, the board expresses its admiration for the high level of commitment and integrity with which Al-Haq and B’Tselem work. They have achieved results with an effective and innovative approach and deserve respect and admiration for the independent way in which they defend human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Vlaardingen, 13 March 2009

The Stichting Geuzenverzet 1940 -1945