Yizhar Be’er & Keshev

The Center for the Protection
of Democracy in Israel

Listen to an Introduction from Citizen Paul

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Yizhar Be'er Director, Keshev & Israeli Veteran

Yizhar Be’er worked as a journalist for Israel’s leading newspaper, Haaretz, during the years of the first Palestinian Intifada. He then was Director of the leading Human Rights organization B’Tselem, describes itself as “The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.” Today, Be’er is the Executive Director of Keshev, a civic association known as “The Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel.”

Keshev gathers information and speaks out about threats to democracy in Israel, as well as ideologically based incitement and violence and how the media often misrepresent and distort important developments which the public needs to understand better.

Keshev researches and systematically gathers information on efforts to delegitimize democratic institutions; on organizations with antidemocratic ideologies and practices; and on the conduct of the media in Israel. The information gathered is analyzed and disseminated in public reports and information sheets that endeavor to reveal the actual Truth.

media_hero At the beginning of 2005, Keshev launched a long-term media-monitoring project called “Words Can Kill, Too.” The project is carried out in cooperation with the Palestinian organization Miftah, and its goal is to change patterns of media coverage in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority that gives expression to prejudice, incitement and defamation, misrepresentation, delegitimization, and dehumanization of the other side.