Human Rights Watch Report on Palestinian Right of Return Blocked, Sparks Resignation

Resignation Over Blocked Report

• 💡 Omar Shakir, Israel Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, resigned after the organization's new leadership blocked a report on the denial of the Palestinian right of return.
• 📌 The report, based on interviews with 53 refugees, concluded that Israel's denial of this right constitutes a crime against humanity.
• ⚠️ Shakir suggests the decision to pull the report, scheduled for publication, was driven by a fear of political backlash and challenging the "Jewishness of the Israeli state."

Human Rights Watch's Stance and Process

• 🔍 Human Rights Watch stated that aspects of the report's research and legal conclusions needed strengthening to meet their high standards.
• ⚖️ Shakir asserts the report underwent a normal review process, gaining sign-off from all relevant departments, including legal, before being pulled unexpectedly.
• 🗣️ He highlights that previous reports, including one on the Chagos Islands in 2023, established the denial of return as a crime against humanity, questioning the inconsistency.

Kenneth Roth's Critique

• 🎯 Kenneth Roth, former executive director of HRW, criticizes the report, stating it would not have passed his review.
• 🧐 He argues the report's assertion that denying the right of return is a crime against humanity is a new and untested legal theory.
• ⚖️ Roth points to the Rohinga case, suggesting that a crime against humanity requires extreme suffering, and questions whether all six million Palestinian refugees meet this threshold.
• ❓ He also raises questions about the report's focus on return to Israel versus Palestine and suggests the report lacked sufficient detail and research to address these complexities.

Disagreement on Legal Theory and Advocacy

• 💬 Shakir counters that HRW has previously applied the legal theory, citing the Chagos Islands report, and that the organization's credibility relies on publishing facts regardless of advocacy concerns.
• 📢 He notes that offers to edit the report to address legal concerns or base it on a different crime against humanity (persecution) were rejected, with the primary objection being advocacy concerns related to the "Jewish state."
• 📉 Shakir expresses concern that political preferences are trumping fundamental rights, leading to a loss of faith in the leadership's commitment to the organization's core principles.

Integrity and Future of HRW

• 🎤 The discussion between Shakir and Roth, both former HRW staff, underscores concerns about the integrity of the work and the future direction of the organization under new leadership.
• 🌍 Roth acknowledges HRW is always under pressure regarding Israel but states there was no specific pressure on this particular report, emphasizing the need for rigorous factual and legal application.