Friday, January 22, 2010

HRW’s Annual Report Continues Anti-Israel Bias, Ignores Internal Scandals


NGO Monitor
21 January '10

Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor charged today that Human Rights Watch’s 2009 World Report reflects a continuing and pervasive anti-Israel bias, repeating many of the unjustified allegations that the organization made in 2009.

As NGO Monitor’s annual review of HRW demonstrates, nearly 30% of HRW’s 2009 output on the Middle East condemned Israel for measures taken to defend its civilian population. HRW issued more publications critical of Israel than of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Libya combined.

Continuing this obsessive pattern, HRW’s 2009 World Report allots more pages to Israel than to any country other than China. The report includes:

HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth’s comparison of “abusive” Israel “war crimes” to “atrocities in Guinea, Kenya, or Darfur.”

A repetition of baseless HRW allegations regarding white phosphorus, drone attacks, and “white flag deaths” in the Gaza war.

Continuing promotion of Richard Goldstone’s tendentious report condemning Israel’s actions in the Gaza war, and failing to mention that Goldstone is a former HRW board member. In 2009, HRW released 34 statements in support of the UN Human Rights Council/Arab League Goldstone “fact-finding” mission.

(Read full release)
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3 comments:

  1. Did you even read the report?

    I think NGO Monitor has an anti-Israel bias as its analysis is insipid - complete with finger-pointing to anti-semitism rather than discussing the actual issues involved. I would argue that Professor Steinberg's polemic game is consistently detrimental to Israel's long term strategic needs.

    HRW also criticizes every other country in the Middle East, so don't start bearing arms when Israel's violations figure into a report as well.

    my two cents,
    JG

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  2. Jonathan,
    I truthfully have no idea what you are talking about, however that is most likely not my biggest problem. In any case, HRW has already been addressed (or undressed) by others, in particular, Richard Landes, whose critique is not something to be dismissed out of hand. (When too much of Ken Roth is enough: Bernstein answers Ma’ariv’s questions http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-too-much-of-ken-roth-is-enough.html)

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  3. Surely supporting Israel cannot be about undermining human rights around the world. That strikes me as not only unethical, but also un-Jewish, let alone unsustainable.

    More on that here: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47685

    If you can't listen to HRW, try Btselem or one of the countless other groups of fearless Israeli groups seeking to advance Israel's ethical standing in the world.

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