Human Rights Watch’s anti-Israel Agenda
Professor Gerald M. Steinberg discusses how HRW and its leaders have been strongly criticised for intense political and ideological bias against Israel.
Professor Gerald M. Steinberg discusses how HRW and its leaders have been strongly criticised for intense political and ideological bias against Israel.
Professor Gerald M. Steinberg and Maayan Rockland analyze how Human Rights Watch defames the Jewish State and employs numerous anti-Israel activists and BDS campaigners with well-documented histories of radical activism in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
There is a growing phenomenon of UN Treaty Bodies violating their mandates, as part of discriminatory anti-Israel campaigns.
Although Palestinian officials are often portrayed as the initiators and leaders, in practice, the campaigns are largely led by officials of Western institutions, including powerful non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the areas of human rights, international law, peace, and other normative objectives.
For many years, the network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claiming a human rights agenda has consistently sought to delegitimise Israel’s counterterrorism strategy. This phenomenon was prominent during the 2008–2009 and 2014 Gaza wars, when these groups issued hundreds of statements condemning Israel, and in campaigns calling for UN commissions of inquiry (e.g. the Goldstone and Schabas/Davis investigations) into Israeli ‘war crimes’.
Many prominent NGOs have employed individuals linked to terror organizations, formed alliances with such groups, supported their radical and violent agendas, and channeled humanitarian aid into terror activities, contrary to their claims of promoting human rights.