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NGO accuses HRW of Israel obsession

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  • NGO accuses HRW of Israel obsession

    Jerusalem Post
    May 2 2008


    NGO accuses HRW of Israel obsession

    By ABE SELIG


    Human Rights Watch has systematically condemned Israel for "collective
    punishment" in the Gaza Strip, undermining its stated agenda of
    promoting human rights universally, according to a report released
    this week by the Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor.

    The report, which provides a detailed analysis of HRW's publications
    and statements in 2007, compares the group's coverage of Israel with
    the way it treats other countries in similar situations, and concludes
    that its continued condemnations of Israeli actions are
    disproportionate and reflect a "clear, identifiable political bias."

    "This report shows, yet again, that any claim of even-handedness by
    Human Rights Watch is hollow," said NGO Monitor's executive director,
    Bar-Ilan University Prof. Gerald Steinberg. "Their exclusive
    condemnation of Israeli 'collective punishment' is discriminatory, and
    should end immediately. HRW's continued disproportionate focus on
    Israel is not only an injustice, but it also allows some of the worst
    human rights abusers in the Middle East, countries like Syria and
    Libya, to escape serious scrutiny."

    "The idea that we exclusively condemn Israel is absurd," said HRW
    Middle East Division Deputy Director Joe Stork. "We do criticize the
    Israeli blockade of Gaza as collective punishment, and solidly so. But
    I haven't seen this report from Mr. Steinberg, and he seldom has
    anything useful or truthful to say - you can quote me on that."

    But citing Russia's 1999 policy of denying power, water, food or any
    humanitarian assistance to Chechnya - an action NGO Monitor says was
    far more widespread than Israel's blockade of Gaza - the report says
    that situation was not described as "collective punishment" by Human
    Rights Watch. Furthermore, the report points out that Azerbaijan's
    1994 blockade of Armenia was supported by HRW, on the grounds that
    Armenia was "financing a war."

    The report also mentions that while HRW condemns IDF actions against
    Hamas-sponsored rocket attacks from Gaza, the attacks themselves are
    labeled as "retaliatory," thus faulting Israel for the violence on
    both sides.

    "That's absolutely false," said Stork. "We do not characterize these
    attacks as such, and if it's quoted in the report, it's been taken out
    of context. I'd be surprised if they're quoted at all."

    While Stork could not point out any other country HRW had accused of
    "collective punishment," he stood by his organization's use of the
    term, and its application to Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip.

    "When that's what the crime is, that's what we call it," he
    said. "When the shoe fits. Collective punishment is completely
    appropriate to describe the Israeli blockade of Gaza."

    http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellit e?cid=1209626989868&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle %2FShowFull
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