HRW Officials Resign Over Blocked Report on Palestinian Refugee Rights

(MENAFN) Omar Shakir, the Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), along with assistant researcher Milena Ansari, have stepped down in protest after the organization blocked a report that they said described Israel's denial of Palestinian refugees’ right to return as a “crime against humanity,” according to reports on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that the resignation letters of Shakir and Ansari reveal concerns over the HRW leadership’s handling of the report. Shakir stated that the decision diverged from standard review procedures and appeared motivated by fears of political fallout rather than factual or legal considerations.

"I have lost my faith in the integrity of how we do our work and our commitment to principled reporting on the facts and application of the law," Shakir said, as stated by reports.

The unpublished 33-page report detailed the experiences of Palestinians displaced from Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and refugee communities in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. It connected decades of denied return to acts that could constitute prosecutable crimes under international law.

HRW leadership explained that the report involved “complex and consequential issues” that required additional review before being released.

However, Shakir noted on the social media platform X that "the report was finalized after 7 months in review & signed off on by the MENA division, five different specialists, the Program Office & the Law & Policy Office."

"It was coded to the website & translated, a press release & Q/A were drafted & vetted & partners briefed. Hardly a rush," he added, as reported.

Shakir and Ansari also argued that attempts to limit the report’s scope to recent displacements weakened its legal argument and silenced the voices of multiple generations of refugees.

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