Thread by @astroehlein

The Israeli government is deporting Human Rights Watch’s Israel-Palestine Director, @OmarSShakir, tomorrow.

Pro-government Twitter trolls are trying to spread all sorts of ridiculous lies about the case & about our work here, so it won’t hurt to remind people of the facts. 1/

The Israeli government revoked Omar’s work visa on the asserted grounds that his advocacy violated a 2017 law barring entry to those who advocate a boycott of Israel.

But neither Human Rights Watch, nor Shakir as its representative, has ever called for a boycott of Israel. 2/

Human Rights Watch has urged businesses to stop operating in illegal settlements as part of their global duty to avoid complicity in human rights abuses – just as it calls on businesses to comply with this duty in many other countries. 3/

The courts thus used an expansive reading of the 2017 law.

And sadly, the Supreme Court did not address Human Rights Watch’s challenge to the constitutionality of that law, including the implication it will chill the speech of those who disagree with government policies. 4/

As I said, the pro-government trolls have been saying all sorts, but serious supporters of Israel (as opposed to just supporters of the government of the day) have deep concerns, particularly about that last point. If the government can silence critics, #WhoIsNext? 5/

And also, fair-minded people who support Israel know very well that we have not just criticised the policies and actions of the Israeli government over the years, but also those on the Palestinian side as well: hrw.org/middle-east/n-…

Let’s recall some of the balance...
6/

“Both Israel and Palestinian armed groups are carrying out attacks with disturbing disregard for the protection of civilians.” HRW, May 2019
hrw.org/news/2019/06/1… 7/

“[Palestinian] security forces routinely use torture against detainees” - @omarsshakir, October 2018
hrw.org/news/2018/10/2…

“Israeli Open-Fire Orders Predictably Result in Bloodbath” - @omarsshakir, May, 2018
hrw.org/news/2018/05/1… 8/

“Palestinians across Gaza have taken to the streets… to demonstrate under the slogan: ‘We want to live.’ … Hamas security forces have responded by viciously beating demonstrators … scores of arbitrary arrests” - @omarsshakir, March 2019
hrw.org/news/2019/03/2… 9/

“As Israeli authorities ramp up rights abuses, they continue to narrow the space for rights defenders.” - @omarsshakir, June 2018
hrw.org/news/2018/06/0… 10/

The fact is, Human Rights Watch has been documenting human rights violations by the authorities on all sides, and we, with Omar directing, will continue to do so regardless of this latest harassment. 11/

Another odd criticism of @hrw on Twitter over this is, “Why don’t you look at Iran instead?”

To which I say, why don’t you look at our website before advertising your ignorance?

We’ve had countless publications on Iran over the years...
hrw.org/middle-east/n-… 12/

Probably every government we criticise tries whataboutism and that, “you’re singling us out” line. 🙄 Truth is, they would rather we focus on another country for obvious reasons. They don’t like the heat we put on them. 13/

We cover some 100 countries around the world. To those who think we don’t have a broad reach, again I say, look at the website:
hrw.org 14/

If it seems like we’re paying a bit more attention to Israel in the last few weeks, that’s because the Israeli government is booting our guy out the country. So, um... yeah, don’t be surprised we’re talking about that. 15/

We don’t get kicked out of countries very often, so this is unusual.

The number of countries that have banned our staff is pretty small, and with this move, the government puts Israel into a grim club: Venezuela, Egypt, Syria, North Korea, and a few others. 16/

It’s not a good look for Israel. Even its advocates & supporters know that when a government deports a human rights defender, it’s a bad sign about where the country is heading. #WhoIsNext? 17/

So, yes, tomorrow the Israeli government will kick out our director, @OmarSShakir.

But our work in Israel-Palestine will continue under his direction, we will continue to criticise the authorities on all sides for their abuses, and we will continue to fight for justice. 18/18

One more thing. There are a few people saying, "What's the big deal? Just hire another person."

But that, "it's not the organization; it's just the guy" line is bogus.

An independent human rights organization cannot allow a government to have a veto over its hiring decisions.

Press conference on the deportation - in Jerusalem tomorrow. Journalists can contact me for details.