Thread by @elderofziyon

It is worth reminding everyone that @HRW doesn't only have a bizarre obsession with demonizing Israel, but that its obsession spills over into excusing Hamas war crimes.

Here's one example.
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@hrw The @ICRC definition of "human shields" is "the intentional co-location of military objectives and civilians or persons hors de combat with the specific intent of trying to prevent the targeting of those military objectives."
ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/…

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@hrw @ICRC Plainly speaking, it means that Hamas or Islamic Jihad placing rockets or bases or weapons caches in civilian neighborhoods makes them guilty of the war crime of human shielding.

During the 2014 war, @KenRoth consistently absolved Hamas of that crime.

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@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth HRW and Ken Roth made their own, more restrictive definition for Hamas, saying that Hamas must FORCE civilians to stay in the area.

Although that definition is not consistent even within @HRW.

They've said that fighters joining a wedding march would violate that law.

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@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth What's the difference between putting military targets in a civilian neighborhood or in a wedding procession? Yet HRW consistently DEFENDED Hamas for placing arms in civilian neighborhoods.

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@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth Then, the news came out that Hamas actually instructed civilians to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate to safer places.

Here's the memo from the Gaza Interior Ministry. web.archive.org/web/2014080609…
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@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth So now there is an element of coercion, but STILL @HRW excused Hamas saying that they still weren't guilty of the crime of human shields.

What kind of a human rights org goes out of their way to excuse war crimes?

But only when the criminals are fighting Israel.

Amazing, no?

@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth During that war, Hamas kept civilians in an UNRWA shelter even after Israel warned them to leave. It warned Fatah members not to leave their homes under threat of being shot.

These are war crimes even according to HRW's more restrictive definition. But HRW never admitted it.
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@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth There is only one possible reason for this "human rights organization" to excuse and deny Hamas war crimes against civilians. Because HRW wants to paint Israel as the truly evil party, and mentioning Hamas war crimes dilutes that goal.

This is inexcusable.

This is HRW.

/end

@hrw @ICRC @KenRoth Postscript: @HRW wrote its own factsheet on the Gaza war where their definition of shielding is accurate, yet @kenroth kept insisting that Hamas wasn't guilty. hrw.org/news/2014/08/0…