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Human Rights Watch shelved a report concluding that Israel’s decades-long denial of Palestinians’ right of return constitutes a “crime against humanity,” prompting the resignation of its entire Israel-Palestine team: Israel-Palestine director Omar Shakir and assistant researcher Milena Ansari.
Drop Site News spoke directly with Shakir and reviewed internal HRW emails and other documents. The story: 🧵🔽
Human Rights Watch shelved a report concluding that Israel’s decades-long denial of Palestinians’ right of return constitutes a “crime against humanity,” prompting the resignation of its entire Israel-Palestine team: Israel-Palestine director Omar Shakir and assistant researcher Milena Ansari.
Drop Site News spoke directly with Shakir and reviewed internal HRW emails and other documents. The story: 🧵🔽
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The 43-page report had completed Human Rights Watch’s full internal review process over seven months, including sign-off from HRW’s legal team and divisions covering refugees, international justice, women’s rights, and children’s rights.
It was halted roughly two weeks before its scheduled publication on December 4.
The 43-page report had completed Human Rights Watch’s full internal review process over seven months, including sign-off from HRW’s legal team and divisions covering refugees, international justice, women’s rights, and children’s rights.
It was halted roughly two weeks before its scheduled publication on December 4.
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Shakir said the report traced Israel’s policies from the 1948 expulsions through the present-day emptying of refugee camps in Gaza and the West Bank.
It was based on interviews with 53 Palestinian refugees and fieldwork across Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Shakir said he hoped it would open “a path to justice for Palestinian refugees.”
Shakir said the report traced Israel’s policies from the 1948 expulsions through the present-day emptying of refugee camps in Gaza and the West Bank.
It was based on interviews with 53 Palestinian refugees and fieldwork across Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Shakir said he hoped it would open “a path to justice for Palestinian refugees.”
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The report was halted by incoming Executive Director Philippe Bolopion after objections were raised outside the formal review process.
Shakir said he was informed of the decision by phone, after donors and journalists had already been briefed.
According to internal emails obtained by Drop Site, opposition centered on calling Israel’s denial of return a crime against humanity.
The report was halted by incoming Executive Director Philippe Bolopion after objections were raised outside the formal review process.
Shakir said he was informed of the decision by phone, after donors and journalists had already been briefed.
According to internal emails obtained by Drop Site, opposition centered on calling Israel’s denial of return a crime against humanity.
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Bill Frelick, director of HRW’s Refugees and Migrants division, wrote directly to Bolopion:
“I do not think… we have strong grounds for asserting that the denial of this right is a Crime Against Humanity.”
He questioned the value of advocating for return, writing:
“I also question the strategic value of HRW advocating in 2025 for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to reclaim homes in present-day Israel that were lost in 1948.”
Bill Frelick, director of HRW’s Refugees and Migrants division, wrote directly to Bolopion:
“I do not think… we have strong grounds for asserting that the denial of this right is a Crime Against Humanity.”
He questioned the value of advocating for return, writing:
“I also question the strategic value of HRW advocating in 2025 for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to reclaim homes in present-day Israel that were lost in 1948.”
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Frelick further questioned the legitimacy of Palestinian refugee claims, writing:
“Does the suffering (and claims) of descendants of refugees who lost their homes in 1948 weaken over time?”
He also questioned whether Israel’s actions were “intended” to cause suffering or merely incidental to “national security concerns” or “demographic engineering.”
Frelick further questioned the legitimacy of Palestinian refugee claims, writing:
“Does the suffering (and claims) of descendants of refugees who lost their homes in 1948 weaken over time?”
He also questioned whether Israel’s actions were “intended” to cause suffering or merely incidental to “national security concerns” or “demographic engineering.”
7/ Shakir said such legal disagreements are routine at HRW and normally resolved by the organization’s legal team, which had already signed off. He noted HRW has applied the same legal standard in reports on other countries, including as recently as 2023 on the Chagos Islands.
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After staff protests, HRW leadership indicated the report could proceed only if it excluded refugees displaced in 1948 and 1967 and focused solely on Palestinians displaced since 2023.
Nearly 200 staff members signed a protest letter. Shakir and fellow researcher Milena Ansari resigned.
After staff protests, HRW leadership indicated the report could proceed only if it excluded refugees displaced in 1948 and 1967 and focused solely on Palestinians displaced since 2023.
Nearly 200 staff members signed a protest letter. Shakir and fellow researcher Milena Ansari resigned.
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Former HRW official @sarahleah1 described the episode as another example of an “Israel exception,” where work critical of Israel faces extraordinary scrutiny not applied elsewhere.
Former HRW official @sarahleah1 described the episode as another example of an “Israel exception,” where work critical of Israel faces extraordinary scrutiny not applied elsewhere.
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