Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., September 16, 2009 Elul 27, 5769 | | Israel Time: 17:49 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Last update - 21:57 08/09/2009
NGO Monitor: Gaza war probe tainted by anti-Israel ideology
By Cnaan Liphshiz
Tags: Israel news, Gaza probe 

A group of Israeli researchers on Tuesday questioned the objectivity, integrity and professionalism of the international body Human Right's Watch based on findings from the first comprehensive study into the activities of the organization.

They added the report casts doubt as to the neutrality of the Goldstone Commission on Gaza.

Human Rights Watch said the accusation was "misleading" and reflected a "deep misunderstanding" of its role.
Advertisement
The 80-page study by the Jerusalem-based organization NGO Monitor speaks of "major flaws in the focus on Israel" by HRW. The Israeli organization noted that Richard Goldstone, the head of a UN team investigating alleged war crimes in Gaza, had been a HRW board member until recently.

"Although Goldstone resigned, his statements have strongly echoed and defended HRW's bias, particularly over Gaza," NGO Monitor said in a statement about the study.

"Goldstone's strong identification with Human Rights Watch forms the political foundation for his biased inquiry," said Professor Gerald Steinberg, NGO Monitor's founder. The Goldstone Commission is due to release its findings in the next few weeks.

In the study, Steinberg and his researchers gave profiles of HRW?s Middle East division staff, "which is led by ideologues with a history of pro-Palestinian activism, rather than human rights experts," according to the report's authors.

The Middle East division is headed by Sarah Leah Whitson, who participated in the Caterpillar Israel boycott campaign, and in a HRW fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia. Deputy Director Joe Stork, according to the report, participated in a "Zionism and Racism" conference in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, before joining HRW.

In its full reaction, HRW said NGO Monitor's report contained "errors of fact and misleading analysis," preferring "personal attacks" on its staff to "addressing the findings of human rights violations."

Kenneth Roth, HRW's executive director, called Steinberg "a consultant to the Israeli Foreign Ministry." Steinberg said that in the past, he has consulted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on issues unrelated to NGOs, but is no longer a consultant.

According to Roth, Human Rights Watch receives no government funds. But Steinnberg's research on HRW showed it is has received funding to the tune of $900,000 from NOVIB, a body funded by the Dutch government.

Roth told Haaretz that Steinberg's report is part of the Netanyahu government's "battle on critics," aimed at "deflecting attention" from "unnecessary" civilian deaths in Gaza. "NGO Monitor has yet to show any of our findings to be wrong," he said, adding his organization seeks out "as many viewpoints as possible."

He added that HRW has published dozens of reports on abuses by Middle Eastern governments, including Egypt, Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia.

But the report's Israeli authors also accuse HRW of "methodological failures" that "violate" the fact-finding guidelines of the International Bar Association. These reports, they said, "rely on unreliable eyewitnesses and consistently confuse speculation with fact," while "omitting evidence" such as videos showing Hamas and Hezbollah using human shields.

Steinberg named HRW's investigation into the alleged firing by IDF troops on Gazans flying white flags. "The Abd Rabbo family, on whom the first incident depends, has given 14 different versions of their story since January," Steinberg said.

An analysis of 2008 publications using a weighted quantitative methodology showed, according to the study, that HRW focused more attention on Israel than on Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and others. "Since 2000, HRW has called 68 times for independent investigations against Israel," Steinberg added. "There is no parallel regarding any other country."

"Human rights values and research standards have been replaced by ideology," Steingberg concluded. "The Middle East division of this powerful organization needs a full and systemic overhaul, to recover its moral foundation and relevance in promoting human rights, particularly in repressive regimes."
PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
War crimes in Gaza
UN probe finds Israel and the Palestinians committed war crimes in Gaza offensive
Golan on Facebook
Damascus threatens to deny access to social network for letting Golan be listed as 'Israel'
  1.   Kudos to NGO Monitor, keep up the good work! 22:15  |  Jacob 08/09/09
  2.   guilty of defending human rights 23:30  |  Henon 08/09/09
  3.   HRW hypocrisy 23:51  |  Alon 08/09/09
  4.   defame your enemy 02:40  |  VIPER 09/09/09
  5.   acusations?? 02:45  |  Balkenende 09/09/09
  6.   Who does Israel want to compare itself to? 02:54  |  Apa 09/09/09
  7.   Proof that the upcoming report will be very very bad... 03:18  |  BBSNews 09/09/09
  8.   Ignoring Egypt`s Gaza border 03:19  |  yona 09/09/09
  9.   What does this article tell us? 03:39  |  Johnboy 09/09/09
  10.   Come on where are all the bad guys... 04:11  |  Howard 09/09/09
  11.   Who does Israel want to compare itself to? 05:06  |  Bruce 09/09/09
  12.   Prostitutes produce what is paid for 05:08  |  Mark Lincoln 09/09/09
  13.   Deny the Truth 17:22  |  Vladek 09/09/09
  14.   Israel is unique as a western democracy 22:38  |  EDWIN ADAMEK 09/09/09
  15.   Fact and evidence 00:37  |  Paul 10/09/09
  16.   World continues to ignore Palestinian war crimes 08:32  |  Joe Sittizen 10/09/09
  17.   Joe Sittizen, you proved yourself wrong... 16:53  |  BBSNews 10/09/09
  18.   #16, Joe Sittizen, do you wonder why? 21:02  |  Silvienne 10/09/09
  19.   NGO whitch-hunt 05:08  |  Fair 11/09/09
  20.   #15 Yeah, I can, Fair 06:43  |  Johnboy 11/09/09
  21.   Totally pointless report 12:15  |  Tarik 11/09/09
  22.   Western democracy? 10:27  |  harvey 12/09/09
  23.   Pointless report 10:31  |  harvey 12/09/09
  24.   no.17 can`t read apparently 17:32  |  janet 16/09/09
Special Offers
Advertisement
Date Local Jewish Singles
Ready to meet your match? Join Jdate today!
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Holidays are here
Minerals Aromatics Body Lotion for free! Click here.
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
Amazing Jewelry
Visit SoKoBe.com for the best priced fine jewelry in the world
More Headlines
17:18 Peres: UN Gaza report makes mockery of history
12:30 Goldstone's daughter: My father's participation softened UN Gaza report
11:23 UN Gaza report / Will U.S. now let Goldstone into Afghanistan?
14:08 Noam Shalit: Goldstone is wrong - Gilad is hostage, not POW
17:43 Lebanon president renames Hariri as PM-designate
16:47 Tel Aviv mayor dismisses Toronto Film Festival protest
14:52 Israelis go wild for Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds
13:04 TV ROUND-UP: UN Gaza report, NASA honors Ramon, Tarantino in Israel
17:04 Assad in Turkey to discuss Israel-Syria peace talks
12:16 Netanyahu, Mitchell fail to strike deal on settlements
11:09 Ex-IDF commandos rescue U.S. citizen, son from abusive Palestinian husband
17:18 Israelis can now travel to Serbia with no visa
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
| Advert: Recommended Restaurants | Makom: Engaging on Israel
| Search engine marketing
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved