JERUSALEM: Israel has given a Human Rights Watch director two weeks to leave the country, accusing him of promoting a boycott, in a move the rights group said sought to muzzle criticism.
The interior ministry said Tuesday it had terminated the residency permit of HRW’s Israel and Palestine director Omar Shakir, a US citizen, over accusations that he supported a boycott of Israel.
“Following the recommendations of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, containing information that Shakir has been a BDS activist for years supporting the boycott of Israel in an active way, the ministry has decided to terminate (his) residence permit,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
Israeli officials have clamped down on groups seen as supporting the global campaign for BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions), which aims to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories.
HRW has written several critical reports about the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Israel’s government, seen as the most right-wing in the country’s history, has been accused of putting pressure on both international and local rights organizations.
Shakir, who received permission to work in Israel in April 2017, months after being barred from the country, now has 14 days to leave, the New York-based rights group said.
“This is not about Shakir, but rather about muzzling Human Rights Watch and shutting down criticism of Israel’s rights record,” HRW said in a statement.
“Neither Human Rights Watch nor its representative, Shakir, promotes boycotts of Israel.”
Israel gives Human Rights Watch director two weeks to leave country
Israel gives Human Rights Watch director two weeks to leave country
Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war
- Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US
- Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.
Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.
Few days’ worth of supplies
Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel’s two-year war with Hamas militants.
“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.
Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut.
Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates.
Israel’s COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population.
“(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined to comment on potential fuel shortages.
The truce was part of broader US-backed plan to end the war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid into the enclave, and rebuilding it.
Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
“Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” Abu Laila said.
