"Jewish Currents' Alex Kane reported Tuesday that HRW Israel-Palestine team lead Omar Shakir and assistant researcher Milena Ansari are stepping down over leadership's decision to nix the report, which was scheduled for release on December 4. Shakir wrote in his resignation email that one senior HRW leader informed him that calling Israel's denial of Palestinian right of return would be seen as a call to "demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state.""
""I have lost my faith in the integrity of how we do our work and our commitment to principled reporting on the facts and application of the law," Shakir - who is also member of Jewish Currents ' advisory board - wrote in his resignation letter. "As such, I am no longer able to represent or work for Human Rights Watch.""
Two Human Rights Watch employees, Omar Shakir and Milena Ansari, resigned after senior HRW staff blocked a finalized report that characterized Israel's denial of Palestinian refugees' right of return as a crime against humanity. The report had been scheduled for release on December 4 before being pulled. Shakir said a senior leader warned that labeling the denial a crime would be perceived as a call to “demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state.” Shakir expressed loss of faith in HRW's integrity and said he could no longer represent the organization. Shakir noted his decade of work and said refugees deserve to know why their stories were withheld.
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