HRW’s Abrahams Patronizes Hamas – Not Responsible for its Actions
Why has Hamas failed to conduct investigations into massive violations of human rights during the 2009 Gaza war? Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Fred Abrahams blames the “campaign waged by countries like the United States and Israel to deny the group legitimacy.” As Abrahams told the Forward, “In its stance towards Hamas, the U.N. is pursuing the policies of Western states. But it puts them in a less forceful position to demand accountability from them.”
In other words, in HRW’s make-believe world, Hamas, which has no qualms about blatantly violating the rights of residents in Gaza, or murdering citizens of the “enemy” Israel, would immediately punish the perpetrators of rocket and suicide attacks against Israelis, if only the US, Israel and the UN would grant recognition.
HRW’s patronizing policy towards terror groups, which excuses them from conforming to universal moral norms, is particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa division. As shown in NGO Monitor’s systematic analysis, this division, led by Sarah Leah Whitson and Joe Stork, displays a consistent bias that is antithetical to human rights.
