HRW in cover-up mode

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is finally getting the scrutiny it deserves, after having been caught soliciting funds in Saudi Arabia by touting its criticism of Israel and the need to counter Jewish and “pro-Israel pressure groups.” (NGO Monitor’s May 27 analysis, based on an Arab News story, broke the story.) The head of HRW’s Middle East and North Africa Division, Sarah Leah Whitson, boasted at a fundraising event: “Human Rights Watch provided the international community with evidence of Israel using white phosphorus and launching systematic destructive attacks on civilian targets.”

HRW is now scrambling to defend itself from criticism that threatens its influence as an international NGO superpower. Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic) wrote that HRW “has compromised its integrity,” and David Bernstein (in the Wall St. Journal) described the NGO as “maniacally anti-Israel.”

HRW’s defense is based on covering-up the details, and attacking their critics. Whitson tried to erase the evidence by pretending that the Saudis at the HRW dinner were really human rights activists : “Believe it or not, some Arabs believe in human rights too.” And in a Jerusalem Post interview, she blamed Saudi press censorship. Executive Director Ken Roth resorted to name calling, accusing HRW’s critics of “lies and obfuscation.”

NGO Monitor’s systematic research clearly demonstrated HRW’s obsessive anti-Israel agenda, credibility deficiencies, and ideological biases. See our reports taking apart the main dimensions of HRW’s activities and reputation:

• On the allegations in HRW’s “reports”
  • HRW “Research”: Speculation at Best, July 16, 2009
  • HRW’s “Rain of Fire”: Neither Thorough Nor Impartial, April 2, 2009
• On anti-democratic and pro-Palestinian ideologues in HRW
  • HRW Personnel Reflect Built-in Bias, July 16, 2009
  • HRW Hires Another pro-Palestinian Activist, October 29, 2008
• On double standards and absurdly disproportionate focus on Israel
  • Examining Human Rights Watch in 2008: Double Standards and Post-Colonial Ideology, January 13, 2009
  • NGO Monitor’s 2007 Report on HRW: Bias and Double Standards Continue, April 29, 2008
  • Report on HRW’s Activities in 2006: Political Bias Undermines Human Rights, June 26, 2007
  • Human Rights Watch in 2005: Political Bias Against Israel Continues Despite Wider Middle East Focus, April 6, 2006

See also Prof. Steinberg's analysis: Israel, the main course for hungry Saudis at HRW dinner in Riyadh, NGO Monitor Blog, July 16, 2009