A site where a building was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip earlier this week on May 21, 2021 in Petach Tikva, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images) Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on August 12 concluding that Hamas may have committed war crimes during the recent escalation in May between the terror group and Israel.
HRW blamed Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups for launching rockets at Israeli civilians, killing 13 Israelis––12 of whom were citizens––and hundreds of others. HRW also concluded that Palestinian terror groups launched a rocket that misfired and landed in the Gaza Strip, killing seven people. HRW also noted that according to the Israeli military, 680 Palestinian rockets misfired.
HRW Acting Middle East and North Africa Director Eric Goldstein said in a statement, “Palestinian armed groups during the May fighting flagrantly violated the laws-of-war prohibition on indiscriminate attacks by launching thousands of unguided rockets towards Israeli cities. The failure of both Hamas authorities and the Israeli government to provide accountability for alleged war crimes by their forces highlights the essential role of the International Criminal Court.”
He added: “Hamas authorities should stop trying to justify unlawful rocket attacks that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians by pointing to Israel’s violations. The laws of war are meant to protect all civilians from harm.” The report referenced a statement from Palestinian terror groups saying that they were launching rockets “in response to the barbaric aggression against our people.”
HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth tweeted, “Given Hamas’s long history of ignoring war crimes committed by its forces — most recently the indiscriminate rocket attacks fired toward Israeli cities — the International Criminal Court is needed.“
Given Hamas's long history of ignoring war crimes committed by its forces — most recently the indiscriminate rocket attacks fired toward Israeli cities — the International Criminal Court is needed. https://t.co/AQrN9KKnQS pic.twitter.com/l4N4hpQ9Ur
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) August 12, 2021
Jewish groups were not impressed.
“Finally @hrw condemns #Hamas for killing Gazan and Israeli civilians,” the Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted. “Unfortunately HRW continuously demonizes Israel.”
Finally @hrw condemns #Hamas for killing Gazan and Israeli civilians. Unfortunately HRW continuously demonizes Israel https://t.co/RaBQXaOptA via @timesofisrael
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) August 12, 2021
UN Watch tweeted, “Ken Roth wants you to think he is fair and balanced by accusing both Hamas and Israel of crimes. But his goal is perversely to equate a terrorist organization that deliberately targets civilians with a democracy that aims to stop those attacks while avoiding harm to civilians.” They added in a subsequent tweet that Hamas and Israel are not morally equivalent and challenged Roth “to name an example of any army in the history of warfare that did more than the IDF in the recent conflict in Gaza to avoid harming civilians in a combat zone.”
Ken Roth wants you to think he is fair and balanced by accusing both Hamas and Israel of crimes. But his goal is perversely to equate a terrorist organization that deliberately targets civilians with a democracy that aims to stop those attacks while avoiding harm to civilians. https://t.co/jPthePdl0H
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) August 12, 2021
There is no moral equivalence between the two, and it is obscene for Mr. Roth to argue otherwise. We challenge @KenRoth to name an example of any army in the history of warfare that did more than the IDF in the recent conflict in Gaza to avoid harming civilians in a combat zone.
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) August 12, 2021
Bar Ilan University Professor Gerald Steinberg, Founder of NGO Monitor, tweeted, “Every few years (from 2002), @kenroth’s @hrw propaganda machine produces a token ‘report’ on Palestinian terror etc, to be filed and immediately forgotten. No ongoing campaign, no sanctions, no impact — it’s all for gullible media.”
Caveat Emptor: Every few years (from 2002), @kenroth's @hrw propaganda machine produces a token "report" on Palestinian terror etc, to be filed and immediately forgotten. No ongoing campaign, no sanctions, no impact — it's all for gullible media. See @NGOmonitor for details https://t.co/PdY8vp7bx3
— Prof Gerald M Steinberg (@GeraldNGOM) August 11, 2021
The blogger known as “Elder of Ziyon” argued in a post that the report shows HRW’s anti-Israel bias because it didn’t mention Hamas’ use of human shields or child soldiers. Elder of Ziyon also noted that the report stated that Hamas started launching rockets after Israeli authorities cracked down on protests in East Jerusalem over the potential eviction of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
“The war started with Hamas rockets at Israeli civilians. But for HRW, Israel always starts the war, and the facts must be twisted until they fit that narrative,” the blogger wrote. “Note also that HRW doesn’t mention any violence by the Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem – and elsewhere in Israel – before the war. Only Israelis are violent.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs tweeted, “Those who choose to use HRW reports to demonize Israel but fail to recognize this report are guilty of hypocrisy.”
2/2…that were intended for civilian areas in Israel but fell short of their Jewish targets and killed Palestinians. Those who choose to use HRW reports to demonize Israel but fail to recognize this report are guilty of hypocrisy. #cdnpolihttps://t.co/5n1Wh2L7nR
— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 12, 2021
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