NGO Monitor’s detailed report examines HRW’s activities related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and particularly on Israel — including  analysis of key HRW staff members, five case studies of HRW campaigns, and quantitative analysis comparing HRW publications in the Middle East, covering the period from 2002 to 2009.

Executive Summary in English [PDF]

Executive Summary in Hebrew

PDF of the full report

Responses to this report

Table of Contents of the Book

(Click links to read excerpts from the monograph)

Introduction

a.    Origins
b.    Funding
c.    Human Rights Watch – an NGO Superpower
d.    Political Agendas or Universal Human Rights?

Part Two: The Research Façade: Case Studies of Systemic Anti-Israel Bias

a.    Gaza Beach Incident 2006
b.    2006 Lebanon War
c.     “Reuters Cameraman” Incident – April 2008
d.    The Gaza War, December 2008-January 2009
e.    The Durban Strategy

Part One: Experts or Ideologues: HRW Staff and Board Members

a.    The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Division in Context
b.    Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of HRW
c.    Sarah Leah Whitson, Director of the MENA
d.    Joe Stork, Deputy Director of the MENA
e.    Darryl Li
f.    Reed Brody
g.    Lucy Mair
h.    Nadia Barhoum
i.    Peter Bouckaert
j.    Marc Garlasco
k.    Board of Directors
l.    HRW Links with Palestinian NGOs

Part Three: Analysis of HRW’s Middle East Agenda 2004-2008

a.    Double Standards: War Crimes, Collective Punishment, Human Shields, Abducted Soldiers
b.    Terrorism / Asymmetric Warfare
c.    Disproportionate Focus on Israel
d.    Demonization of Israel Using the Rhetoric of International Law
e.    Distortion of International Humanitarian Law

Part Four: Recommendations
Appendixes
References

 

Further analysis

(Updated November 28, 2009)

Ideologues or Experts?

HRW Fights the Gaza War

Sarah Leah Whitson

Joe Stork

Marc Garlasco

Nadia Barhoum

Statements during the Conflict

“Rain of Fire” (white phosphorous)

“Precisely Wrong” (drone allegations)

“Rockets from Gaza”

“White Flag Deaths”

HRW at the UN

HRW and Its Critics

Saudi Arabia Funding Controversy

Responses to NGO Monitor’s report, Experts or Ideologues

General Criticism

On “White Flags” Report

On Joe Stork

On Saudi Arabia

NGO Monitor Publications

Criticism of HRW

Defensive Responses from HRW

Responses to NGO Monitor’s report, Experts or Ideologues

Ideologues or Experts?

Sarah Leah Whitson, Director of MENA

Joe Stork, Deputy Director of MENA

Marc Garlasco, Senior Military Analyst, Emergencies

Nadia Barhoum, Associate, MENA

HRW Fights the Gaza War

Statements during the Conflict

“Rain of Fire” (white phosphorous)

“Precisely Wrong” (drone allegations)

“Rockets from Gaza”

“White Flag Deaths”

HRW at the UN

HRW and Its Critics

Saudi Arabia Funding Controversy

NGO Monitor publications

Criticism of HRW

Defensive Responses from HRW