JERUSALEM – Members of the NGO Monitor International Board of Advisors published the following statement:

We are deeply disturbed by Sarah Leah Whitson’s April 15 Huffington Post article, in which she used the words “segregate,” “race/racist,” “discrimination” and “equal/unequal” 23 times in reference to Israel. We are also offended by the juxtaposition of American Jewry’s deep engagement in the U.S. civil rights movement with support for what Whitson libelously refers to as “these kinds of [racist] laws and policies in Israel”.

Ms. Whitson’s premise rests on falsely and gratuitously framing the Arab-Israeli conflict as motivated by “Israeli racism”. Similarly, her references to Dr. Martin Luther King in order to condemn Israel and American Jews exploits and distorts his legacy beyond recognition. Whitson stated, “In a week when the U.S. paused to recall the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, [Israeli] President Peres might have considered King’s message — an end to segregation — and why such a system of racial inequality remains in place in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

HRW’s race baiting regarding Israel and American Jews brings into question the organization as a source of moral judgment on Syria, Libya, Egypt and elsewhere. We urge HRW officials, board members and funders to put an end to the racist rhetoric, and restore their dedication to the moral and universal principles of human rights.

Members of International Advisory Board:
Signatures:
Elie Wiesel
Prof. Alan Dershowitz
Hon. Fiamma Nirenstein
Hon. Elliott Abrams
Ambassador Yehuda Avner
R. James Woolsey
Douglas Murray
Prof. Judea Pearl
Prof. Ruth Wisse
Tom Gross
Abraham Sofaer
Colonel Richard Kemp