Shawan Jabarin, general director of the Palestinian NGO Al Haq, published an op-ed titled “Murder contracts on former prisoners fit settler pattern” on November 8, 2011, in The National (UAE). In it, Jabarin condemns a bounty that was taken out on Hani Rosmi Jaber, a convicted murderer who was released in the Gilad Shalit exchange, by right wing Israeli extremists.

Without a doubt, such bounties are the opposite of the rule of law and are outside the bounds in a modern society, and deserve to be decried.

At the same time, Jabarin, who was also appointed to Human Rights Watch’s Middle East Advisory Board in February 2011 and has repeatedly been found by the Israeli High Court to be a senior activist in the PFLP terror group, is unable and unwilling to protect the basic human rights of Israelis.  For instance, in the wake of the Shalit exchange, Saudi sheikhs offered $1 million for the hostage-taking of Israeli soldiers, which went without comment from Jabarin.

Moreover, Al Haq and Jabarin failed to condemn the immoral extortion exacted by Hamas on Israel to obtain Shalit’s release, resulting in freedom for hundreds of terrorists, including murderers serving life sentences, who were tried and convicted according to due process of law. Beyond adding to incentives for future attacks against civilians, this seriously undermines international legal principles and promotes impunity for heinous crimes.

Nor did Jabarin condemn the murder of an Israeli civilian by Hani Rosmi Jaber – who is a member of one of the PFLP’s founding families.

In attacking bounties by Israeli extremists, but not related and relevant violations against Israelis, Jabarin exposes Al Haq as a highly selective human rights organization, which is an oxymoron. This rejection of universal human rights reflects directly on Al Haq’s funders – Norway, NGO Development Center (governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands), Ireland, George Soros’ Open Society Institute, Christian Aid (UK), Diakonia (Sweden) – as well as on supporters such as HRW and UN human rights bodies.