On September 24, 2008, B’Tselem announced the opening of a US office in Washington, D.C. “to become the central clearinghouse for information about human rights conditions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip for Member of Congress, the State Department and other policy makers.” Although claiming to promote human rights, B’Tselem’s main objectives are political, and focused on ending the “occupation.” Its Washington office will be headed by Mitchell Plitnick, who was active in the radical group known as Jewish Voice for Peace, which promotes anti-Israel demonization, using terms such as “apartheid,” and referring to the 1948 Arab invasion and the creation of Israel as the “naqba” (catastrophe).

B’Tselem’s also launch comes amid debate on its “Shooting Back” video camera project needlessly endangers children; and that its statistics on Palestinian casualties are “deceptive” and “untrustworthy.”