In a June 23, 2008 statement, HRW challenged donors to condition increased funding to Palestinian security forces on "concrete steps to end politically motivated arrests, torture, and other serious violations that have increased over the past year.”  Some of these charges have been independently corroborated.  In their press release, HRW demanded that "donors should require the Ramallah authorities to build law enforcement institutions that are transparent, accountable and in compliance with international human rights standards."

At the same time, HRW continued the disproportionate focus on Israel at its international film festival, held in New York. Five, out of approximately thirty, films dealt with political themes related to the "occupation" and "victims" of Israeli army actions in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. Only the United States was the subject of a similar number of films–and one film on Israel followed the story of a Palestinian, Sami Al-Arian, "charged in 2003 with funding and supporting a Palestinian terrorist group."