International Human Rights Group (FIDH) issues biased report on conflict
The International Federation for Human Rights ( FIDH), a France-based network, issued a twenty-nine page report on October 20 entitled "Failing the Palestinian State, Punishing its People," based on a visit to the PA sponsored by FIDH . The group met with highly politicized NGOs such as Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and Al-Haq. Their report includes statements that lack credibility, such as the claim that the June 25 cross-border attack by Hamas in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and one was kidnapped, was in response to the Gaza beach explosion on June 9 (the cause of which remains unclear). This claim is not consistent with the fact that the tunnel used in the attack would have taken months to dig. The document also criticizes Israel’s suspension of the agreement to transfer Palestinian taxes, as well as the international community’s cessation of direct aid to the PA. The report neglects to mention the conditions set for resuming aid and blames Israel and the international community’s stance towards the Hamas government for inter-factional Palestinian violence.
