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Human Rights Watch's Gaza Campaign: Advocacy Not Accuracy

[NGO Monitor] Human Rights Watch's latest report on the Gaza conflict, "Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza," is inaccurate and distorted, revealing a readiness to manipulate "evidence" to match pre-determined ideological conclusions. The latest report completely omits the context of the broader conflict, including Hamas' deliberate exploitation of civilian areas to launch attacks. HRW claims that there was no Hamas activity around the Al-Quds Hospital, yet a Gazan ambulance driver reported that Hamas operatives "made several attempts to hijack the Al-Qud's Hospital's fleet of ambulances." HRW alleges there was "no indication" of "Palestinian armed groups" operating in Beit Lahiya, while photographic evidence shows Hamas fortifications in the town. HRW extensively relies on the Palestinian NGO Al Mezan. Among other claims, Al Mezan lists a child as deceased who was subsequently interviewed by HRW author Marc Garlasco in Gaza. The report reflects HRW's inconsistent definition of "human shield." When reporting on Sri Lanka, HRW condemns the LTTE for "deploy[ing] their forces close to civilians, thus using them as 'human shields.'" Yet in Gaza, HRW claims that it "found no evidence of Hamas using human shields."
2009-03-26 06:00:00
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