From Haaretz
This OPINION is worth reading I think.
Will Human Rights Groups Join Gazans in Condemning Hamas?
This is a moment of truth. Every human rights organization must speak out, clearly and unequivocally, in support of the protesters, against Hamas's repression, and against the Israeli government's dismissal of their voices
Amnesty International suspended its local Israeli chapter in January, in part because we made Hamas' crimes, against Israelis as well as Palestinians, salient. Before the suspension took place I, as the deputy director encountered a troubling pattern: a tendency by the movement to minimize and downplay legitimate and important criticism of Hamas. Now, as courageous Palestinians in Gaza rise up and protest against Hamas and the ongoing war, this moment is a moral reckoning for the human rights world.
Senior figures in Amnesty International's movement demanded that we remove a position paper published on rhetoric dehumanizing Israelis and glorifying Hamas used among certain progressive circles in the West, particularly in the United States. Members of Amnesty International hinted that condemning Hamas too much may bolster the Israeli narrative. A universal commitment to human rights means refusing to play the zero-sum game of political legitimation. After all, Amnesty's criticism of Israel could just as easily be seen as serving the Iranian narrative – a regime that is clearly oppressive – yet this has never been, and should never be a reason to avoid speaking out against Israel. But my words fell on deaf ears.
Some of us from the <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/PTRC3/www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-08/ty-article-magazine/.premium/absurd-and-tragic-israeli-chapter-responds-to-suspension-from-amnesty-international/00000194-465e-dff1-a7bc-dfff1e320000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">suspended Israeli chapter of Amnesty have since launched the now-independent Pro-Human Campaign. This new initiative seeks to address the blind spots of much of the global human rights community, specifically in this regard.
Although we have spoken out forcefully against Israel's conduct, we were still branded as "hasbara," agents of Israeli propaganda, simply because we called out Hamas's atrocities against both Israelis and Palestinians, alongside Israel's human rights abuses.
Now, Palestinians in Gaza are calling for peace, and are rejecting Hamas' repressive rule. There are increasing reports that Hamas is violently suppressing these demonstrations.
These protesters, trapped between two oppressive regimes, have endured unimaginable suffering throughout the last year and a half of war, waged by Israel. Its campaign against Gaza has been marked by numerous actions that likely constitute severe war crimes.
And yet, these protesters understand Hamas's central role in their tragedy: that the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians gave Israel the political license to unleash unrestrained violence; that Hamas's continued holding of hostages serves as a limitless pretext for Israel's ongoing military assault; that Hamas protected only its own members (in tunnels) from bombings, while leaving civilians exposed; and that, fundamentally, Hamas is a brutal, authoritarian regime that treats the civilian population as a means to its own ends – even if it costs them their lives.
These protests are not only courageous. They are deeply moving.
They represent the true victims of this war: alongside the Israeli hostages and the victims of the massacre, these are the civilians whose suffering has gone unheard.
They also directly challenge Israel's extremist government: any continued assault on civilians calling for peace will lay bare the fact that this is not about self-defense.
This is a moment of truth. Every human rights organization must speak out, clearly and unequivocally, in support of the protesters, against Hamas's repression, and against the Israeli government's disregard of their voices. This is a test of our shared humanity. To date, voices of support for the protesters are rare in the human rights field.
nd yet, these protesters understand Hamas's central role in their tragedy: that the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians gave Israel the political license to unleash unrestrained violence; that Hamas's continued holding of hostages serves as a limitless pretext for Israel's ongoing military assault; that Hamas protected only its own members (in tunnels) from bombings, while leaving civilians exposed; and that, fundamentally, Hamas is a brutal, authoritarian regime that treats the civilian population as a means to its own ends – even if it costs them their lives.
These protests are not only courageous. They are deeply moving.
They represent the true victims of this war: alongside the Israeli hostages and the victims of the massacre, these are the civilians whose suffering has gone unheard.
They also directly challenge Israel's extremist government: any continued assault on civilians calling for peace will lay bare the fact that this is not about self-defense.
This is a moment of truth. Every human rights organization must speak out, clearly and unequivocally, in support of the protesters, against Hamas's repression, and against the Israeli government's disregard of their voices. This is a test of our shared humanity. To date, voices of support for the protesters are rare in the human rights field.