Posted February 24, 2017 19:46:15

Photo: Last year an apparent member of Hamas carried out a Jerusalem bus bombing. (Reuters: Ammar Awad)

Israeli authorities have denied Human Rights Watch's (HRW) work permit application for its Israel and the Palestinian territories director, saying the NGO is biased and "falsely raising the banner of 'human rights'".

This week, Israel's Ministry of Interior wrote to HRW's Omar Shakir advising him he would not be granted a visa because the ministry believed HRW's "public activities and reports have engaged in politics in the service of Palestinian propaganda".

The respected human rights NGO highlights alleged human rights and international law violations committed by all sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last year, in addition to criticising violations by the Israeli Government, HRW reported on arbitrary detention of journalists and activists by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

Photo: Omar Shakir has highlighted human rights violations committed by all sides. (AP: Human Rights Watch)

It also reported on an extrajudicial execution carried out by Hamas' military wing, a Jerusalem bus bombing by an apparent member of Hamas and executions by Hamas authorities in Gaza.

"This decision and the spurious rationale should worry anyone concerned about Israel's commitment to basic democratic values," Iain Levine, the HRW's deputy executive director of programs, said.

"It is disappointing that the Israeli Government seems unable or unwilling to distinguish between justified criticisms of its actions and hostile political propaganda."

HRW said the decision was particularly surprising given the organisation regularly met and corresponded with Israeli Government officials — including representatives of the military, the police, and the Foreign Ministry.

The NGO also said last year the Israeli Foreign Ministry asked the NGO to intervene in a case involving Israeli victims of human rights abuses.

'We hope they'll reverse decision': HRW

Israel now joins countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Syria, Sudan and Venezuela that have blocked access for HRW's staff members.

Many took the permits granted for 560 units to be built in three areas of East Jerusalem as further evidence the "two state solution" is drifting towards fiction, writes Philip Williams.

"The Israeli Government is hardly the only one to disagree with our well-researched findings, but efforts to stifle the messenger signal that it has no appetite for serious scrutiny of its human rights record," Mr Levine said.

"We hope the Israeli authorities will reverse this decision and allow both international and domestic human rights groups to work freely."

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz the decision was due to HRW's "extreme, hostile and anti-Israel agenda".

"This is why we have decided that we are no longer willing to turn the other cheek and we will not grant work visas to a person that comes with the clear goal of harming the State of Israel and its good name," Mr Nachshon was reported as saying.

Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, rights, human, charities-and-community-organisations, world-politics, israel, palestinian-territory-occupied