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Amnesty International Attacks Israel — and the Consequences Are Striking
Illustration with the logo of Amnesty International on the vest of an observer of a demonstration in Paris, France, Paris, on Dec. 11, 2021. Photo: Xose Bouzas / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
Amnesty International, a global organization that claims to have the support of seven million people, has long been regarded as a leading voice for human rights; however, its track record on Israel raises concerns about a pattern of selective outrage and disproportionate criticism. From allegations of “apartheid,” to calls for international arms embargoes, Amnesty’s focus on Israel stands out as uniquely severe — raising critical questions about the organization’s impartiality and fairness in addressing complex geopolitical conflicts.
Amnesty’s reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict often highlight alleged Israeli war crimes, while providing limited context or acknowledgment of provocations by terrorist groups like Hamas. Following the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks in which over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and hundreds taken hostage, Amnesty concentrated much of its reporting on Israel’s military response in Gaza.
Amnesty’s focus on civilian casualties caused by Israeli airstrikes ignores the reality that Hamas embeds its military operations within densely populated civilian areas — an act that itself constitutes a war crime under international law.
While Amnesty has condemned Hamas for actions like indiscriminate rocket attacks, the majority of its criticism frequently revolves around framing Israel as the primary aggressor. Amnesty’s false and selective reporting fuels bigoted accusations towards Israel and undermines the organization’s credibility as a neutral facilitator of human rights.
In 2022, Amnesty released a report accusing Israel of practicing apartheid — a term historically associated with South Africa’s racial segregation regime. The organization applied the label to Israeli policies in the West Bank, Gaza, and within Israel’s borders. However, the apartheid accusation grossly oversimplifies the situation, ignoring the complex security measures Israel is forced to implement as a result of constant terrorism.
In Israel, there literally cannot be apartheid — as Arabs and Jews have equal rights under the law, serve in all the same functions of society (including on the Supreme Court, in the Knesset, and in the IDF), and Arabs are granted equal protection under the law.
Furthermore, Israel does not have any control of the West Bank; it is administered by the Palestinian Authority. And until October 7, 2023, Hamas unilaterally ran Gaza. So the charge of apartheid is also legally impossible in both of these places.
Legal scholars and human rights experts have criticized the report for blending counter-terrorism efforts with systemic oppression, a comparison that is blatantly inflammatory and misleading. Anti-Israel campaigns worldwide now use Amnesty’s apartheid claim as a weapon to justify their calls for boycotts of and divestment from Israel.
Aside from all the times it is misleading or factually incorrect, Amnesty’s criticism of Israel fails to provide context. Reports on Israeli airstrikes in Gaza often omit the challenges of targeting terrorist infrastructure embedded within civilian areas. It also ignores the fact that despite Israel giving ample warning for Palestinians to flee targeted areas before an attack or an Israeli anti-terrorist campaign, Hamas urges them to stay.
During and around October 7, Hamas fired over 5,000 rockets into Israeli cities, often from civilian locations like schools and hospitals. Yet, Amnesty’s reports focus on the Israeli response, failing to account for misfired Hamas rockets that caused significant casualties among Palestinian civilians.
Despite the United Nations’ findings that Hamas has used human shields — putting Palestinian civilians at risk during military engagements — Amnesty has neither condemned nor acknowledged this practice. At the same time, the organization was highly outspoken in denouncing Israel’s military response to Hamas’s Oct. 7th attacks, which resulted in the highest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust.
The bigotry of Amnesty International is a direct reflection of its leadership. Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, has promoted false narratives, including a claim that former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres admitted to Israel’s role in the assassination of Yasser Arafat — one that Peres never made. Despite being exposed, Callamard refused to retract the false statement.
During her time as UN Special Rapporteur, she defended violent riots against Israel, including Hamas’ 2018 attempts to breach the Gaza-Israel border, calling it a legitimate exercise of free speech, despite clear evidence of violence.
She has also opposed Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, claiming the distinction between citizenship and nationality based on race is mind-boggling. Callamard’s stance reflects a deep-rooted bias against Israel in the Amnesty organization.
Recently, Amnesty joined over 250 organizations advocating for a global arms embargo on Israel, citing alleged violations of international humanitarian law. However, such measures ignore the realities of the conflict, where Israel must defend its citizens against a terrorist organization that prioritizes military objectives over civilian safety.
The influence of Amnesty International extends into university campuses, where student organizations often amplify its reports. Many universities in the US and Europe host events and fund programs aligned with Amnesty’s positions, contributing to a growing wave of anti-Israel sentiment among younger generations. As a result of Amnesty’s lies, college campuses are now polarized environments where Jewish and pro-Israel students frequently face unsafe situations — and the truth is being distorted for uninformed students.
Amnesty International’s disproportionate focus on Israel, coupled with its inflammatory rhetoric and selective reporting, undermines its mission to uphold universal human rights standards. By consistently framing Israel as a villain while neglecting the broader context of the conflict, Amnesty risks encouraging tension rather than fostering resolution.
For Israel, the stakes are not just reputational. Amnesty consistently shapes international opinion, drives policy decisions, and encourages campaigns that seek to isolate Israel diplomatically and economically. To ensure fair and effective advocacy, it is essential to hold organizations like Amnesty accountable for their biases, and demand balanced, context-rich reporting on one of the world’s most enduring conflicts.
Gregory Lyakhov has written for The Times of Israel, and is a passionate advocate for Israel. He runs a political blog focusing on elections, law, and Israel.
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Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel
This laurel branch Hanukkah menorah, designed by artist Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), won first prize at the 1950 Tel Aviv Design Competition. Between 2,000 and 4,000 of these were made by the Pal-Bell factory in Israel, and they were sold not only in Israel but in select department stores around the world, including Macy’s in New York and Harrods in London.
The shape of the oil containers resembles ancient Roman lamps, while the large pitcher is a reference to the single jug of oil that lasted for eight days that is at the heart of the Hanukkah story.
These hanukkiyot were manufactured out of cast bronze with a green patina that was created using reactive chemicals, a process developed by Ascalon, resulting in an antique verdigris look.
Ascalon, who was born in Hungary and originally named Moshe Klein, immigrated to Palestine in 1934 after training in Brussels and Milan. He started the Pal-Bell Company in the late 1930s for the production of ritual and secular decorative items. “Pal” is short for Palestine and “Bell” is short for bellezza, Italian for beauty and an allusion to his time in Milan where the artist learned and perfected his sculpting skills. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Ascalon designed munitions for the Israeli army and, at the request of the Israeli government, retrofitted his factory to produce arms for the war effort.
Ascalon closed Pal-Bell and moved to the United States in 1956, where he taught sculpture at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and opened Ascalon Studios, which produces large-scale sculptures for public spaces and houses of worship.
The studio, which is now run by Ascalon’s son David and his grandson Eric, was retooled during the COVID pandemic to manufacture safety boxes that allowed health-care workers to assist a patient on a ventilator while minimizing exposure.
Treasure Trove wishes you a happy Hanukkah , which starts on Dec. 25. This year, as Peter, Paul and Mary sang, “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice, justice and freedom demand. Don’t let the light go out!”
The post Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
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Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
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