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Why Amnesty International Whispers About Hamas Yet Shouts About Israel
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
More than two years after Hamas perpetrated its massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Amnesty International finally released a report documenting those crimes. But they’ve made it quite hard to locate.
Amnesty’s home page currently has links to articles titled “Stand with the woman accused of witchcraft in Ghana” and “Demand accountability in Tanzania,” but the Hamas report is nowhere to be found.
If you navigate to their page about Israel, you can only get there if you know where to click.
This is the title of the report’s release: “Sustainable peace requires international justice for all victims of all crimes in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
The first subheading is: “Israel’s ongoing genocide, apartheid and unlawful occupation.” It goes on for 11 paragraphs detailing those accusations, but the link to the report about Hamas is also somewhere in there.
Amnesty claims that the long delay is nothing unusual, as it is difficult to accurately document evidence in a war zone. But this did not stop them from issuing a nearly 300 page report accusing Israel of genocide over a year ago. Or a report last month titled, “Post-ceasefire: Israel’s genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip continues.”
When it comes to condemning Israel, Amnesty runs and shouts. With regard to condemning Hamas, they go at a snail’s pace and then whisper.
It turns out, according to reporting from The Free Press, that there was significant pushback within Amnesty against releasing the Hamas report at all. Some Amnesty officials complained that “the situation in Gaza is getting worse,” and “the report could be used by Israel to justify its actions.” If it was released in the Fall, they were concerned it also might interfere with recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.
But doesn’t failure to condemn the Hamas attack give the impression that it was somehow justified, and make Hamas more likely to do it again? And doesn’t Amnesty’s constant vilification of Israel risk inciting violence against Jews and Israelis, as we have unfortunately seen so much of, including just recently at Bondi Beach in Australia?
Amnesty claims the universality and indivisibility of human rights as core values, along with impartiality and independence. What we see in its long-delayed and downplayed condemnation of Hamas atrocities, however, is its betrayal of its own principles in favor of advocacy for a popular political cause.
Human rights were created to establish norms of behavior that protect all people, regardless of politics, history, or culture. It’s well known that many perceive Palestinians as battling Israeli oppression and domination in a fight for freedom. Others think Palestinians have time and again rejected actual offers of statehood or independence, and are using these claims as mere cover for what is really a fight for Israel’s destruction. These two narratives are deeply conflicting and, for many, irreconcilable.
The proper role of human rights is to step in and say that even though we cannot agree on even the basic historical narrative of what’s happening, there are universal norms of behavior that bind us. No matter how much Palestinians believe they are oppressed and their cause is righteous, they cannot fire rockets at Israeli cities, attack Israeli civilians, or hold Israelis hostage. And no matter how certain Israel feels that Palestinians are aiming for its destruction, it may not use indiscriminate force, deny civilians aid, or engage in collective punishment.
This is what Amnesty should campaign for, without taking sides as to who has the moral high ground. But unfortunately, Amnesty has completely adopted the Palestinian narrative of victimhood, and then distorted human rights to advocate for the Palestinian cause. It emphasizes Israeli violations in ways that generate political pressure and outrage, while minimizing and contextualizing Hamas atrocities to avoid political fallout.
This turns human rights from universal standards into political weapons. It means Amnesty loses credibility with all who do not accept its political slant, and that it has no more moral authority than anyone else with an opinion.
When we are upset by the conduct of organizations such as Amnesty, we have to remember that human rights themselves are not the problem. In fact, human rights have never been more needed than now. The problem is so-called human rights groups that throw away their mission in order to take sides in political issues and campaign for causes.
When human rights organizations abandon universality for advocacy, they do not advance justice — they undermine the very idea of human rights itself.
Shlomo Levin is the author of the Human Rights Haggadah, and he uses short fiction and questions to explore human rights at https://shalzed.com/
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Downed Planes Raise New Perils for Trump as Tehran Hunts for Missing US Pilot
Traces of an Iranian missile attack in Tehran’s sky, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 3, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian and US officials said on Friday, with two pilots rescued and a third still missing and being hunted by Tehran’s forces.
The incidents show the risks still faced by US and Israeli aircraft over Iran despite assertions from US President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that their forces had total control of the skies.
The first plane, a two-seat US F-15E jet, was shot down by Iranian fire, officials in both countries said.
The second plane, an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft, was hit by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait, with the pilot ejecting, two US officials said.
Two Blackhawk helicopters involved in the search effort for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters.
The degree of injuries among the crew of the aircraft remained unclear. The status and whereabouts of the missing F-15E crew member was not publicly known.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing an area near where the pilot’s plane came down in southwestern Iran and the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed “forces of the hostile enemy.”
Iranians, who have been pummeled by American air power for weeks, posted gleeful messages celebrating the plane downings. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X that the U.S. and Israel’s war had been “downgraded from regime change” to a hunt for their pilots.
Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the search-and-rescue operation, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NO SIGN OF END TO WAR
The prospect of a US service person being alive and on the run inside Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support and no sign of an imminent end.
Iran has officially told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in coming days and that efforts to produce a ceasefire, led by Pakistan, have reached a dead end, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The US and Israel opened the campaign with a wave of strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. The war has killed thousands and threatened lasting damage to the global economy.
So far, 13 US military service members have been killed in the conflict and more than 300 have been wounded, according to the US Central Command.
Iran has rained down drones and missiles on Israel. It has also taken aim at Gulf countries allied to the US, which have so far held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation.
In a security alert on Friday, the US embassy in Beirut said Iran and its aligned armed groups may target universities in Lebanon and urged US citizens in the country to leave while commercial flights are still available.
Israel has been waging a parallel campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon after the militant group fired at Israel in support of Iran.
TRUMP THREAT TO STRIKE BRIDGES, POWER PLANTS
On Friday, as Trump threatened to hit its bridges and power plants, Iran struck a power and water plant in Kuwait, underlining the vulnerability of Gulf states that rely heavily on desalination plants for drinking water.
On Thursday, Trump posted footage on social media showing dust and smoke billowing up as US strikes hit the newly constructed B1 bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj, which was due to open this year, and said more attacks would follow.
“Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” he wrote in a subsequent post.
On Friday, a drone hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in the Choghadak area of Iran’s southern Bushehr province.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery had been hit by drones. Other attacks were also reported to have been intercepted in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Missile debris landed near the Israeli port of Haifa, site of a major oil refinery.
Oil markets were closed after benchmark U.S. crude prices gained 11% on Thursday following a speech by Trump that offered no clear sign of an imminent end to the war.
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US-Iran: Diplomatic Push Falters as Qatar Steps Back and Pakistan Talks Stall
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese president at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Feb. 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Emilie Madi
i24 News – Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran appear to have reached an impasse, as key regional mediators pull back and broader talks stall.
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Qatar has informed US officials that it does not wish to take a central role in mediating between the two sides. Officials familiar with the matter said Doha has made clear it is “not willing” to lead negotiations or act as the primary broker.
At the same time, Pakistan-led efforts to bring Iranian and American officials together have also stalled. Mediators say Tehran has refused to attend proposed meetings in Islamabad, calling Washington’s conditions “unacceptable,” further underscoring the widening gap between the two sides and the growing difficulty of restarting dialogue.
Despite the deadlock, diplomatic channels have not fully closed. Turkey and Egypt are continuing parallel efforts to revive talks, with discussions underway about potential alternative venues, including Doha and Istanbul.
US President Donald Trump downplayed the impact of recent military developments on diplomacy, including the destruction of a US fighter jet during operations in Iran. Speaking in a brief exchange with an NBC News journalist, he said: “No, not at all. It’s war. We are at war.”
He further fueled speculation with a cryptic social media post on Truth Social, writing: “Keep the oil, anyone?” criticising international allies on Friday over rising fuel prices. Trump appeared to mock allies such as the United Kingdom, writing that they should “keep the oil.”
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Report: Iran Retains Significant Missile Capability Despite Weeks of US-Led Strikes
Iranian missiles are displayed in a park in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 31, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – Despite weeks of sustained airstrikes by the United States and its allies, Iran has reportedly managed to retain a substantial portion of its military capabilities, particularly its ballistic missile arsenal.
According to a report by The New York Times citing US intelligence assessments, Tehran has developed methods to mitigate the impact of the strikes, allowing it to preserve and restore key parts of its missile infrastructure.
While the Pentagon has claimed responsibility for striking more than 11,000 targets over five weeks and reducing the rate of Iranian missile fire, intelligence officials now caution that the actual damage may be more limited than initially assessed. Iranian forces are reportedly able to rapidly repair or reactivate missile launchers stored in heavily fortified or underground facilities, sometimes within hours of being hit.
Analysts also point to the widespread use of decoy sites, which may have drawn strikes away from operational assets. Many of the targeted locations are believed to have contained dummy installations, complicating efforts to accurately gauge the degradation of Iran’s ballistic capabilities. Combined with deep underground bunkers and dispersed storage networks, this approach is seen as enabling Tehran to maintain a higher level of readiness than publicly estimated.
US intelligence officials assess that this resilience reflects a deliberate strategy: preserving a credible long-range strike capability as both a deterrent and a bargaining tool in any future negotiations, while ensuring regime survival and continued regional influence.
Despite sustained air dominance claimed by Washington and its allies, Iran’s adaptive tactics continue to complicate battlefield assessments, leaving the true balance of power in the conflict uncertain.