Israel-Palestine head of Human Rights Watch quits over ‘blocked’ report

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Mohamed HassanFebruary 3, 2026 at 05:02 PM

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Omar Shakir, the Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), resigned on February 3, 2026, citing the organization's decision to block a report he authored. The report accused Israel of committing "crimes against humanity" by denying Palestinian refugees the right of return, connecting the erasure of refugee camps with the broader assault on UNRWA. Shakir stated the report was ready for publication in December but was halted by HRW's Executive Director, Philippe Bolopion, who feared misinterpretation. Shakir's resignation letter, dated January 15, expresses his loss of faith in HRW's commitment to principled reporting. HRW acknowledged receiving resignations from two individuals working on Israel-Palestine following the decision to pause the report's publication.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Al Jazeera ×250% United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 50% West Bank 50% Philippe Bolopion 50% Nakba ×360% Gaza ×360% Israel ×470% Palestine ×270% Human Rights Watch ×680% Omar Shakir ×590%

Keywords

omar shakir 90% human rights watch 90% israel-palestine 80% crimes against humanity 70% report blocked 70% right of return 70% palestinian refugees 70% nakba 60% resignation 60% unrwa 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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omar shakir human rights watch israel-palestine crimes against humanity report blocked right of return palestinian refugees nakba resignation unrwa

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