Two Quit Human Rights Watch Over Shelved Report Criticizing Israel

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Isabel KershnerFebruary 4, 2026 at 10:06 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Two members of Human Rights Watch's Israel-Palestine team, Omar Shakir and Milena Ansari, resigned in February 2026 over a delayed report. The report, authored by Shakir, concluded that Israel's denial of Palestinian refugees' right to return constitutes a crime against humanity. Human Rights Watch described the report as a draft paused for further analysis under its new executive director, Philippe Bolopion. The report addresses the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948 and their subsequent inability to return, a contentious issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel argues that allowing the return of millions of refugees and their descendants would threaten its Jewish majority.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

UN 40% Philippe Bolopion 50% Palestine ×270% Milena Ansari ×280% Israel ×690% Omar Shakir ×490% Human Rights Watch ×4100%

Keywords

palestinian refugees 90% human rights watch 90% israel 80% crime against humanity 70% shelved report 70% israel-palestine conflict 60% right to return 60% resignation 50% omar shakir 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.30)

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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palestinian refugees human rights watch israel crime against humanity shelved report israel-palestine conflict right to return resignation omar shakir

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