Why Did Human Rights Watch Block the Right of Return Report?

Why Did Human Rights Watch Block the Right of Return Report?

From This Is Palestine by The Institute for Middle East Understanding

February 12, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 144

About this episode

The episode discusses Omar Shakir's resignation from Human Rights Watch and the implications for the Palestinian right of return amidst ongoing debates about double standards in addressing Palestinian issues.

On February 3, Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine Director, resigned in protest. In his resignation statement, Shakir said the organization’s new leadership blocked the publication of a report documenting Israel’s crimes against humanity by denying Palestinian refugees their internationally enshrined right of return. His resignation has reignited debate around the “Palestine exception”; the idea that speaking and writing about Palestine is treated differently than work on any other country. The discussion unpacks why the Palestinian right of return is often met with double standards and continues to be denied today. In this episode of This Is Palestine, host Diana Buttu speaks with Omar Shakir about his decision to resign, his long career in legal advocacy for Palestine, and the internal battle over the blocked report. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter…

People in this episode

Host: Diana Buttu

Guest: Omar Shakir

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Human Rights Watch, The Institute for Middle East Understanding

Places: Israel, Palestine, Palestinian

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