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November 25, 2019

Israel Deporting Head of Human Rights Watch's Israel & Palestine Office
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The Israeli government is deporting the head of Human Rights Watch's
Israel and Palestine office, Omar Shakir, today. Israel has accused him
of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a
nonviolent global campaign aiming to pressure Israel over its treatment
of Palestinians. A 2017 Israeli law bans foreigners from Israel if they
publicly support the BDS movement. This is Omar Shakir, speaking in a
pre-recorded video released today.

Omar Shakir: "After two and a half years the Israeli government will
today expell me over my human rights advocacy. This has never been about
BDS; this has always been about the Israeli government's effort to
muzzle Human Rights Watch. But it's had exactly the opposite effect. The
world has seen through this for what it is: it's an attack on the human
rights movement."



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