JERUSALEM: Israel was set to expel the country director of Human Rights Watch on Monday after a lengthy court battle over claims he supports a boycott of the Jewish state.
US citizen Omar Shakir, the New York-based rights group鈥檚 director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, denies the claims and accuses the Israeli government of seeking to suppress dissent.
Shakir鈥檚 deportation, expected in the afternoon, would be the first from inside the country under Israel鈥檚 controversial 2017 law allowing the expulsion of foreigners who support a boycott, according to authorities.
The European Union, United Nations and others have criticized the looming expulsion, with the UN warning of a 鈥渟hrinking space for human rights defenders to operate鈥� in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
But the United States, Israel鈥檚 closest ally, declined to do so, saying Sunday only that it supported freedom of expression.
The rights group said Shakir would continue in his position despite being expelled, working from neighboring Jordan.
Israel refused to extend Shakir鈥檚 work permit in May 2018 after parliament passed a law mandating the expulsion of foreign supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
BDS activists call for a broad-ranging embargo of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.
Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism. Activists strongly deny this and compare it to the economic isolation that helped bring down apartheid in South Africa.
Shakir, who started in the HRW Israel post in 2017, appealed but Israel鈥檚 supreme court backed the government鈥檚 decision earlier this month.
The case against Shakir was initially based on statements he had made supporting a boycott before joining HRW.
But the government also highlighted work he did with rights groups, including criticizing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
鈥淭he Israeli government pretends it is only deporting Omar Shakir and that it is not penalizing Human Rights Watch,鈥� its executive director Ken Roth said Sunday.
鈥淏ut in fact it is deporting him for the core message of Human Rights Watch with respect to the settlements.鈥�
More than 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, communities considered illegal under international law.
Israel disputes this, and the United States last week broke with decades of international consensus and announced it no longer considered the settlements illegal.
Roth contended that US President Donald Trump鈥檚 support for Israel鈥檚 fellow right-wing government had emboldened it to crack down on human rights groups.
鈥淚t is hard to imagine Omar鈥檚 deportation going ahead if the US government hadn鈥檛 given a kind of implicit green light,鈥� he said.
The US embassy said only it had raised Shakir鈥檚 case with Israel and that it supports 鈥渇reedom of expression.鈥�
鈥淎t the same time, our strong opposition to boycotts and sanctions of the State of Israel is well known,鈥� it said.
Israel鈥檚 Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which led the campaign to expel Shakir, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The right-wing group NGO Monitor meanwhile charged that HRW鈥檚 record was anti-Israel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the singling out we disagree with,鈥� said Gerald Steinberg, head of the organization which argues that international organizations put a disproportionate focus on Israel and the Palestinians.
鈥淭hey are not saying 鈥榳e disagree with Israeli policy but we believe in the Jewish people鈥檚 right to self-determination鈥�,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t is about 鈥榳e don鈥檛 believe in the Jewish state鈥檚 right to exist鈥�,鈥� he argued.
HRW strongly denied the claim.
NGO Monitor provided evidence to the government鈥檚 case and Steinberg argued that not renewing a visa was 鈥渟tandard practice鈥� in democracies.
Yet Steinberg admitted that Israel鈥檚 move had created negative publicity that helps its critics.
鈥淭his is playing into their hands,鈥� he said. 鈥淪hakir is milking this, they are going to dance their way out of the airport.鈥�
Roth agreed that Israel鈥檚 move had actually intensified scrutiny of Israel鈥檚 occupation of the Palestinian territories.
鈥淭he world isn鈥檛 fooled,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you try to censor something, the first thing you do is say 鈥榳ell what is it you are trying to censor?鈥欌€�