Press Release
February 24, 2015
Contact: Yakira Heller
NGO Monitor
058-668-9603
yakira.heller@ngo-monitor.org

Statement on Amnesty's Annual Report

Jerusalem - In anticipation of the publication tomorrow (Wednesday, February
25, 2015) of Amnesty International's Annual Report, NGO Monitor released the
following statement:

As shown in NGO Monitor's detailed analyses, Amnesty International has
become increasingly political, while its credibility declines further.
Although Amnesty claims to do "research" on human rights abuses, its
methodology is either non-existent or highly unreliable. Analysis and
conclusions are speculative, not factual or legal. Journalists, diplomats,
and academics who quote this report and similar publications must examine
each claim independently.

Amnesty also carries a strong ideological bias, particularly targeting
Israel. As seen in its press release for the annual report, Amnesty simply
ignores the human rights of Israelis and the role of Hamas in the conflict.

According to Amnesty, there is a conflict "raging" in Gaza, but not in
Israel. There is no mention of Hamas or of the displacement of Israelis in
southern Israel as a result of thousands of rockets (each one a war crime)
fired at Israeli population centers during the summer conflict.

In addition, Amnesty denies Israel's legitimate right to self-defense,
complaining that "transfers of munitions to Israel continued even as alleged
war crimes were being committed." Aside from the lack of evidence to sustain
the charges of alleged "war crimes," the munitions brought into Israel, such
as those for the Iron Dome anti-missile system, are used to defend Israeli
civilians from illegal attacks from Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.

Amnesty also could have used the opportunity to condemn Hamas for illegal
and systematic exploitation of hospitals, mosques, and homes in Gaza, which
was directly responsible for civilian casualties during the fighting.

These are the issues that deserve sustained attention by human rights groups
such as Amnesty International, in order to reduce the impact of armed
conflict on civilians. Unfortunately, many Amnesty officials and
"researchers" are so deeply involved in promoting the narrative of
Palestinian victimhood and Israeli guilt, and remain blind to the
requirements of universal human rights.

For NGO Monitor report:
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/amnesty_international_failed_methodology_corruption_and_anti_israel_bias

NGO Monitor, an independent research institution, was founded in 2002 in the
wake of the World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa. At this
conference, 1,500 NGOs formulated the "Durban Strategy" which aims to
isolate Israel through measures such as boycott, divestment and sanctions
(BDS) campaigns, lawfare, delegitimization and demonization.

NGO Monitor (www.ngo-monitor.org), is the leading source of expertise on the
activities and funding of political advocacy NGOs involved in the
Arab-Israeli conflict. NGO Monitor provides detailed and fully sourced
information and analysis, promotes accountability, and supports discussion
on the reports and activities of NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
claiming to advance human rights and humanitarian agendas.
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