If Shakir is expelled, critics argue that it places Israel into a highly undesirable group of nations that have banned human rights activists. Those who advocate for BDS say their goal is to pressure Israel into complying with international law vis-à-vis its policies toward the Palestinians. “Compiling dossiers on and deporting human rights defenders is a page out of the Russian or Egyptian security services’ playbook.”On Tuesday, the European Union called on Israel to reverse its decision regarding Shakir. “Otherwise Israel will join a very short list of countries which have barred entry to, or expelled, Human Rights Watch staff,” it said in a statement. A consortium of 15 human rights organizations in Israel also slammed the decision, saying that “the decision to deport a Human Rights Watch official, and the growing list of people to whom it denies entry for criticizing the occupation, places Israel squarely on a list of disreputable states.”

Source: National Post May 22, 2018 14:37 UTC