After working as a columnist for the Associated Press and Reuters, Haas served as a long-time senior executive at HRW.
HRW finds extraordinary disbelief in Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and control of the West Bank
Haas acknowledged the analysis was important but said HRW worked well beyond that.
A senior proofreader who recused himself from the Joint Freedoms Watch (HRW) accused the association of politicizing its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noting that the association’s bias towards Israel peaked following the Hamas attacks on October 7, which involved 1,200 people. He was killed in southern Israel.
Who is Danielle Haas?
In an internal email sent to north of 500 representatives on her last day at HRW, Danielle Haas assured that the protracted authoritarian changes after the October 7 attacks had resulted in responses that compromised incredible skill, abandoned standards of sensitivity and civility, and ignored rules. The obligation of everyone to defend their fundamental freedoms. The email was leaked to The Hours of Israel.
Danielle Haas’s farewell message to colleagues @hrw:
Dear Human Rights Watch,
Because we live in dangerous times, and because this organization is a human rights organization committed to freedom of expression, open dialogue, and rights for all, I am sending one last email before I leave HRW. I am hopeful but…
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) 22 November 2023
HRW responded to Haas’s email with a claim that his flight was unimportant to the association’s work on Israel-Palestine and that he was selected well before October 7. Haas confirmed that HRW chose to back out in September.
HRW preserved its elaboration on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating that it applied the same norms on this issue as it did on other people. Despite this, Haas, who has been with HRW for a very long time and has recently covered the Israeli-Palestinian struggle as a writer for Associated Press and Reuters, condemned HRW for going beyond legitimate analysis of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Haas, who is Jewish and dually Israeli, assured: “Some forms of Israeli-Palestinian mastery were more respected than others.
He included the length of HRW’s annual worldwide survey section on Israel, ensuring that it was longer than those on abusive concessions to countries such as Iran and North Korea. Haas likewise reviewed HRW’s 2021 report accusing Israel of politically sanctioned racial discrimination, expressing concern that the association’s cautiously legitimate claims will likely go completely unheeded and could be misused, including by Hamas allies who use the term casually.
Additionally, Haas expressed concerns that discrimination against Jews would increase their harassment at HRW, stating that he had pursued this issue with a senior manager who recognized his interests, but took no action. Likewise, he examined HRW’s key statement following the October 7 attacks, arguing that it did not adequately address the situation, which was at odds with the organisation’s extensive history of condemning the denial of fundamental freedoms.
