Amnesty’s Israel chief says group’s report was ‘punch to the gut’

PC Staff

The Palestine Chronicle  /  February 21, 2022

 The executive director of Amnesty International Israel, Molly Malaker, has criticized the group’s report labeling Israel as an apartheid state, saying it was a “punch to the gut”, Israeli media reported.

In an interview with Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site, Malaker was quoted as saying that the report describes Israel “in one color”, thus obfuscating “the work by humanitarian activists in the country.”

In reference to the Palestinian citizens of Israel, Malaker admitted that there is discrimination, but she added that some of them are “in key positions; they are campaigning and influencing, and this should be recognized, appreciated and encouraged.”

Malaker, however, “rejected the idea that Amnesty was biased against Israel”.

On February 1, London-based international human rights group Amnesty International (AI) released an extraordinary report, which labels Israel an ‘apartheid state’. The report calls for Israel to be held accountable for its practices against Palestinians.

The 280-page document, entitled ‘Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity’, outlines how the Israeli state segregates and controls Palestinians in order to maintain Jewish hegemony.