Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked
Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) employees, Omar Shakir and Milena Ansari, have resigned from their positions, citing a leadership decision to block a report that deemed Israel's denial of Palestinian refugees' right of return a "crime against humanity." The report, titled "Our Souls Are in the Homes We Left:" Israel's Denial of Palestinians' Right to Return and Crimes Against Humanity, was set to be published on December 4, 2025, but was paused due to concerns raised by colleagues and the organization's leadership.
Shakir and Ansari's resignation letters revealed a disagreement with HRW's leadership over the report's content and the organization's commitment to international law. They argued that the leadership's decision to pull the report broke from HRW's customary approval processes and prioritized fear of political backlash over a commitment to principled reporting. Shakir expressed his disillusionment with the organization's integrity and commitment to factual reporting, stating that he could no longer represent or work for Human Rights Watch.
The report in question documented the experiences of Palestinians displaced by Israeli military forces from Gaza and the West Bank, as well as those of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria who were originally displaced by Israeli forces in 1948 and 1967. It concluded that the denial of these refugees' right of return falls under the crime against humanity known as "other inhumane acts." This conclusion was based on a 2018 pre-trial finding by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and introduced a legal argument that had been previously confined to academia into the realm of human-rights advocacy.
However, concerns about the report's scope and potential reputational damage arose among colleagues and the organization's leadership. Some staff members, including Bruno Stagno Ugarte and Tom Porteous, expressed worries that the report would be misread as a call to demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state. Porteous specifically mentioned the challenge of deploying the argument in advocacy without undermining HRW's credibility as a neutral monitor.
The decision to block the report came as a surprise to Shakir and other staff members, who noted that Bolopion, the new executive director, had previously contributed to HRW's landmark 2021 report accusing Israel of committing the crime of apartheid. The controversy surrounding the report's blockage has sparked discussions about the organization's internal review processes and the balance between political considerations and a commitment to international law.
The resignations of Shakir and Ansari have had a significant impact on HRW, particularly as the organization undergoes leadership changes. The staff members' concerns about the report's content and the decision-making process have raised questions about the organization's integrity and its commitment to transparent reporting. The controversy highlights the challenges faced by human rights organizations in navigating complex political landscapes while upholding their core principles.
