In an unprecedented decision, Amnesty International (AI) has suspended its Israel branch for two years, citing anti-Palestinian racism.
AI interim chair Tiumalu Lauvale Peter Fa’afiu, quoted by The Jerusalem Post, said, “We take this action in response to evidence of endemic anti-Palestinian racism within AI Israel, which violates core human rights principles and Amnesty values, and evidence of AI Israel’s misalignment with and hostility to Amnesty positions.”
“They have also taken to the media and social media to reject and condemn anti-Palestinian racism within Amnesty International Israel and beyond,” he added.
The development came after the Israel branch rejected AI’s December 2024 report, “’You Feel Like You Are Subhuman:’ Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza,” including that it systematically excluded Palestinians.
The report accused Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers of violating the Genocide Convention, including killing, causing serious harm, and intentionally inflicting life-threatening conditions on Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli branch, which has been in operation since 1964, denied that Jerusalem is committing genocide in Gaza.
“Our careful analysis does not find that the findings meet the definition of genocide, as carefully formulated in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” it said.
The ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians, as the death toll among starving and besieged civilians continues to rise.
Since then, more than 46,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed, with 109,378 others injured and thousands more missing and presumed dead.
