Akshaya Kumar, HRW’s Director of Crisis Advocacy, says the recent Israel-Palestine conflict was initiated by Israeli discriminatory oppressive rule in the Occupied Territory, especially in Sheikh Jarrah.
Speaking in an interview with FNA, Akshaya Kumar said Israel “goes far beyond what international law permits” by practicing collective punishment, adding “We understand and recognize that Israeli authorities face legitimate security challenges in Israel and the OPT. However, restrictions that do not seek to balance human rights against legitimate security concerns by, for example, conducting individualized security assessments rather than barring the entire population of Gaza from leaving with only rare exceptions.”
Akshaya Kumar is the Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch. She oversees the organization’s advocacy response to emergencies and develops innovative strategies to respond to evolving crises.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: According to the 213-page report of Human Rights Watch, discrimination against Palestinians by Israeli laws and policies amount to the crime of apartheid. What does Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and killing women and children amount to?
A: Human Rights Watch is continuing its research on individual strikes in Gaza, many of which used explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated areas. We will publish a legal analysis of this campaign once we have collected and analyzed all available evidence. We understand and recognize that Israeli authorities face legitimate security challenges in Israel and the OPT. However, restrictions that do not seek to balance human rights against legitimate security concerns by, for example, conducting individualized security assessments rather than barring the entire population of Gaza from leaving with only rare exceptions, go far beyond what international law permits. As we focus on the bloodshed from Israeli bombing in Gaza and Hamas rocket attacks into Israel, we should not forget the Israeli government’s discriminatory oppressive rule in the Occupied Territory that sparked the conflict, such as in Sheikh Jarrah. The word to describe that is apartheid.
Q: The detailed study and report of Human Rights Watch on crime of apartheid committed by Israel is highly appreciated and welcomed by the international community; however, do you believe a single report could stop Israeli aggression against Palestinians?
A: It is hard to know if a single report can or will turn the tide of Israel’s apartheid system, but we hope that our advocacy alongside many others, including that of Palestinians who have been making these calls for years and decades, will help make it harder for these abuses to continue.
Q: The United States and many other Western countries claim Israel is entitled to the right of self-defense, but never say a word on the same right for the Palestinians. How do you view the situation?
A: International law already recognizes the right to struggle and resist. In 1982, the UN General Assembly “reaffirmed the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle.”
