Right to return – Asia Pacific Report https://asiapacificreport.nz Independent Asia Pacific news and analysis Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:49:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Israel-Palestine head of Human Rights Watch quits over ‘blocked’ report https://asiapacificreport.nz/2026/02/04/israel-palestine-head-of-human-rights-watch-quits-over-blocked-report/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:38:41 +0000 https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=123360

By Mohamed Hassan

The Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has resigned in protest, saying the organisation’s new chief has blocked a report accusing Israel of committing “crimes against humanity” in its denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return.

Omar Shakir, who has worked for the rights group for more than 10 years, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the report “sought to connect the erasure of camps in Gaza with the emptying of camps in the West Bank, with the full assault led by the Israeli government against UNRWA, the [United Nations] aid agency for Palestinian refugees and underscoring how in the midst of this Nakba 2.0 that we’re seeing unfold beyond us, it’s critical that we learn the lessons from Nakba 1.0”.

The Nakba, which means “catastrophe”, refers to the forced displacement of 750,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes and land by Zionist armed groups and then the newly created state of Israel in 1948.

Thousands of Palestinians were also killed during the Nakba.

Shakir said the report documented how the denial of return “amounts to a crime against humanity”.

He said he had been told that executive director Philippe Bolopion, who took the helm of HRW late last year, was worried the report would be misread by “detractors” as a call to “demographically extinguish the Jewishness of the Israeli state”, according to his resignation letter seen by Al Jazeera and dated January 15.

Shakir wrote: “Through this process, I have lost my faith in the integrity of how we do our work and our commitment to principled reporting on the facts and application of the law.”

The report was slated to be published on December 4 and had been given the greenlight by others in HRW during an internal review, Shakir said.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, HRW said it had received the resignations of two people working on Israel-Palestine after “a decision to pause the publication of a draft report on the right of return of Palestinian refugees”.

“The report in question raised complex and consequential issues. In our review process, we concluded that aspects of the research and the factual basis for our legal conclusions needed to be strengthened to meet Human Rights Watch’s high standards,” the group said.

“For that reason, the publication of the report was paused pending further analysis and research. This process is ongoing.”

]]> 1000 protest in Auckland over Israel’s war on Gaza, honour Nakba victims https://asiapacificreport.nz/2024/05/12/1000-protest-in-auckland-over-israels-war-on-gaza-honour-nakba-victims/ Sun, 12 May 2024 11:05:46 +0000 https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=101035 Asia Pacific Report

About 1000 people in Aotearoa New Zealand gathered for a two-hour rally in central Auckland today and marched down Queen Street and returned to Aotea Square to mark the Nakba three days early — and protest over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

They called for an immediate ceasefire in the war as the death toll passed more than 35,000 people killed — mostly women and children – and chanted “hands off Rafah” as the Israeli military intensified their attack on the southern part of the besieged enclave.

Israel’s Defence Force (IDF) also deployed tanks in northern Gaza months after claiming that they had “dismantled” the resistance force Hamas in the area.

For the past seven months, protesters have staged rallies across New Zealand every week at more than 25 different towns and locations and they have rarely been reported by the country’s news media.

Ironically, today was also marked as Mother’s Day and many protesters carried placards and banners mourning the mothers and children killed in the seven-month war, such as “Every 15 min a Palestinian child dies”, “Israel/USA, how many kids did you kill today”, “Decolonise your mind — stand with Palestine”, and “Stop the genocide”.

Some protesters carried photographs of named children killed in the war, honouring their short and tragic lives, such as 13-year-old Hala Abu Sada, who “had a passion for the arts – she made educational and entertaining videos for deaf children”.

“Hala dreamed of becoming a singer.”

The Nakba – ‘ethnic cleansing’
Every year on May 15, Palestinians around the world, numbering about 12.4 million, mark the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the near-total destruction of Palestinian society in 1948, reports Al Jazeera.

The Palestinian experience of dispossession and loss of a homeland is 76 years old this year.

Happy Mothers' Day in New Zealand on Nakba Day
“Happy Mothers’ Day” in New Zealand . . . but protesters mourn the loss of mothers and children as the death toll in Israel’s War on Gaza topped 35,000 on Nakba Day. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report

On that day, the State of Israel came into being. The creation of Israel was a violent process that entailed the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland to establish a Jewish-majority state — the wishes of the Zionist movement.

The 1948 Nakba
The 1948 Nakba . . . more than 750,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homeland and become exiles in neighbouring states. Many dream of their UN-recognised right to return. Image: Wikipedia

Between 1947 and 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinians from a 1.9 million population were forced out of their homeland and made refugees beyond the borders of the state.

Zionist forces seized more than 78 percent of historic Palestine, ethnically cleansed and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including more than 70 massacres.

The current resolution does not give Palestinians full membership, but recognises them as qualified to join, and it gives Palestine more participation and some rights within the UNGA.

Overwhelming UN vote backs Palestine
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has overwhelmingly voted to support a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

Memberships can only be decided by the UN Security Council, and last month, the US vetoed a bid for full membership.

The current resolution does not give Palestinians full membership, but recognises them as qualified to join, and it gives Palestine more participation and some rights within the UNGA.

Voting yes for the resolution were 143 countries, including three UN Security Council permanent members, China, France and Russia and also Australia, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.

Nine countries voted against, with four Pacific nations, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea among those joining Israel and the US.

Twenty five countries abstained, including UNSC permanent member United Kingdom and three Pacific countries, Fiji, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.

"Look up Nakba" . . . and The Key to returning home
“Look up Nakba” . . . and The Key to returning home to historical Palestine. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report
Palestinian children singing at Aotea Square today
Palestinian children singing at Aotea Square today . . . a speaker said their future was in “good hands with our young people”. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report
Some of the pro-Palestinian protesters at Auckland's Aotea Square today
Some of the pro-Palestinian protesters at Auckland’s Aotea Square today . . . the background banner says “IDF = Murder Machine”. Image: David Robie/Asia Pacific Report
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