Amnesty UK Withdraws From Hosting ’Israel’ Event Due To Settlements

Local Editor

Amnesty International UK withdrew from hosting an event organized by an umbrella organization of British Jews, citing its opposition to the "Israeli" occupation settlements, the Jewish Leadership Council [JLC] announced Monday.

A panel debate about the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Zionist entity organized by the council was scheduled to be held on Wednesday at the offices of Amnesty International UK in London.

A representative of the human-rights NGO who was expected to take part in the debate withdrew several months ago, but the group maintained the offer to host the event in its office space.

Four days before the event was scheduled to take place, the JLC received notice that Amnesty was no longer agreeing to host the event, on the grounds that the NGO was "currently campaigning for all governments around the world to ban the import of goods produced in the illegal ‘Israeli' settlements. We do not, therefore, think it appropriate for Amnesty International to host an event by those actively supporting such settlements."

Responding to the cancellation, JLC chairman Jonathan Goldstein said: "It is disgraceful that a Jewish charity is barred from the offices of Amnesty International UK."

In the email Amnesty UK sent to the JLC, it stated the event was organized by the JLC and UN Watch. The latter, however, is not an organizer but one of three organizations invited to participate in the event, including Amnesty and UN Watch.

Asked which organization Amnesty was referring to when it said "those actively supporting settlements," Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK's director of supporter campaigning and communications told The Jerusalem Post: "The presence of UN Watch raised significant concerns with partner organizations. Partners and colleagues - both "Israeli" and Palestinian - working on the ground felt this connection with Amnesty could put their vital human rights work at risk."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team