The Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch, Omar Shakir, will be deported from Israel in a ruling affirmed by the country’s Supreme Court. As a part of an expanding effort to suppress internally for support externally, the Israeli government claimed that the intended actions of Shakir — an American citizen — were “‘exploiting’ his stay to delegitimize Israel and to promote the boycott movement against it,” according to The New York Times. 

Human Rights Watch vows that “Shakir never deviated from the policies and positions of the organization.” The world should listen to Shakir and consider his concern: “who will they throw out next?” This decision is not only baseless — it is anti-Democratic and opposes the U.S.’ commitment to a global promotion of justice. 

The verdict follows a series of recent incidents of the same effect. Ruth Margalit of The New Yorker described how in August 2019, Benjamin Netanyahu barred two U.S. Congresswomen from visiting Israel. 

Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib openly criticized American support of how Israel treats Palestine in a complicated and destructive half-century conflict that has disproportionately devastated people on both sides. Margalit also referenced a “2017 Israeli law [that] bars admittance to foreign citizens who publicly promote boycotts of the country.” 

A directive like this from the president of a country that secures freedom of speech in the Law of the Land is deceptive.  President Donald Trump is not the only president to favor Israel. Congress’ website details how the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 declared its policy “to help the Government of Israel… [and to] provide [it] defense articles and…services…such…as air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and specialized munitions” under former President Barack Obama; many of which have been used to kill women and children. 

It was followed up with the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 “to continue to provide Israel with robust security assistance, including…the Iron Dome Missile Defense System.” Back in 2007, former President George W. Bush “signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding on United States military assistance to Israel…equal [to] $30 billion.”

The disparity of impact is clear when compared across shifting territorial lines: exactly why it is imperative that the world can see what is going on. 

According to Reporters Without Borders, Israel ranks 88 in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index. “Despite the existence of independent media, journalists are subjected to “military censorship,” including images which negatively depict Israeli Defense Forces. 

As a result, “there is little or no coverage of the reality of life in the Palestinian territories.” The site also highlights the two Palestinian journalists that were killed and dozens wounded covering Gaza’s 2018 “March of Return” protests and the wrongful imprisonment of individuals and media outlets for “inciting violence” without formal charge —  harassed to the “point of self-censorship.” Facebook and Twitter have also deleted content. In part as a result, Palestine ranks number 137 on the World Press Freedom Index.

In his statements tying up 30 years of his career at the U.N., Andrew Gilmour, Assistant

Secretary General at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, shamed the world for its passivity. In light of the all the evidence of corruption it is sufficient to say that Military Order 101, banning outspoken opponents of Israel, the deportation of Shakir, overarching news censorship and entirely pro-Israel U.S. policy should be scrutinized; that scrutiny should be 100% legal. 

Gilmour is legitimate to insist that this “systematic example of discrimination and humiliation…[has] a profound impact on the daily lives of Palestinians… in the occupied territory” and deserves condemnation as a “driver of violent extremism around the world.”

Out of respect for and in remembrance of a violent and oppressive anti-Jewish history, Israel should raise its standards for treatment of its Palestinian neighbors. As an ally of Israel and for regional security, the United States should place pressure on its government and encourage equal press coverage on both sides.