Following growing tensions within the human rights organization, Amnesty International has suspended its Israeli branch's operations, according to a report from the Jewish News Syncaide. The suspension comes amid disagreements over the branch's positions regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The global organization confirmed the suspension through a spokesperson, who cited "a number of incidents" involving the Israeli chapter's leadership. The spokesperson said these incidents included "serious governance concerns" and multiple complaints about discrimination.
"There have been complaints about racist behavior towards Palestinians from a number of board members of Amnesty Israel since 2021, resulting in their resignations," the spokesperson told JNS. The spokesperson added that these former members have used various media platforms to speak out against what they describe as anti-Palestinian racism within the Israeli branch and beyond.
A staff member at the Tel Aviv-based chapter, speaking anonymously to JNS, denied allegations of racism against Palestinians. The source emphasized that the Israeli branch, established in 1964 and among the organization's oldest chapters, regularly consults both Arab and Jewish staff members when preparing statements and reports.
The suspension follows mounting tensions between the Israeli branch and its parent organization. On Dec. 5, Amnesty International published a 296-page report titled "You Feel Like You Are Subhuman," which accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. The report alleged that Israeli Defense Forces soldiers committed acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, including killing and causing serious harm to Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli chapter, which operates as a legally independent entity, firmly rejected these genocide allegations. Its position is rooted in the belief that while the scale of violence is undeniable, the evidence does not meet the rigorous legal criteria for genocide, as outlined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In particular, the organization points to the lack of "specific intent" to destroy Palestinians as a group, a key element required to prove genocide.
This is not the first instance of disagreement between the organizations. In 2022, when Amnesty International labeled Jerusalem's treatment of Palestinian Arabs as "apartheid," staff members of the Israeli branch criticized the assessment as "problematic," "flawed" and potentially harmful.
Israeli officials have previously accused the local branch of violating anti-boycott laws through its advocacy for arms embargoes and promotion of a blacklist targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Last year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directed the Israeli Tax Authority to investigate the tax benefits enjoyed by the local Amnesty branch, with his office expressing concerns about the organization's independence given that 80% of its budget originated from Amnesty's global headquarters.
