Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed the deportation of regional Human Rights Watch (HRW) Director Omar Shakir, allowing him to remain in the country while he contests the expulsion order against him.
In the latest chapter in Shakir’s ordeal – which has seen him subjected to protracted legal proceedings after Israel’s Interior Ministry ordered his deportation – the Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Shakir will be allowed to stay while he continues to fight against the expulsion order.
Israeli Supreme Court grants injunction freezing the Netanyahu government's attempt to deport @HRW's Israel-Palestine researcher until court hears appeal next month. At stake is the possibility of free speech and human rights advocacy in Israel. https://t.co/nlxyBCocwt pic.twitter.com/bZfsTV9Saa
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) June 2, 2019
Though the court did not attach a date to this ruling, it said “the appeal should be heard in the current court year ending July 21,” the Times of Israel reported.
The ruling throws a lifeline to Shakir, a US citizen of Iraqi origin who has worked as HRW’s Israel and Palestine director since 2016. The affair began in May 2018, when Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri issued an order to cancel Shakir’s work permit and deport him on the pretext of “his activity against Israel”.
Breaking: Israeli Supreme Court grants injunction, freezing deportation & allowing me to stay til it hears @hrw appeal, which it says it'll do this court year ending July 21. Stakes high: case barometer for Israel's openness to those challenging its policies towards Palestinians. https://t.co/GXUpSBkmRP
— Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) June 2, 2019
Under an Israeli law passed in 2017 – dubbed the anti-BDS law – any foreigner who “knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel” can be prevented from entering the country or obtaining a residency or work visa.
Israel claims that, while holding his position as HRW director, Shakir sought to travel to Bahrain to promote a boycott of Israel at the 2017 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) conference. It also argues that he previously attempted to establish an organization calling for the boycott of Israel while studying at Stanford University in the US.
#Israel: Top Human Rights Watch Official to be #Deported (VIDEO) https://t.co/EljiTrEek0 @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/2Rj7LcAx95
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 14, 2019
Shakir and his legal team, however, have argued that the Interior Ministry has acknowledged having “no information” about calls for boycotts by HRW, or Shakir while serving as its representative.
They further argue that the deportation order has cited only statements made by Shakir before he joined the organization.
If Shakir is eventually deported, it will represent the first time the 2017 anti-BDS law has been applied to someone already residing in the country, as opposed to someone trying to enter Israel.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
