Israel's Supreme Court has confirmed the expulsion of Human Rights Watch's regional leader. Omar Shakir must leave the country within 20 days, as stated in the court ruling in Jerusalem.
Interior Minister Arie Deri ordered the expulsion of Shakir last year for supporting a boycott of Israel. Shakir denies that. A court upheld the decision, but Shakir was allowed to stay in the country until the highest instance.
This decision has now been dropped by the Supreme Court. Shakir wrote on Twitter, the responsibility is now back to the government. Should it implement the decision, Israel will join a number of countries including Iran, North Korea and Egypt in the blockade of Human Rights Watch officials. "We will not stop, and we will not be the last."
Shakir is American with Iraqi roots. He was previously responsible for Israel and the Palestinian territories at Human Rights Watch. He wrote after Deri's decision last year that it was the first time that Israel had a representative of his organization. Israel wants to suppress criticism of human rights violations.
Deri now welcomed the decision on Twitter. He wrote: "Everyone who is active against the state of Israel should know that we will not allow him to live or work here."
The European Union called on Israel to withdraw the decision. The human rights organization had backed Shakir right after the expulsion. Neither Human Rights Watch nor Shakir are in favor of a boycott of Israel, as the Ministry of the Interior has assured.
Israel has decided in 2018 to deny entry to activists of certain organizations calling for an Israeli boycott. The international BDS movement is campaigning for sanctions and a boycott of Israel over the Palestinian policy of the Israeli government. This accuses the movement, she was anti-Semitic and unilaterally against the Jewish state.