March 31. 2011
To the Editor
Now that Canada enters an election, our agency notes that Amnesty International has lambasted the Canadian government because of its stance on Israel ,as reported in the Toronto Star on March 31, 2011
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http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/966586–amnesty-blasts-tories-rights-record-citing-pro-israel-stance-funding-cuts?utm_source=Act+For+Israel+List&utm_campaign=027fab7a68-Act_for_Israel_Action_Alert3_31_2011&utm_medium=email
However, Amnesty has a credibility problem in terms of its middle east reporting.
As a matter of policy, Amnesty hires PLO officials to conduct its research in the middle east.
Back in 1989, our center invited Amnesty officials to Jerusalem to explain that policy.
Amnesty dispatched Toronto native Richard Reoch, head of Amnesty’s global media operations, to appear at our agency’s press forum, where he explained that the PLO was an NGO and could therefore be considered to be a reliable source.
When our agency published a dossier of direct PLO involvement with violent acts, the Amnesty director responded with the fascinating explanation that "We do not believe that membership of, or association with a violent organization is conclusive evidence that a certain individual has used or advocated violence".http://tinyurl.com/2evxtvl
Amnesty established the precedent for other organizations defined as human rights groups to hire PLO operatives to provide reports for them about the Palestinian situation.
Amnesty’s record represents an exercise in tendentious middle east human rights reporting.
David Bedein
Director
Israel Resource News Agency
Center for Near East Policy Research
