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Israel expels Human Rights Watch advocacy director

Human rights groups fear that the Israeli government’s reaction to criticism of the occupation has a negative impact on all of Israeli society, and that freedom of speech and thought are no longer a guiding light in the country.
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In a joint statement released May 9, 15 human rights organizations denounced Interior Minister Aryeh Deri's decision to order the expulsion of Omar Shakir, the director of Human Rights Watch for Israel and Palestine.

The statement reads that the decision to expel Shakir and Israel’s growing list of people who cannot enter the country because of their criticism of the occupation are “intended to hide the occupation from the world.” They further claim that the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, headed by Gilad Erdan, is putting together “personal files” on foreign human rights activists operating in Israel and that the information collected is being used to hinder their activities.

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