Amnesty International
Amnesty InternationalReuters

Amnesty International, an organization that has faced criticism for previously accusing Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide” in Gaza, has suspended its Israeli branch, citing “anti-Palestinian racism”, The New York Post reported.

The organization accused members of Amnesty Israel of undermining its findings.

“Its efforts to publicly undermine the findings and recommendations of Amnesty’s 2022 report on Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians and, more recently, Amnesty’s 2024 report on Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, have been deeply prejudicial to Amnesty’s human rights mission, threatening our credibility, integrity, and operational coherence,” wrote Amnesty International interim international chairman, Tiumalu Lauvale Peter Fa’afiu, in an internal letter dated January 6 and obtained by The Post.

“We take this action in response to evidence of endemic anti-Palestinian racism within AI Israel, which violates core human rights principles and Amnesty values,” Fa’afiu added.

The suspension, set to last two years, includes a review process to determine whether the branch will be reinstated or permanently banned. Israel retains the right to appeal the decision.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from groups like StopAntisemitism, which accused Amnesty of straying from its original purpose.

“How did human rights organizations like Amnesty become so distorted from their original missions? Why are they fixated on vilifying the world’s only Jewish state for defending itself during wartime while turning a blind eye to genuine atrocities unfolding in China, Iran, and Sudan?” the group told The Post.

StopAntisemitism further called on Congress and the IRS to reevaluate Amnesty International’s tax-exempt status, arguing that the organization’s actions amount to partisan political activity.

The suspension of Amnesty’s Israel branch comes weeks after Amnesty International published a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the Amnesty report on Gaza, saying, "The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies."

"The genocidal massacre on October 7, 2023, was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization against Israeli citizens," it added.

The Ministry stressed, "Since then, Israeli citizens have been subjected to daily attacks from seven different fronts. Israel is defending itself against these attacks acting fully in accordance with international law."

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that the US government rejects Amnesty International's accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

“We disagree with the conclusions of such a report. We have said previously and continue to find the allegations of genocide to be unfounded,” Patel said.