Amnesty votes down proposal for U.K. campaign against anti-Semitism

[Little Tich]

Source: Haaretz

Human rights organization opted not to pass resolution due to its singular focus.

Amnesty International defeated a proposal to combat anti-Semitism in the U.K. at its annual meeting on Sunday, the Jewish Chronicle reported. The motion to run the British campaign was defeated by a vote of 468 to 461 at the conference - the only proposal to be defeated by the delegates.

"After a really interesting debate where everyone condemned discrimination against all ethnic and religious groups, our membership decided not to pass this resolution calling for a campaign with a single focus," Amnesty International U.K. press officer Neil Durkin said, according to the Jewish Chronicle. He said the organization's board had supported the motion and would "be considering the outcome of the vote at their next meeting."

"Amnesty International fights against discrimination in all its forms, and will continue to do so," said Durkin. In fact, Amnesty has published a number of reports on single issues and specific forms of discrimination. For example, the organization did publish in 2012 a report into discrimination against Muslims, entitled "Choice and Prejudice Discrimination against Muslims in Europe."

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.652962

[azurnoir]

1. Do you feel this proof that AI is anti-Semitic?

after all they did publish a report on Islamophobia in the UK while refusing to institute a campaign against anti-semitism in the UK

[Little Tich]

2. No, not really.

There are so many other possible reasons other than anti-Semitism. When it’s people like Gerald Steinberg from NGO-Monitor and Alan Dershowitz who claim that AI is an anti-Semitic organisation, then there is no case to put forward. It seems to me that AI is merely a thorn in the side for wrongdoing countries.

Here’s a link to the wikipedia article “Criticism of Amnesty International”:

Criticism of Amnesty International (AI) includes claims of selection bias, ideological/foreign policy bias against either non-Western countries, or Western-supported countries and AI's policies relating to organisational continuity. Governments who have criticised AI include those of Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, Vietnam, Russia and the United States, who have attacked Amnesty International for what they assert is one-sided reporting or a failure to treat threats to security as a mitigating factor. The actions of these governments — and of other governments critical of Amnesty International — have been the subject of human rights concerns voiced by Amnesty. The Catholic Church has also criticized Amnesty for its stance on abortion.

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Amnesty_International

[azurnoir]

3. from the wiki entry AI has po'd almost everyone at one time or another

[oberliner]

4. I side with those who supported the proposal and share their disappointment

Sadly, it was narrowly defeated by a very close vote. As the Ha'aretz article points out, AI does "single focus" reports all the time so that excuse doesn't quite wash.