Chris McGreal<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dean of one the US\u2019s leading schools of government blocked a position for the former head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) over his organisation\u2019s criticism of Israel\u2019s oppression of the Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Harvard Kennedy School\u2019s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy offered Kenneth Roth a position as a senior fellow shortly after he retired as director of HRW in April after 29 years. Roth is highly regarded within the human rights community for the part his organisation played in advances such as the creation of the international criminal court and the prosecution of major human rights abusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Harvard Kennedy School dean, Douglas Elmendorf, allegedly bowed to pressure, according to the Nation<\/a>, which revealed the move, at a time when major donors and prominent Jewish organisations were particularly unhappy that HRW has accused Israel<\/a> of practicing a form of apartheid in the occupied territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roth told the Guardian that his first inkling that something was wrong came in a video conference call to introduce himself to Elmendorf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had a perfectly pleasant chat for about half an hour or so, but toward the end he asked the question, \u2018Do you have any enemies?\u2019 And I said, \u2018I\u2019ve got many. That\u2019s a hazard of the trade.\u2019 But what he was clearly driving at was Israel<\/a>. He didn\u2019t want to hear about how I\u2019ve been sanctioned by China, sanctioned by Russia or attacked by Rwanda or Saudi Arabia. He wanted to know: what was my position on Israel?\u201d said Roth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The former HRW director said Elmendorf nonetheless gave no indication that the fellowship was in jeopardy. However, the Nation reported that two weeks later the dean told Kathryn Sikkink, a professor of human rights policy at the Kennedy School, that Roth would not be permitted to take up the position because HRW has an \u201canti-Israel bias\u201d and its former director had written tweets critical of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roth told the Guardian he now believes Elmendorf bowed to pressure from donors who are strong supporters of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI falsely assumed that the dean of the Kennedy School values academic freedom. Maybe I\u2019m naive in retrospect, but I assume that criticism of Israel, as criticism of any other government, is just par for the course. That\u2019s what a leading foreign policy centre does,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy School alumni include more former heads of state or government than any similar institution, as well as cabinet ministers, top military officials and parliamentarians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nation noted the \u201cdominant presence of the US national security community and its close ally Israel\u201d at the Kennedy School. These include people in senior positions drawn from weapons manufacturers, the Pentagon and major corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n