Ex-Human Rights Watch Official Describes Hamas Hostages as ‘Utter Irrelevancies’

Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), is facing widespread criticism for dismissing the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas as “utter irrelevancies.” The comments came in response to Israel’s defense of its military operations in Gaza, which the International Criminal Court (ICC) has scrutinized for alleged war crimes.

Roth, now a visiting professor at Princeton, accused Israel of using “diversionary excuses” to deflect from ICC charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Among those “excuses,” Roth included Israel’s mission to rescue roughly 100 hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, terror attack.

“The Israeli government responded to the ICC war-crime charges with the usual diversionary excuses – the need to liberate the hostages, Hamas’s use of human shields, Israel’s democracy and self-defense, supposed ICC antisemitism – all utter irrelevancies,” Roth wrote in a post on X.

Roth’s remarks drew immediate condemnation from commentators and human rights advocates alike:

• Melissa Weiss, executive editor of Jewish Insider, said: “I can think of 101 people, in addition to their families, who might argue that the hostages are not ‘utterly irrelevant’ to IDF operations in Gaza.”

• Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of the International Legal Forum, called Roth “an absolute heartless monster.”

• Adam Cannon, legal director at The Sun, accused Roth of displaying a “huge anti-Israel bias,” adding: “Your dismissal of the Hamas atrocities and the hostages they took on Oct 7 just illustrates your total lack of understanding or maybe just abject bias when it comes to this conflict.”

In a subsequent post, Roth attempted to clarify his comments, stating that the ICC charges were not about the justness of Israel’s war but about how it conducts its operations. He also reiterated his call for a ceasefire and accused Netanyahu of perpetuating the conflict to maintain power and avoid prosecution.

Still, critics argue that his remarks reveal an insensitivity to the human cost of Hamas’s actions. The terror group’s October attack, which killed over 1,400 Israelis and saw the abduction of civilians, has been widely condemned as one of the most brutal assaults in recent history.

Roth led HRW from 1993 to 2022, during which the organization frequently faced accusations of anti-Israel bias. His latest comments have reignited debates over the impartiality of human rights groups in conflicts involving Israel.

As global outrage mounts over the atrocities committed by Hamas, Roth’s remarks serve as a stark reminder of the deep divisions and biases that complicate international responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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