Rights group rep resigns after Hezbollah-symbol controversy
Anti-Israel activist Aziz Ghali resigned in July from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which was founded in Paris in 1922, in protest of his removal as its spokesperson following a speech he allegedly delivered while wearing Hezbollah symbols.
“I announce my resignation from this institution, not as an escape or a withdrawal, but as a moral and political stance against turning solidarity into a crime, against double standards, and against reducing human rights to a neutral language sometimes used to justify silence in the face of injustice,” Ghali, who is a citizen of Morocco, wrote in his resignation letter, which he published on the Al-Binaa website.
FIDH in June announced that it would probe Ghali for “failure to adhere to the established code of conduct,” the Moroccan television channel Express TV reported. The announcement followed the surfacing of images of him circulated online while speaking, apparently at a panel, against the background of Hezbollah’s flag and while wearing an armband emblazoned with the terrorist group’s symbol.
Ghali, who took part in the Sumud flotilla to the Gaza Strip in 2025, was detained in Israel for several days and later released.
Olga Deutsch, the vice president of the NGO Monitor group, which monitors the work of anti-Israel organizations and their ties to foreign governments, called Ghali’s resignation “a welcome step for accountability.”
Ghali’s “statements and publications include calling Hezbollah terrorist and convicted murderer Samir Kuntar his ‘comrade and friend’,” Deutsch said on Monday.
According to NGO Monitor, on Aug. 14, 2020, Ghali posted on Facebook an image with the text, “Death to the Jews who killed the kids.”
FIDH, one of Europe’s oldest human rights organizations, “failed to remove Ghali immediately, raising serious questions about the organization’s judgment and exposing deeply rooted institutional biases,” Deutsch added.
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Aziz Ghali resigned from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in July following an ethics probe. The investigation began after images circulated online showing Ghali displaying symbols of Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist group. Ghali, an anti-Israel activist, stated his resignation was a "moral and political stance against turning solidarity into a crime." Olga Deutsch of NGO Monitor called Ghali's resignation "a welcome step for accountability," noting his past statements, including calling a convicted murderer his "comrade and friend" and a 2020 Facebook post with the text, "Death to the Jews who killed the kids."
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