Red Cross investigating inflammatory anti-Israel social media posts by employee

Haythem Abid attended several pro-Palestinian rallies organized by anti-Israel groups, and said ‘f**ck neutral sh*t’ in a Facebook post, seemingly violating ICRC’s code of conduct

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

A screenshot from a post on the personal Facebook page of Haythem Abid on October 24, 2023, who describes himself as a head of office for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The picture of Abid shows him attending a pro-Palestinian rally in Montreal, Canada, on October 22, 2023. (Courtesy UN Watch)
A screenshot from a post on the personal Facebook page of Haythem Abid on October 24, 2023, who describes himself as a head of office for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The picture of Abid shows him attending a pro-Palestinian rally in Montreal, Canada, on October 22, 2023. (Courtesy UN Watch)

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is investigating allegations that a member of its staff made highly inflammatory comments against Israel on his social media accounts and violated the organization’s commitment to neutrality and impartiality.

The allegations were made by the UN Watch organization, which this week flagged several fiercely anti-Israel Facebook posts made by Haythem “Ethan” Abid since the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Abid wrote on his personal Facebook page and his LinkedIn page that he was an ICRC head of office, although he shut down both accounts after his controversial posts came to light.

Abid appears to be based in Montreal, Canada, but is thought to be the head of ICRC Libya — which is run out of the organization’s Algeria office. ICRC would not confirm directly that he was an employee, but said it was investigating the matter “thoroughly.”

The organization refused to provide any further details regarding Abid’s employment and location, and his closure of his social media accounts meant he could not be directly contacted.

In one Facebook post from October 18, 2023, Abid wrote, “Fuck neutral shit, today being neutral is taking a side,” above a picture of bloodied children’s shoes.

In another Facebook post on October 24, Abid posted a picture of himself holding a large Palestinian flag during an October 22 rally in Montreal organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and Montreal4Palestine organizations, both of which are highly antagonistic toward Israel.

A screenshot of the LinkedIn page of Haythem Abid, who describes himself as a Head of Office for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Abid made a series of inflammatory, anti-Israel comments on social media following the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza. (Courtesy UN Watch)

On October 27, Abid posted a flyer for another pro-Palestinian rally co-sponsored by the Palestinian Youth Movement on his Facebook page, and on December 2, Abid hosted a Facebook livestream at another pro-Palestinian rally.

In an October 25 Facebook post, Abid accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and said that Israel was not fighting terrorism but committing terrorism in its military operation against the Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza.

UN Watch, which took screenshots of the offending posts, called on the ICRC to “immediately terminate” Abid’s employment for violating the organization’s neutrality obligations.

“Mr. Abid’s hateful posts were published on an account where he prominently listed the ICRC as his employer, bearing a giant cover photo of Mr. Abid next to an ICRC airplane with the Red Cross logo. He has implicated the Red Cross, and he has compromised its neutrality. He even explicitly attacked the ICRC’s neutrality principle, in one expletive-filled post,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.

“The volume and severity of Mr. Abid’s posts that justify the October 7th massacre, portray Hamas as beloved by its tortured hostages, and falsely accuse Israel of ‘genocide,’ not to mention his marching with a Palestinian flag in a march organized by antisemitic groups, are such that his continued employment casts a shadow upon the ICRC as a whole. We are calling on the ICRC to take swift and decisive action and protect the integrity of their humanitarian mission.”

UN Watch also pointed out that “Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality” are the fundamental principles listed by ICRC, and that the first rule of the organization’s code of conduct is that “the conduct of ICRC employees must be consistent with the Fundamental Principles” and that separate provisions stipulate that “employees must refrain from taking a public stance on situations or events and from referring to political or military situations in their communications with third parties.”

The ICRC said in response: “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is aware of social media posts allegedly made from a personal account of an ICRC staff member. The views posted do not reflect those of the ICRC, which is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organization that works to alleviate the suffering of individuals affected by conflict on all sides. All ICRC staff members agree to and are bound by a code of conduct, and we are now investigating this matter thoroughly in line with our procedures, values, and principles.”

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