HRW

Human Rights Watch has slammed Hamas and Islamic Jihad for using Israeli hostages as propaganda tools.

The terrorist groups on Nov. 9 released two videos—one of a 77-year-old woman and another of a 13-year-old boy asking Israel’s government to cut a deal to free them. The young Israeli also thanked Islamic Jihad for protecting him.

HRW called the videos a form of inhumane treatment that amounts to a war crime.

“Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not only unlawfully holding civilians hostage, including children, but they’re also broadcasting the hostages’ images to the world in their most vulnerable state,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at HRW. “Instead of filming a child under duress, the groups should release him safely to his family.”

Rather than allowing the hostages to contact their families, Hamas and Islamic Jihad issued public video statements that may constitute coercion, said HRW.

The human rights group demanded that Hamas and Islamic Jihad immediately and unconditionally release all civilians in their custody. Until then, the captives receive visits by an impartial humanitarian agency.

Gangsters need not apply… New York City’s The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. is warning organized crime figures to stay away from the bidding on a PR contract to promote expansion of the Yard.

According to the RFP, any bidder found “to have been convicted on a felony or crime involving moral turpitude, to be an organized figure, to be under indictment or criminal investigation, to be in arrears or in default on any debt, contract or obligation to the City or State of New York” will not be awarded the business.

The Yard is undergoing the biggest expansion since WWII. It will boost employment by 3K to 17K over the next decade. The Yard employed more than 71K people working round-the-clock in 1944, building battleships and aircraft carriers. The Navy shut it down in 1966 and transferred the property to NYC.

ExxonMobil’s PR gusher… The oil giant has named Wall Street player Dina Powell McCormick to its board as it works to play a role in the lower-emissions future while going gung-ho on the fossil fuels front.

ExxonMobil agreed in October to shell out $60B for Pioneer Natural Resources shale oil producer.

Powell McCormick worked at Goldman Sachs for 16 years and ran its sustainability practice that invested $750B in underserved communities.

She earned praise from former NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has invested millions in green projects. “We teamed up to create new partnerships that invest in market-driven ways to create clean energy and advance climate transition goals,” said Bloomberg.

Powell McCormick, who was born in Cairo as Dina Habib, is fluent in Arabic, which will come in handy for an ExxonMobil director.

She also served as the State Dept.’s head of public diplomacy during the George W. Bush administration. Diplomacy is another useful skill for an oil executive as the world shoots for net zero emissions.