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Abraham (Avi) Bell (Hebrew:אבי בל) is an IsraeliProfessor ofLaw at theUniversity of San Diego School of Law and atBar-Ilan University's Faculty of Law.
Bell received his B.A. and J.D. from theUniversity of Chicago, and his S.J.D. fromHarvard.[1] He interned in the office ofIsraeli Supreme Court judgeMishael Cheshin.
In addition, Bell frequently writes about the Arab-Israeli conflict.[2][3][4] He also debatedRichard Goldstone in a debate atStanford Law School entitled “TheGoldstone Report and the Application of International Law to the Arab-Israeli Conflict,” where a few days later, Goldstone said that “contrary to the report’s assertions, Israel did not intentionally target civilians.”[5]
In 2006, Bell criticizedHuman Rights Watch for its reports on theSecond Lebanon War, claiming that the organization's claims "mislead readers and betray ... bias,"[6] and that "HRW investigation [in Srifa, Lebanon] was either professionally incompetent or a complete fabrication" and "nothing more than window dressing for predetermined anti-Israel conclusions."[7] Human Rights Watch responded by claiming that Bell "displays a curious ignorance about even the basic requirements of international humanitarian law"[8] However, a 2007 report of Human Rights Watch admitted that its "allegation [of criminality in Srifa] turned out to be wrong." The report stated that "eyewitnesses were not always forthcoming about the identity of those that died, and in the case of Srifa, misled our researchers ... a visit to the graveyard made it possible to establish that most of those killed in Srifa were actually combatants," and concluding that "further Human Rights Watch investigations into a deadly strike at Srifa established that an Israeli attack there killed 17 combatants and five civilians on July 19, not the 26 civilians claimed in Fatal Strikes" and "Human Rights Watch regrets the serious inaccuracy in its initial Fatal Strikes report."[9]
Bell was formerly a visiting professor atFordham University School of Law and theUniversity of Connecticut School of Law.
He currently teaches classes on property and intellectual property atUniversity of San Diego School of Law, and on property, intellectual property and public international law atBar-Ilan University's Faculty of Law.
Bell also serves as Senior Fellow at theKohelet Policy Forum.