[3] He studied sociology at Birzeit University in the 1980s, where he belonged to a student group associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

"[3] In February 2011, Jabarin was appointed by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) to its advisory board that oversees reporting on Arab-Israeli affairs.

Robinowitz complained that "Whitson in her written presentation stated that Jabarin had had no association since PFLP since 1987, thereby ignoring actions against him by Israel and Jordan security authorities in 2005 and 2006, and by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2007, 2008, and 2009".

He accused Whitson and Roth of "misleading conduct," saying they had "put themselves above the law by assuming they can disregard the Israeli Supreme Court, which is one of the most highly respected judicial bodies in the world," and called the Jabarin incident "part of a pattern of conduct that casts doubt about Mr. Roth’s and Ms. Whitson’s ability to deal with matters affecting Israel in a balanced and objective manner".

[9] Gerald Steinberg, the president of the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, said that Jabarin's appointment to the HRW board "ends any façade that Human Rights Watch is a moral 'watchdog' organization".

[12] He said that "Human Rights Watch has been working together with Jabarin and Al-Haq in an informal capacity for a long time, but the official appointment is an example of HRW Executive Director Ken Roth’s and the group’s Middle East and North Africa division’s enlistment in the widespread delegitimization campaign being conducted against Israel".

[10] Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post argued in February 2011 that Jabarin's appointment to the HRW board reflected "the continuing decline of the organization....This appointment is a slap in the face from HRW Executive Director Ken Roth and chairman James Hoge to terror victims, Israelis, Jews, and others who seek to uphold universal human rights".

Rubin also called the appointment "the latest of numerous moral failings, scandals and biases that have exposed HRW as a political advocacy organization".

"[9] His description of Jabarin as "one of the leading Palestinian voices condemning … suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians" drew criticism.

[17] Jabarin participated in an event entitled "Palestine, Israel & International Law: The ICC and beyond” on October 11, 2013, at Trinity College in Dublin.

[23] When Jabarin petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court in 2008 to lift the travel ban, the Court explained that it could not show the evidence against him to his lawyers, yet insisted that "it is reliable information according to which the petitioner is among the senior activists of the Popular Front terrorist organization" and claimed that "the divulging of this material to the petitioner involves the exposure of important sources of information, and thus certain harm to national security.

We also found that additional negative material concerning the petitioner has been added even after his previous petition was rejected.” While upholding the travel ban, the Court underscored that it was not meant as a “punishment” for illegal activity but as a security measure.

[9] The spokeswoman for the Court, Ayelet Filo, said that it had “real evidence” that Jabarin was “involved with terror groups.” The two hearings were conducted in part with only the three judges, the State Attorney, and members of the Israeli General Security Services (GSS) present.

[26] Irish human rights organization Front Line Defenders expressed concern about the travel ban, noting that Jabarin had been allowed to leave the West Bank eight times between 1999 and February 2006, before becoming General Director of Al-Haq.

[3][28] Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, criticized the upholding of the travel ban, praising Jabarin for his "courageous work.

"[3] The Electronic Intifada reported in February 2012 that Jabarin would be allowed to travel to Geneva to meet Frank La Rue, the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.

[23] In a letter thanking Amnesty International members for their campaigning on his behalf, Shawan Jabarin wrote: “[As] I prepare myself to depart to Geneva, I have many conflicting thoughts and emotions running through my mind.

"[20] In March 2012, Jabarin was permitted to travel to Geneva to meet Frank La Rue, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression.

In a March 2012 interview in Geneva with Adri Nieuwhof of the Electronic Intifada, Jabarin said that being in that city "reactivates me, strengthens the belief of the [Palestinian] people and the right to defend that strongly.

[8] Israel's ambassador to Italy protested when Jabarin was invited by Laura Boldrini to testify about human rights violations before the Italian Parliament's Chamber of Deputies in December 2021.

"[32] Jabarin said in 2013 that Israeli support for West Bank settlements was a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

[34] Jabarin said in March 2013 that Israel's policy of administrative detention of Palestinian captives was "a violation of the principles and standards of due process and fair trial practiced in all democracies."

We studied it carefully, professionally, academically, and then we concluded that, yeah, based on the nature of this occupation and parts of its practices, we could say it meets the criteria of an Apartheid system."

[7] Jabarin said in December 2012 that it was "a positive sign that some close friends of Israel," including the Netherlands, Germany and Australia, had abstained on a recent vote for Palestinian statehood.

He also "asked France to turn words into action and impose sanctions on Israel.” Jabarin has accused the United States of "establishing linkages between legitimate resistance against occupation and terrorism."

The "most fundamental weakness" of the Oslo agreement, he maintained, was "the absence of international law from its text....Palestinians have been barred from exercising their sovereign rights, while having their economic, social and political development stymied".

[36] In a June 2013 article, Jabarin argued against the Arab League's proposed inclusion of "land swaps as a central feature of renewed negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians."

Jabarin opined that "mutual land swaps are problematic on both a political and a legal level; not least because they would inevitably involve protecting illegal Israeli settlements and their infrastructure in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which have been universally recognized as in violation of international law.

Such a move would also set a dangerous precedent in which prolonged colonial policies perpetrated by an aggressive occupier are eventually accepted by the international community.

Any land swap agreement would further undermine fundamental norms of international law, such as the prohibition of acquisition of territory through force and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people."