Mapping the anti-Israel NGO Network in the US

The anti-Israeli hate network is a sophisticated and interconnected system. With substantial funding and strategic partnerships, the NGOs involved operate in a coordinated manner to advance their agenda of isolating Israel and attacking the Jewish State’s supporters. 

Nowhere was this more evident than in the months since the horrific October 7th atrocities, when Jews across the United States (and indeed around the world) have faced an unprecedented surge in antisemitic violence and intimidation. 

In this mapping, NGO Monitor identifies 157 groups that are part of a network of NGOs, partnerships, and funding – responsible for anti-Israel advocacy and antisemitism in the United States in the aftermath of October 7th. 

The nearly 3,000 connections displayed in the mapping, representing joint activity and donor-grantee relationships, demonstrate a structured network with collaborations and shared objectives, not a collection of random and isolated activists. 

A significant finding of NGO Monitor’s research relates to the varied levels of funding transparency among the NGO network. While some of the donors enabling the anti-Israel and antisemitic activities can be identified, many NGOs within this network are entirely non-transparent or provide minimal information about their funding sources. This poses challenges in attempting to fully understand the funding flows and exact nature of relationships within the network.

NGO Monitor divided the groups in the network into eight distinct categories: Funders, Legal, Lobbying, Campus, Advocacy, Research, Aid, and Bandwagon. These classifications help make sense of the complex landscape, as well as dissect the roles and influences of individual NGOs within the broader network. 

• Funders are the financial backbone of the network, providing the resources for NGO capabilities and reach, and enabling their anti-Israel and antisemitic activities. 
• Legal NGOs focus on legal advocacy, provide legal services to anti-Israeli activists, and exploit courts other legal forums to attack policies and practices they perceive as pro-Israel (“lawfare”). 
• Lobbying NGOs engage with policymakers in attempts to influence legislation and public policy in favor of the network’s agenda and interests. 
• Campus NGOs operate primarily within academic institutions, mobilizing students and faculty members to support radical activities in the campuses, such as illegal encampments, harassing Jewish and Israeli students, and blocking their freedom of movement. 
• Advocacy NGOs focus on raising awareness and generating public support for the Palestinian issue. Their activities often consist of media campaigns, public demonstrations, and other forms of outreach.
• Research NGOs publishing reports and analyses, contributing propaganda to support the arguments and strategies employed by the network.
• Aid NGOs are primarily involved in providing humanitarian assistance. 
• Bandwagon NGOs do not have the Palestinian issue as their primary focus. Rather, in the current political environment, they choose to align with the more “hardcore” NGOs, adding visibility, resources, or ideological support. In many respects, this also represents a form of “hitching,” where an NGO adopts the anti-Israel cause to amplify their reach and impact.

NGO Monitor presents this mapping in the hope it will serve as a valuable tool for researchers and decision-makers. By understanding the structure and dynamics of this NGO network – its organization, funding, and partnerships – stakeholders can better comprehend the phenomena at play and make informed decisions.