The NGO Front in the Gaza War: Compilation of NGO statements
A compilation of over 500 statements by 52 NGOs on "Operation Cast Lead" (December 27, 2008 - January 29, 2009).
Publications: | Reports, Books, Academic Publications, Submissions, Resource Pages |
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Other Content Types: | Press Releases, In The Media, Presentations, Posts, , Key Issues |
NGOs: | Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign - PGAAWC |
Start date: | 1 Jan 1988 |
End date: | Dec 2024 |
A compilation of over 500 statements by 52 NGOs on "Operation Cast Lead" (December 27, 2008 - January 29, 2009).
[UPDATED] Following the pattern in previous conflicts, a number of NGOs immediately issued condemnations of Israel following the IDF response to increasing deadly rocket attacks from Gaza. Many of these statements reflect bias and double standards, and ignore or give little attention to Israeli human rights and casualties. NGOs exploit legal terminology, including terms such as "war crimes," "collective punishment," and "indiscriminate attacks." Some use the fighting in Gaza to repeat calls for boycotts and sanctions as part of the Durban strategy, and accuse Israel of perpetrating a "massacre."
Through the use of holiday and religious symbols, NGOs such as War on Want, Amos Trust, and Pax Christi are manipulating Christmas to advance a political agenda, and in some cases, may be promoting antisemitic canards. NGOs also organized an event entitled, "Bethlehem Now: Nine Alternative Lessons and Carols for Palestine"; the tendentious lyrics and themes of the event led to strong condemnations from Christian and Jewish community leaders. War on Wants "Alternative Gift" of donations to the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Coalition supports the boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
As predicted by NGO Monitor, the majority of NGO submissions to the UN's UPR of Israel ignore human rights issues facing Israelis and areas where Israel is a leader in this field, while grossly distorting the humanitarian, human rights and international legal dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nord-Sud XXI, Ittijah, Badil, and PGAAWC exploit human rights terminology and employ inflammatory rhetoric against Israel. Adalah, Amnesty, and others attribute "racist" motives to Israeli policies, instead of acknowledging that these are legitimate responses to Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians.
Christian Aid, a major British NGO and NGO-funder, endorses a highly biased approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It dismisses the impact of Palestinian terrorism and focuses disproportionately on alleged Israeli "violations." Christian Aids partners are among the most radical NGOs in the region -- including Sabeel, ICAHD, and the AIC -- which actively promote BDS campaigns. Christian Aid receives substantial funding from the British and Irish governments.