[Opinion] Time to Talk to the EU about NGO Funding
Professor Gerald Steinberg discusses EU funding for Israel and Palestinian political NGOs.
Funders: | European Union |
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Other Content Types: | Press Releases, In The Media, Presentations, Posts, , Key Issues |
Publications: | Reports, Books, Academic Publications, Submissions, Resource Pages |
Start date: | 1 Jan 1988 |
End date: | 18 Sep 2019 |
Professor Gerald Steinberg discusses EU funding for Israel and Palestinian political NGOs.
NGO Monitor research reveals that European-backed NGOs are flooding Israel’s courts with cases in an attempt to circumvent the democratic process to change Israeli policies while bypassing diplomatic channels in an unprecedented manner.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has used millions of European taxpayer funds, primarily from the UK, for a campaign that exploits the Israeli justice system and is aimed at circumventing appropriate diplomatic channels.
NGO Monitor calls on the EU to immediately initiate an internal audit in order to identify and prevent misuse of NGO funding.
In November 2017, the EU approved a four-year grant to an Israeli legal NGO, Yesh Din, for a project designed to increase “Israeli security forces personnel (ISFP) accountability for forcible home entries in line with democratic standards and international humanitarian and human rights law.” Yesh Din is carrying out these efforts in partnership with Breaking the Silence and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I).
On May 18, 2018, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held a “special session of the Human Rights Council on the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Many of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that participated in the session condemned Israel for allegedly committing “war crimes” and denied the legitimacy of Israel’s right to self-defense.
The European Union (EU) and European governments provide funding to a number of Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for culture, art, and related activities. Detailed research and analysis of this funding reveal that many of the supported organizations utilize cultural activities to indoctrinate children and youth, promoting rejectionist and violent agendas.
According to the US Department of Justice, NPA provided “material support” to Iran, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) – designated terrorist organizations under US law. As a result of these partnerships, in March 2018, NPA settled a civil-fraud suit, paying a $2 million settlement to the US.
It is time for the UN to shed its image as a bastion of anti-Jewish hatred. Secretary General Guterres has taken important steps in this direction. UN adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition and funding guidelines mirroring those of the EU would mark profound positive change.
The international community has long ignored the Palestinian weaponization of children. The Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Hamas, and other armed factions routinize the grooming of children from an early age as combatants in the Palestinian war against Israel and Jews. They have enacted a widespread and systematic program of violent and antisemitic incitement.