A December 7, 2007 Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) article reveals that a new foundation, the Israel Independence Fund, meant to provide an alternative to the New Israel Fund (NIF), will be set up by Israeli Nobel Laureate (Economics) Robert Aumann and Daphne Netanyahu, an Israeli law professor and Benjamin Natanyahus sister-in-law.
The UN-based and funded ReliefWeb reported November 6, 2007 on the speech of Israeli UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman to the UNs Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural), in which Gillerman described the commission as a moral bankruptcy . The inclusion of this statement is to be noted as a welcome precedent, especially given ReliefWebs problematic track record.
A Palestinian included by a human rights group [Gisha] as one of hundreds of university students trapped in Gaza is apparently not a student and used what appeared to be a forged document to make his case to leave for Texas, The Associated Press learned on Thursday.
In an October 14, 2007 article, the New York Times discusses a report by military analyst William M. Arkin on Israels bombing of Lebanon in the 2006 war. As the article notes, Arkin is a professional air-power analyst familiar with the work of human rights groups, who served as an advisor to Human Rights Watch during the 1999 Kosovo war, and as a military adviser to a United Nations mission to Israel and Lebanon in 2006. The article quotes Arkins sharp criticism of human rights groups claims that elements of the bombing campaign constituted a "disproportionate response" and "war crimes".
"Human rights and poverty relief charity War on Want has accused 'politically motivated lobbyists' of abusing Charity Commission complaints procedures to prevent the organisation from defending Palestinians' human rights. Lee Scott, Conservative MP for Ilford North, complained to the regulator about the charity's online Palestine guide, which describes itself as a 'guide for boycott, divestment and sanctions' against Israel. Scott denied that the motivation for his letter was political. 'War on Want is a registered charity,' he told Third Sector. 'As such, it shouldn't involve itself in political matters, and this is a political matter. This is not something that a charity that wants to help people should be doing.'
The United Nations has scheduled an International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels, August 30-31. This misleading title not withstanding, this annual conference is held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the International Coordinating Network for Palestine - frameworks that promote the conflict through NGOs involved in implementing the Durban agenda of demonization. This year, for the first time, the exercise is gaining the legitimacy of sponsorship by the European Parliament, further highlighting the role that the Europe Union plays in supporting the NGO campaign. While the speakers list is secret until the conference, highlighting the violation of transparency in the UN and EU, past speakers have included radical figures such as Jeff Halper (from the EU-funded ICAHD (and allied with Sabeel), Raji Sourani from PCHR, Michael Warschawski, of the Alternative Information Centre, and Jamal Juma Jaafreh, from the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. Topics include The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and civil society response, Action by civil society organizations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory...
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), as documented by NGO Monitor, has taken a very biased position towards the Israeli-Arab conflict that distorts the core values of universal human rights. This report has yet to be assessed in full, but the following press summary indicates continuing bias that focuses blame and recommendations primarily and disproportionately on Israel.
USAID will now be screening all personnel at NGOs that receive USAID funding to make sure they have no links to terrorism. This is in addition to the pledge each organization has to sign that it is not connected to terrorist groups. In the past, certain Palestinian NGOs have refused to sign such declarations.
Kudos to the Polish members of the European Parliament, who are boycotting another anti-Israel UN conference. And shame on the rest of the Europeans who are eager to participate.
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