EAPPI in Finland Accuses Israel of Persecuting Palestinian Children
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), in conjunction with Finn Church Aid (funded by the Finnish government), is traveling to major university campuses in Finland, alleging that Israel victimizes and discriminates against the Palestinian population and “vindictively persecutes” Palestinian children.
Speakers participating in the tour present an entirely biased view of the Arab-Israeli conflict, completely omitting Israeli perspectives and security concerns.
Founded by the World Council of Churches (WCC), EAPPI frequently uses inflammatory and demonizing rhetoric against Israel, engages in boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns, participates in activities commemorating the Palestinian “Nakba” (catastrophe), and promotes the “right of return,” meaning the end of the state of Israel as a Jewish state.
In November 2013, representatives from EAPPI lobbied the European Union to impose sanctions on Israel, encouraging churches worldwide to increase “advocacy that might affect their countries\’ foreign policy on the Middle East,” and seeking to block the Horizon 2020 program, a mutually beneficial agreement aimed at scientific research.
The tour is also being promoted by the Finnish branch of the radical NGO Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), which utilizes rhetoric of “ethnic cleansing,” “genocide,” “collective punishment,” and “apartheid.” According to its website, ICAHD is funded by the European Union, Spain, Trocaire, NGO Development Center (joint funding of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands), UNDP, World Vision, Mennonite Central Committee.