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[Excerpt:]

"Newman vents entirely misdirected outrage against NGO Monitor’s analysis of massive funding provided by foreign governments such as the European Commission and its member states for Israeli and Palestinian political groups. He falsely asserts that this research, which I lead, "has set as its task to delegitimize almost any NGO that so much as dares to support the peace process and/or receives funding from the European Union." In the first place, it is hard to understand how an academic can condemn research that seeks to reveal and understand a highly secretive process by which public funds are transferred into private hands by the EU or any other governmental organization. If EU officials would practice the transparency that they preach to others, and explain why many politicized NGOs critical of Israel are supported from among the many worthy applicants, my research (and possible legal action to obtain documents that should be public) would be unnecessary. In addition, Newman seems to be objecting to the facts showing that many of the NGOs funded by the EU’s "Partnership for Peace" framework actually fuel the conflict. (Newman has received EU funding for some of his own projects, perhaps making it difficult for him to play the role of an unbiased observer.) NGO Monitor’s analysis of the 2007 PfP awards highlights a number of projects and organizations that clearly promote anti-Israel boycotts and demonization."