Many of the activities and projects undertaken by Swisspeace are highly politicized, reflecting ideological preferences, prejudices and biases that can interfere with the organization’s stated objectives. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the biases are highly visible.
Israel is the target of an on-going multi-year campaign, led by terror-linked and pro-BDS NGOs, that exploit children in advocating for the IDF’s inclusion on the UN Children and Armed Conflict annex.
On May 5th, Rep. Betty McCollum introduced the fourth installment of her bi-annual BDS bill, again falsely accusing Israel of harming Palestinian children and calling for reduced US assistance.
On July 11, the UN Secretary-General released his annual report on Children in Armed Conflict (CAAC), dealing with the violation of children's rights in conflict zones in 2021. This year, the UN again presents misleading statistics and adopts invented standards in order to advance a narrative that the IDF violates the rights of Palestinian minors
The United Nations Secretary-General published the annual report on “grave violations” in the context of children and armed conflict for 2020 .
A number of USAID sub-grantees ran programs that introduced children to convicted terrorists, presented convicted terrorists as role models, and publicly demonstrated support for terrorists and terrorist organizations
Palestinian and international NGOs – funded by European governments and working in tandem with UNICEF’s West Bank and Gaza branch – have built an extensive campaign, using false charges of abuse of Palestinian children in the effort to trigger sanctions against Israel.
On June 21, 2020, the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) reported that Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) had elected a new board. Individuals who celebrated convicted terrorists, posted violent images, and made antisemitic statements were appointed, including to the important position of treasurer
Save the Children has produced an inaccurate report that presents a very politicized narrative that is clearly designed to demonize Israelis, not to protect minors.
Save the Children and Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict again published reports as part of the ongoing political campaigns to demonize Israel and have Israel included on a UN blacklist of “grave” violators of children’s rights. In the process, neither NGO applies the accepted UN definitions of what constitutes such violations, and the reports reflect major methodological shortcomings.
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