Update: On March 10, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism announced implementation of a new procedure for the granting of visas for humanitarian aid organizations. Based on structured criteria and managed by the Ministry, the new process includes examination of an organization’s political activity, such as delegitimization and lawfare against the State of Israel, and a requirement for full transparency regarding partner organizations and funding sources.

Introduction

For over 15 years, NGO Monitor has researched and documented the activities of international NGOs that are registered in Israel and are actively involved in anti-Israel lawfare, BDS campaigns, delegitimization, and other similar frameworks. Several NGOs also cooperate with terror-linked organizations and with UNRWA.

At the conclusion of the 1967 Six-Day War, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs was tasked with registering international NGOs to carry out humanitarian projects in the West Bank and Gaza. Initially, around 12 organizations were operational in the area. This number increased, and as of 2024, approximately 163 organizations were registered with the Ministry.

The process has remained largely unchanged since 1967. The Israeli government never established regulations to govern the registration process for new NGOs, procedures for removing organizations from the list of registered entities, or standards for sanctioning groups that violate regulations. Most new NGO applicants were automatically approved and received organizational visas.

Based on these findings, as well as large scale diversion of aid evidenced  following the October 7 2023 atrocities, it became clear that Israel must thoroughly vet organizations applying for humanitarian visas. This assessment was understood as necessary to ensure that visa recipients implement projects in accordance with the stated purposes of their visas and that their activities serve humanitarian objectives – as opposed to furthering politicized agendas and campaigns.

Distorting the definition of humanitarian aid

Though some of the NGOs that appear on the Ministry’s list engage in humanitarian activity in other regions around the world, their operations in Gaza, Area C, and Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem are markedly different. Instead of focusing on traditional humanitarian assistance, some prioritize one-sided political advocacy, exploiting the access granted by Israel.

Many of these NGOs implement projects under the framework of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA-oPt). OCHA operates in over thirty countries where humanitarian aid is needed, including Syria, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan.  In other regions, OCHA activities are largely centered around humanitarian efforts.  For instance, in other conflict zones OCHA defines its primary strategic objectives as “saving lives” or “overcoming hunger.” However, for the West Bank and Gaza, OCHA’s primary strategic objective is “The rights of Palestinians living under occupation, including those living under the blockade and other restrictions, are protected, respected and promoted in accordance with IHL [International Humanitarian Law] and IHRL [International Human Rights Law].”

Under this objective, many of the projects that are presented as humanitarian are actually components of politicized campaigns, carried out by international NGOs and their local partners, aimed at delegitimizing and isolating Israel.

UNRWA also operates within this framework, alongside international NGOs approved by the Ministry.

Examples of international NGOs that abuse Israeli humanitarian visas

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is one of the largest and most influential humanitarian organizations in the world, with an annual operating budget of over $700 million.

Since the Hamas-orchestrated October 7th attacks, NRC has issued numerous statements almost entirely focused on condemning Israel for its response in Gaza – aside from token mentions of Israeli victims.

NRC leads many projects in Gaza, in cooperation with local Palestinian NGOs and UN agencies – including UNRWA (2021). (Years-long efforts by NRC and OCHA to reduce transparency make it difficult to identify the local partners in many NRC-led projects.)

Non-humanitarian activity

NRC leads an unprecedented effort to exploit the Israeli legal system. In sharp contrast to NRC’s stated humanitarian agenda, this massive program focuses on some of the most complex and sensitive political issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The project includes filing thousands of cases in Israeli courts, causing gridlock, as well as furthering joint PA-EU goals to expand Palestinian control in Area C.  Project activities include, inter alia, “litigation of cases of public interest that challenge Israeli policy through Israeli courts and international mechanisms,” “policy change,” and “advocate for measures to be taken by the UN & 3rd States.” (See NGO Monitor’s report, “Flooding the Courts: The Norwegian Refugee Council’s European-Funded Proxy War.”)

Likewise, NRC leads the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC), which it defines as a “humanitarian project.” In practice, this mechanism aims to  “undertake advocacy toward UN Bodies and EU member States. Advocacy will be based on findings of the project and will include public interest”; “to ensure effective and timely political interventions by the UN and Third States”; and to legally support illegal Palestinian efforts to build in Area C.

Relatedly, NRC issues publications that outline its political goals, while encouraging international sanctions targeting Israel.  For instance, in its September 2023 “Area C is Everything” publication, NRC states that “To this end, a variety of means should be deployed … including: …utilizing strategic measures like sanctions in trade relations or attaching conditions to trade agreements” (emphases added).

Cooperation with terror-linked actors

NRC funds and partners with NGOs that have documented links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a US and EU-designated terrorist organization. This includes groups such as the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) – designated by Israel as a terrorist entity, and de-funded by the German and Dutch governments due to its PFLP ties.

NRC has also been a leader in NGO lobbying campaigns calling for the substantial relaxation of anti-terror regulations and vetting of partners. In December 2020, NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland addressed a conference organized by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, demanding “exemptions from counter-terrorism laws and sanctions regimes…We need blanket humanitarian exemptions….We need you to champion that there will be no vetting of the ultimate beneficiaries of humanitarian relief.”

Diakonia

Diakonia is a Swedish church-based aid agency.  It supports anti-Israel lawfare at the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as BDS and delegitimization campaigns – including adopting the false “apartheid” narrative.

Anti-Israel lawfare

  • In July 2023, Diakonia published a legal brief titled “Excessive Force: A Legal Analysis of Israel’s Operation in Jenin Refugee Camp,” which called on third states to “Exercise ‘due diligence’ and exert pressure on Israel to end ongoing violations of IHL (for example, by means of withholding support)” and “Cooperate with the investigation of international accountability mechanisms such as the ICC.”
  • Diakonia operates a legal program in “International Humanitarian Law” (IHL) that focuses exclusively on Israel, alleging Israeli violations and impunity, with the aim of furthering ICC investigations into Israel.
  • In 2022, Diakonia provided the Spanish government with an analysis of Israel’s designation of six terror-linked NGOs, and suggested ways in which Spain could circumvent Israeli authorities and continue funding these groups.
  • In March 2021, Diakonia’s IHL Centre in Jerusalem commissioned an “expert opinion”by a British law professor, on “whether the prohibition of apartheid applies in situations of occupation and how it interacts with the law of occupation.” According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), it relied on this opinion in its 2022 report accusing Israel of apartheid.

Supporting BDS activists

Diakonia funds the Swedish branch of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) and supports it through the recruitment and training of participants.

EAPPI sends activists to the West Bank, where they document alleged Israeli human rights violations.  This data is then incorporated into UN reporting, including by OCHA and UNICEF.  Notably, UNICEF’s NGO partners – including EAPPI – have engaged in a multi-year campaign to force international sanctions on Israel due to alleged human rights violations.

EAPPI activists enter Israel under false pretenses, obtaining 3-month tourist visas. Upon completion of the program, the volunteers return to their home countries and churches where many engage in anti-Israel advocacy, including advocating for BDS, comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany, and other forms of delegitimization.

World Vision

On June 15, 2022, Mohammad El-Halabi was convicted in the Beersheva District Court of diverting funds and materials to Hamas for terror purposes. At the time of his arrest in 2016, El-Halabi was the head of operations in Gaza for World Vision, an international aid organization registered with the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs.

El-Halabi was convicted of:

  • Contact with a foreign agent
  • Membership in a terror organization: “The defendant took an active and significant part in the activities of Hamas and assisted Hamas over the years in a variety of ways, including transferring monies and equipment that he knew would be used to fund terrorism and assisting terrorists, as detailed in the indictment. The defendant even participated in military actions such as marking exit points for tunnel openings on the Israeli side of the Erez Crossing…”
  • Illegal use of property for terror purposes
  • Providing information to the enemy
  • Illegal military training
  • Possession of weapons and ammunition

Investigation into World Vision’s Israeli non-profit

On November 3, 2021, the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to dissolve World Vision’s Israeli non-profit organization.  As justification for the request and following a multi-year investigation, the Registrar alleged that the local non-profit did not implement humanitarian projects as it claimed to and conducted financial transactions for purposes other than its stated goals – including providing funds to Hamas.  Moreover, the Registrar charged that the non-profit’s executive and oversight frameworks were non-functional and ineffective.

(For more information, see NGO Monitor’s “In-depth Audit Says World Vision Totally Incompetent, Funded Hamas.”)

Oxfam Novib

The Belgian-Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib supports BDS and lawfare campaigns.

For instance, on February 12, 2024, the Dutch Court of Appeal ruled that the Netherlands must cease transfer of US-owned F-35 fighter jet components to Israel. The appeal was initiated by four pro-BDS NGOs – including Oxfam Novib – which had sued the Dutch government to stop the transfers.

For other international NGOs registered with the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, see NGO Monitor’s reports on Dan Church Aid (DCA); Norwegian Church Aid (NCA); Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP); Medico International;  Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); Save the Children; HEKS-EPER; and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

Recommendations

  • The Israeli government must formulate a clear and comprehensive definition of what constitutes humanitarian activity. The activities of NGOs applying for visas much be thoroughly assessed against these benchmarks.
  • Clear regulations are necessary for the registration and management of NGOs working in Gaza, Area C, and Jerusalem. This includes establishing a database to track the projects they undertake; defining performance indicators; and instituting mechanisms to impose sanctions, restrict entry, and revoke visas for both organizations and their employees if they engage in activity detrimental to Israeli security or economy, or engage in activity unrelated to their humanitarian mandate.
  • Both government donors and humanitarian NGO must improve transparency. They must publish project details, including by describing their goals, identifying implementing partners, and specifying grant amounts.  Funders should also provide greater information about the grantee selection and vetting processes.

In addition to considering security, political, and humanitarian factors when granting visas to NGOs and their staff, it is imperative to address NGO involvement in delegitimization campaigns against Israel as a central consideration. This includes examining NGOs that collaborate with terror-linked organizations, promote BDS, interfere with IDF soldiers and pursue sanctions against them, engage in lawfare, and demonize and delegitimize Israel and its citizens.