NGO-Goldstone alliance resumes Gaza war vs. Israel
Marking one year since the Gaza war, various NGOs published reports and released statements repeating allegations of Israeli “war crimes” and “violations of human rights.”
A coalition of international NGOs –including Amnesty-UK, Trocaire (Ireland), Finn Church Aid, Diakonia (Sweden), Oxfam, Oxfam-NOVIB (Holland), Cordaid (Holland), and Christian Aid (UK) – published a report “Failing Gaza: No rebuilding, no recovery, no more excuses” (December 2009). These NGOs advance the unsupported legal claim that Gaza remains occupied and the false allegation of “collective punishment” in order to “prove” their central thesis: “primary responsibility [for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza] lies with Israel.”
These NGOs promoted the biased Goldstone Report, which is largely based on NGO “research” and “testimony” and is featured prominently in other NGO publications on the anniversary of the Gaza conflict:
- Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a press release (Israel/Gaza: One Year After Hostilities, Abuses Unpunished, December 26, 2009), criticized Israel and Hamas for failing to “punish members of their own forces for laws-of-war violations during the fighting.” HRW referred to its three reports on “serious laws-of-war violations by Israeli forces,” which, as NGO Monitor has demonstrated, were inconsistent, applied questionable methodologies, and utilized evidence selectively to fit HRW’s agenda. HRW also accused Israel of “creat[ing a] massive humanitarian need.”
- B’Tselem called for lifting the “unlawful and immoral” “siege on Gaza.” B’Tselem also initiated a “public campaign” featuring an animated film that trivializes the complexities of the conflict and Israel’s responses to attacks targeting civilians.
- Adalah released a paper (The First Anniversary of the War on Gaza: Adalah’s Work on Gaza and the Goldstone Mission, December 2009) detailing the legal action it has taken against Israel during and following the war regarding allegations of “violations of international human rights (IHRL) and humanitarian law (IHL) against Palestinians in Gaza by Israel.”
- FIDH (International Federation of Human Rights, France) and Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) demanded “accountability for the violations of international human rights” and lobbied for European Union pressure on Israel.
- A “Gaza Freedom March” on December 31, 2009 was organized by radical NGO activists from CODEPINK, coordinated with the Hamas regime in Gaza. The march was endorsed by Rabbis for Human Rights Executive Director Arik Ascherman, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Coordinator Jeff Halper, the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), Canadian Arab Federation, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Ittijah, and Yesh Gvul.
