The exploitation of international legal rhetoric has become a major weapon in the political war to delegitimize Israeli responses to attacks on its civilian population. By couching political attacks in legal terms, NGOs seek to create a veneer of credibility and expertise, thereby increasing international pressure against Israel.
In 2009, the European Commission allocated 2,007,051 through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) for Israeli and Palestinian NGOs. Highly politicized Israeli NGOs include ICAHD, Machsom Watch, Adalah, ACRI, and Yesh Din. Some grantees use rhetoric that demonizes Israel, including apartheid and war crimes. 2008 EIDHR recipients included BTselem, Breaking the Silence, Gisha, HaMoked, and PHR-I. The EC claims to have evaluations of NGO funding, but these are not made available.
Media statements from KAIROS and its supporters have claimed that there is no evidence that the organization was active in anti-Israel campaigns, such as BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions). This information is inconsistent with information published by KAIROS. KAIROS published a strategy paper that endorses divestment from Israel, explicitly promoting the campaign in the U.S. Presbyterian Church and led by Sabeel. The text also describes KAIROS plans to coordinate these activities among its member churches.
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