Monday, September 6, 2010
[The following, by Adam Levick, is crossposted from CiF Watch.]
The debate in Israel over European government grants to NGOs (in Israel and the Palestinian territories) who supposedly engage in "humanitarian" work often centers around the failure to adequately monitor such groups to see if they're abiding by the terms of their funding agreements.
However, more than simply a question of accountability over the particulars of specific grants, often times such governments fund NGOs who are openly committed to aims that not only aren't peaceful, but often promote outright demonization and openly question Israel's very right to exist - goals with run counter to at least the stated aims of the European governments in questions, as well as the EU.
(Other bodies who fund such NGO's are large and well-funded foundations, such as New Israel fund (NIF). Indeed, NIF has its own accountability issues - and still continues to fund NGOs who openly promote BDS, engage in delegitimization, and question Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state within any borders. Such problems have been thoroughly documented. See here and here.)
The BADIL Resource Center has been funded in part by the governments of Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, and Sweden - as well as Oxfam.
It's stated aims are:
BADIL Center is an independent, community-based non-profit organization mandated to defend and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees and IDPs.Our vision, missions, programs and relationships are defined by our Palestinian identity and the principles of international law, in particular international human rights law. We seek to advance the individual and collective rights of the Palestinian people on this basis
However, more than merely "advancing the rights of Palestinians", BADIL, according to research by NGO-Monitor:
- Referred to "Israel's colonial apartheid regime," "state-sponsored racism," and "systematic ethnic cleansing."
- Openly "supports the development of a popular refugee lobby for the "right of return."
- Is involved in "lawfare" attempts to prosecute and sue Israeli military officials in international and European courts.
- Uses the language of demonization to advance the "right of return" claim that also seeks to end Israel's status as a Jewish state.
Indeed, if there was any doubt that BADIL - who has consultative status at the United Nations - engages in extreme demonization (some of which clearly crosses the line into outright anti-Semitism), the group recently posted this cartoon on their website:
Something to consider the next time the Guardian, or an Israeli NGO, speaks of the "impediments to peace".
Antisemitic incitement by US media
For the Jews in Israel, Money Trumps All?
Sol,
Wishing you and your Jewish Readers a Happy New Year and as they say Shana Tova and Chag Sameach.
Cynic, speaking of transparent anti-semitism in time magazine, here is an especially nasty example, that convinced my family to never again subscribe to time magazine.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914950,00.html
In the SECOND sentence of a May 30, 1977 article about the GREAT Menachem Begin in time magazine...
"Menachem Begin (rhymes with Fagin) has been anything but that to his numerous antagonists."
Thank you! Right back at you.
Oh - the Time piece - good lord.
Happy New Year to all!