Wednesday, July 09, 2014

NGO Monitor report: Analysis of NGO Agendas and Distortions on the Gaza Conflict‏


NGO MonitorJuly 09, 2014
As in previous rounds of the Arab-Israeli conflict, political NGOs have issued numerous unfound statements condemning Israel.
These statements make unverifiable claims, distort international law, and in at least one of the cases (see below) include language of blood libel. They are repeated by journalists, diplomats, and UN officials.

MAIN THEMES:

1) Narrow ideological agendas vs. universal principles: NGOs exploit universal human rights and international legal rhetoric to promote narrow ideologies and agendas. Their allegations and condemnations are driven by political concerns, not human rights values or objective, factual analysis.
  • Breaking the Silence
[Funded by the European Union, Spain (via AECID), the Netherlands (via ICCO), Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UK (via Christian Aid), Denmark (via DanChurchAid), Germany (via Medico International), Norway, the Open Society Institute and the New Israel Fund)]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “... the precondition for long-awaited peace and quiet in the region is ending the occupation. ...Behind both operation ‘Protective Edge’ and ‘Brother’s Keeper’ there is a steady continuous existence of fear, oppression and injustice. This is the occupation, and millions of people live under the burden of its weight day after day.” (emphasis added)
  • Israeli Social TV
[Funded by the Netherlands (via Cordaid), UK (via the Sigrid Rausing Trust), EU (via EMHRF), France (via CCFD), American Friends Service Committee, Foundation for Middle East Peace, and the New Israel Fund]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “How do you turn blood into money? Like every military operation, ‘Protective Edge’ is fertile ground for testing new weapons and improving the killing mechanisms. For there is a need to maintain Israel’s place in exporting unmanned aerial vehicles, and there is no better place for that than bombing the Middle East’s densest area.” (emphasis added; translated from the original Hebrew by NGO Monitor)

  • Sabeel
[Funded by the Netherlands (via Kerk in Actie), Sweden(via Diakonia), Mennonite Central Committee (U.S. and Canada), Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church USA, Presbyterian Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, and Friends of Sabeel chapters in North America, UK, Norway, and others]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “The rockets from Gaza will not end the occupation. ..the military might of israel will not defeat our people...in few days or a couple of weeks a cease fire will occur but only after many mothers will weep and burry their dead...may God’s power silence the violence and bring an end to the occupation the source of all evil.”
  • Amnesty International
Press Release: “Israel/Gaza: All sides must protect civilians as conflict escalates,” July 8, 2014: “…in light of the continuing failure by both sides to provide accountability, Amnesty International is again calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.” (This demand repeatedly appears in Amnesty statements on Israel.)
  • Defence for Children International – Palestine Section
[Funded by the European Union, the Netherlands (via ICCO and Kerk in Actie), Secretariat (joint governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands), Germany (EED), Save the Children International, Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UNDP, World Vision, The United Methodist Church, The United Church of Canada, and others]
Statement: “Seven children killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza,” July 9, 2014 “The death and injury to children caused by Israel’s military offensive on Gaza demonstrates serious and extensive disregard of fundamental principles of international law.” (There is no mention of Israeli children in this statement.)
2) Unverifiable allegations: NGO statements are unverified, unsupported, and non-credible, primarily based on unreliable “eyewitnesses” and pseudo-investigations. The following illustrative examples violate norms of due diligence.
  • B’Tselem
[Funded by the European Union, Norway, Germany (via EED), Ireland (via Trocaire), UK, Sweden (via Diakonia), the Netherlands (via ICCO), the NDC (currently the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat; joint funding from Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands), UNDP, and the Ford Foundation]
Press Release: “Protect civilians from the impact of hostilities,” July 8, 2014: “B’Tselem’s initial investigation found that since the operation began, approximately 10 people were killed in several attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. Of these, to the best of B’Tselem’s knowledge at this point, seven persons – most of them minors – were killed when the home of alleged Hamas activist ‘Odeh al-Kaware’ah was bombed.” (emphasis added)
  • Oxfam International
Statement: “Oxfam calls for urgent ceasefire as Gaza-Israel violence escalates,” July 9, 2014: “Continued escalation will have a particularly severe impact on civilians in Gaza, who are already impoverished by the ongoing Israeli blockade andaccount for the vast majority of those injured and killed in the violence.” (emphasis added)
3) Distortions and inventions of international law: NGOs often make legal claims relating to military matters requiring expertise or factual information that they do not possess.  In some cases, the legal principle invoked is grossly distorted, inapplicable, or simply made up so that NGOs can allege a violation by Israel.
  • Amnesty International
Press Release: “Israel/Gaza: All sides must protect civilians as conflict escalates,” July 8, 2014: “Both sides have an abysmal track record of violating international human rights and humanitarian law during armed conflict....Amid the renewed hostilities and in light of the continuing failure by both sides to provide accountability, Amnesty International is again calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.”
  • Defence for Children International – Palestine Section
[Funded by the European Union, the Netherlands (via ICCO and Kerk in Actie), Secretariat (joint governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands), Germany (EED), Save the Children International, Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UNDP, World Vision, The United Methodist Church, The United Church of Canada, and others]
Statement: “Seven children killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza,” July 9, 2014 “The death and injury to children caused by Israel’s military offensive on Gaza demonstrates serious and extensive disregard of fundamental principles of international law…Israeli forces must not carry out indiscriminate airstrikes in densely populated areas that fail to distinguish between military targets, civilians and civilian objects.”
  • War on Want
[Funded by Ireland, UK, Network for Social Change, Methodist relief and development, and others]
Facebook post, July 5, 2014: “Strong protest outside Israel's embassy in London today! Thanks to everyone who attended, chanted and spoke out against Israel's collective punishment measures and human rights violations.”
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “Join us for an emergency protest on Friday 11 July (5:30-7:30pm) outside the Israeli embassy. We need your support to stop Israel's latest military aggression against the Palestinian people.”
 

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