By Steve Kramer
Delegitimization efforts against Israel continue to be a major problem. Alone among the democracies, Israel’s sovereignty is singled out and questioned. Ian Lustick’s front page, above-the-fold NY Times Sunday Review article (September 15) is a particularly nasty example. Lustick, a political science professor at Penn, has made a career out of bashing Israel. That the NY Times saw fit to publish yet another article in favor of the demise of the Jewish state is, unfortunately, only the latest in a long series of similar articles.
This destructive activity is not confined to publishers of articles and books, nor to broadcasters and websites. European countries and the United Nations are active in funding NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Israel whose primary purpose is to undermine Israel’s legitimacy, paving the way for a Palestinian state in place of the Jewish, Zionist one. (Of course, the Arabs also fund these organizations, as do wealthy Westerners such as billionaire George Soros.) Below are a few examples to illustrate the extreme prejudice of the EU and the UN against Israel.
Yesh Din (Hebrew for There is a Law), “is an independent, non-partisan organization registered with the Israeli registrar of non-profit organizations. To maintain its independence, Yesh Din is careful not to receive direct or indirect donations from Israeli or Palestinian government bodies. Its financial sources are reported to the relevant authorities, as required by law. [Supposedly, accepting money from European governments does not affect the independence of Yesh Din.]
“Yesh Din [works] to defend the human rights of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation. …Yesh Din views the occupation as a main source of the violation of the human rights of the Palestinian population and therefore seeks to end it.”
Yesh Din might sound like a worthwhile human rights organization, but as a supporter of BDS (boycott, delegitimize and sanction Israel) it is only one of the many NGOs which are sabotaging Israel’s status as a democratic state. These groups fly the banner of Palestinian human rights and pay no attention to Israeli human rights. The clandestine bankrolling of Yesh Din and many similar organizations is a conspiracy which certainly is anti-Zionist and probably is anti-Semitic. (The modern state of Israel was established during the post-WWII honeymoon; since 1967 Western anti-Zionism has been growing and morphing into anti-Semitism.)
“Yesh Din is funded exclusively by generous donations we receive each year from our supporters. Yesh Din wishes to express our ongoing gratitude to the private individuals, from Israel and around the world, and the following institutional donors for their generous support:
European Union
Irish Aid
German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Refugee Council
Oxfam-Novib
United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Netherlands Embassy in Israel
New Israel Fund [America]
and others …
While many Europeans might applaud this use of their tax dollars, others would be appalled that their strapped economies are sending money abroad to help topple Israel.
Is it proper for foreign governments to subsidize organizations which do their best to delegitimize friendly, Western countries? I think not. It’s not proper to cast Israel as a human rights violator when it bends over backwards to maintain a balance between protecting the security of its citizens and attacking its adversaries, who are, after all, enemies intent on usurping Israel’s sovereignty.
Why do some Israelis and non-Israeli Jews support Yesh Din and similar organizations? Are those supporters equally, or even partially, upset over truly grievous human rights violations in both democratic and authoritarian countries which comprise the United Nations? No.
The United Nations and the EU are complicit in singling out Israel for discriminatory treatment. A recent Jerusalem Post article points this out: “One more institutional bias at the UN Human Rights Council is the handiwork of European and other Western governments. UN members are organized, off-camera, into five regional groups where they share information, negotiate, and distribute important jobs and resources. At the Council these bodies meet regularly prior to public sessions – but the only one of 193 UN members not admitted to any of the regional groups is Israel.
“This exclusion is an obvious violation of the UN Charter’s promise of equality for ‘all nations large and small.’ Nevertheless, the geographically disparate ‘Western European and Others Group’ refuses to admit Israel. … In short, UN Human Rights Council discrimination and double-standards against Israel are ubiquitous.” This discrimination against Israel is a keystone of the Council’s mission against Israel. In fact, the subject of Israel’s so-called violations takes up most of the Council’s deliberations!
Israel bashing is profitable business for academics such as Ian Lustick, for organizations such as Yesh Din, and for diplomats who work at the EU and UN. One can structure a whole career around the “Palestinian cause” and “neo-Nazi” Israel. However, Israel is not without friends and influence. It has become impossible to ignore Israel’s intellectual and military prowess, causing many countries to toe the anti-Israel line in public while promoting ties quietly. India and China are prime examples.
Despair over the BDS program against Israel is unproductive. Support for Israel brings positive results. If you are interested in finding out more about this subject, check out http://ngo-monitor.org, http://www.unwatch.org and http://honestreporting.com to be kept up to date.
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This article was previously published by the Jewish Times of South Jersey. Author Kramer’s works may also be read on the website, www.encounteringisrael.com