David Bedein Refutes NIF Attack On His Article

And so it goes.
Last week, David Bedein wrote an article in The Jewish Week, commenting on the investigation by The Knesset into "whether NIF poses a security risk to Israel":

Crossing Red Lines?: New Israel Fund And Israel

by David Bedein
Special To The Jewish Week

This week, the battle in Jerusalem over the credibility of the New Israel Fund moved to the Knesset, where Israel’s elected officials will conduct what will likely be a spirited debate as to whether NIF poses a security risk to Israel. The debate follows the publication of the full text of the Goldstone commission, where NIF grantees such as the Rabbis for Human Rights, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Israel Committee Against Torture, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights and at least a dozen more NIF-funded groups collectively accused the government and the Israeli army of crimes against humanity during the Gaza war.

This “war crime” accusation has become the trigger for a host of European countries that have threatened to prosecute Israeli politicians and Israeli reserve army officers for war crimes, if they were to step foot on their soil.

The New Israel Fund, in its defense, says it does not support those who demonize Israel or call for divestment or boycott of Israel, and that it will not assist those who advocate the “right of return” for Palestinians to reclaim land lost to them in 1948.

What the Knesset will examine, however, are a host of NIF grantees that violate these stated NIF policies, independent of the Goldstone controversy.

Read the whole thing.

In response to Bedein's article, NIF responded that the article was in error on a number of points, claiming that:

1. NIF has never funded Zochrot or New Profile, contrary to what Bedein claims in his article.

2. NIF has in fact not funded Coalition for Women for Peace since 2006, as Bedein writes..

3. Bedein is incorrect in asserting that NIF-grantee Adalah was involved in the Durban2 Conference, and in fact NIF itself signed the Magenta Principles objecting to any anti-Israel agenda there and also refused to fund any attendance or participation at the conference. 

4. NIF demands to know Bedein's source for the list of those groups receiving funding from NIF who accuse Israel of having committed war crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead

In response to the NIF's rebuttal, David Bedein has given the following refutation:



Technorati Tag: NIF and Goldstone Report.