Being A Liberal In Israel For Fun--And Profit

Back in May, I blogged about those who claim to come to aid Palestinian Arabs--but stay for the perks

Emily Williams for example, an American project manager at a medical NGO reveals:

Palestine is the best-kept secret in the aid industry

Thus, the article in This Week In Palestine describes a life in the West Bank and Gaza that "has all the comforts that internationals want:

While the vast majority of ex-pats living here genuinely believe in the cause of liberation, it is far from the only reason for our mass invasion. Since the International Solidarity Movement was established in 2001, over 200 NGOs have sprung up in the West Bank and Gaza.

Now it turns out that those idealistic leftists who protest about Palestinian rights are doing pretty well themselves:


Yotam Feldman, a member of the leftist camp, finds that the human rights movement in Israel is quite profitable:

In a Hebrew language post at the "Eretz HaEmori" blog, Feldman says that in his life, he has witnessed how Israel's "human rights movement" became a source of income for its activists. He relates how his father's old Subaru "gradually turned" into a BMW, and how the family moved from a rented apartment in Yafo to a spacious Tel Aviv apartment.

... I began to understand that there is something irreversible about belonging to this community. It seemed to me that whoever tied his fate – whether because of family lineage or a private decision – with the fate of the NGOs in Israel, guaranteed himself a livelihood… for most of his adult life."

Feldman goes on to admit that his situation is not exceptional at all where one can protest and grow rich:Nor is his case extraordinary:

"It is a well known but seldom stated fact that a very large part of the leftist activists in Tel Aviv earn their salaries in different ways from the human rights branch. Many of the prominent – and often most vocal – activists in the demonstrations are paid spokespeople, PR people, producers and organizers and of course, lawyers who man the tip of the pyramid in these groups."

"This is a pretty confusing situation because when you are standing in a demonstration or even just engaging in idle talk, it is not clear if the person next to you is expressing his opinion as a result of inner conviction or as an inseparable part of his job…"

The leftist circle that lives off of political activism includes journalists and students who write about and research the field, he says. "Therefore, if it were not for the plethora of neo-colonialist European Union initiatives for solving disputes, safeguarding human rights and establishing good governance, it is likely that many of my acquaintances

Feldman concludes with on last revelation: it is because of this life of luxury that leftist groups protest against and disparage the proposed inquiry into the sources of their NGOs' funding.

Who knew how strong the ideology of the left in Israel was--an ideology of self-interest and wealth.

Hat tip: Noah Pollak

Technorati Tag: Israel and NGOs and and Human Rights Groups.