EU Perpetuates Misinformation From The NGOs That Depend On It For Funding

Jason Edelstein, communications director at NGO Monitor, writes about Europe's neo-colonialist agenda in Israel:

European colonialism ended after the Second World War. And while African and Asian countries experienced post-colonial challenges, Israel developed quickly into a democracy with a burgeoning economy. But, along with these successes, Israel also became a playground for a neo-colonialist European agenda with its goals being to meddle and manipulate the Israeli democratic processes.


This is evident in Israel's vibrant non-governmental organisation network, which has grown into an industry funded in large-part by European countries and the European Union. Israeli NGOs use this funding to prepare reports that form the basis of European policy recommendations. Combined with the fact that these reports often contain false and misleading information, this process is highly problematic and counterproductive to achieving a coherent policy for the region. The strong European-NGO relationship has fostered a strategy to exert pressure on Israeli officials. And, with regards to the EU, this has been implemented deceptively and with no regard for Israel's sovereignty.

To get an idea of the extent of the mistakes the European Union is spreading about Israel via these NGOs, you can read an article that the NGO Monitor just put out that EU Documents Repeat False NGO Claims And Increase Tension.

Here is a sampling that NGO Monitor provides:

Inaccurate NGO-based EU Claims	Accurate Information
“[p]rior to the Israeli occupation in 1967, Palestinian population of the Jordan Valley was estimated at between 200,000 and 320,000.” (Area C)	According to the 1961 Jordanian West Bank census, the population of the “Jericho district” was 63,980. The entire population of the West Bank was only 600,000 in 1967 (and the Jordan Valley was one of the least populated regions).
“Only citizens of Israel or those legally entitled to claim Israeli citizenship (i.e. Jewish) can buy property built on state land,” (Jerusalem 2010)	Israeli law explicitly allows for every citizen or permanent resident to buy property built on state land, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. Officials are explicitly authorized to certify sales to non-citizen non-residents.
a “requirement for Israeli ambulance staff to enter Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem only under police escort” regularly results in “unnecessary, and potentially life-threatening, delays for Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem.” (Jerusalem 2011)	The NGOs and the EU fail to mention the numerous incidents of Israeli ambulances being attacked while responding to emergency calls in those neighborhoods. This creates a false perception that Israel needlessly discriminates against Palestinians, and denies them medical attention.
“…the institutional and leadership vacuum in East Jerusalem created by the prolonged closure of those institutions, in particular that of the Orient House.” (Jerusalem 2010)	The Orient House was closed in August 2001, as part of Israel’s defense against a wave of suicide bombings, after Israeli security forces found stolen weapons in the Orient House and documents proving that Palestinian officials had been operating illegally from the building.
“The Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount area continued to see heightened tension and inflammatory actions which led to riots and demonstrations in Palestinian neighborhoods…The perceived threat to religious places promote rumors which in turn can lead to violent encounters between the various groups…The disputes regarding various construction projects (e.g. ‘archeological tunnels’, recent plans  to alter of the Western Wall plaza) serve as examples of a lack of consensus-building by Israel around those projects in sensitive areas of the city.” (Jerusalem 2010 report / similar language in 2011 report)	In the EU reports, the controversy related to repairs to the Mughrabi Bridge (the main access point for non-Muslims) is presented in a highly misleading and partisan manner, blaming Israel alone for “exacerbat[ing] tensions” and failing to condemn extremist Islamic clerics who exploit “genuine safety concerns” as a pretext for incitement to violence. The Waqf’s consistent and clearly documented violations in the area are ignored. According to a May 2011 Israel State Comptroller report, the Waqf caused severe damage to the Temple Mount by illegally digging below it.

Read the whole thing.

It is absurd that in addition to the regular fabrications manufactured by the Arabs, Israel has to put up with the errors and biases of NGOs whose dependence on EU funding for their existence dictates their agenda.
To top it all off, we have the EU itself reaping what it has sown: biased and inaccurate information that it perpetuates.



Technorati Tag: Israel and EU.