Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Israel publicized an official petition demanding that European countries stop funding organizations that promote the delegitimization of Israel and try to undermine its existence.
According to data published by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, European governments funnel a staggering sum of 100-200 million euros annually to anti-Israel organizations operating under the guise of human rights advocacy.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely recently met with several European ministers and officials and presented information along with evidence indicating that they have been involved in funding anti-Israel organizations that promote boycotts against the Jewish State, Israel’s Ynet reports.
“They tarnish Israel’s image, accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing, of apartheid and of war crimes,” Hotovely stated. “They negate Israel’s right to self definition and call on the world to charge Israel with war crimes at the Hague.”
Some of these organizations take their anti-Israel activity a step further and support outright terror, she said.
Israel clearly delineated its red lines when it comes to groups operating in Israel: Those that undermine Israel’s right to exist, work against the IDF and promote the so-called Palestinian “right of return,” which in affect means flooding Israel with millions of Arabs who claim to be refugees, are not considered legitimate. These types of organizations include, for example, Zochrot, Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP) and Breaking the Silence.
Zochrot supports a “one state” framework, or a “de-Zionized Palestine.”
CWP is a leader in the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and its officials participated in an event in which they carried flags of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 2014, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the EU provided NIS (New Israeli Shekel) 415,741 (roughly $110,000) to CWP.
Breaking the Silence is active in promoting war crimes charges against Israel based on anonymous and unverifiable hearsay “testimonies.”
Demanding Concrete Action
Hotovely issued a directive to Israel’s ambassadors in Europe that they are to approach the foreign ministries in their respective counties, demanding they tighten the oversight of monies given to these organizations to ensure they are used for legitimate human rights purposes rather than funding anti-Israel activity.
She warned that if the European governments do not comply with the demand, Israel will be forced to formulate laws banning foreign funding of activities in Israel.
Israel’s foreign ministry also circulated a document detailing the anti-Israel organizations and their activities.
In the document, Israel points out that European funding for organizations operating in Israel is the highest in the world.
Holland contributed NIS 12,963,536 (approximately $3,403,397) between 2012-2015. Denmark funneled NIS 4,088,173 ($1,073,293) and another $5,000 to Palestinian organizations, Switzerland donated NIS 4,917,744 (1,291,086), Spain gave NIS 3,844,066 ($1,009,206) and the UK gave a whopping NIS 12,081,524 ($3,171,837). Several other European countries, such as Germany and Sweden, have likewise contributed millions to anti-Israel causes.
By: United with Israel Staff