It has been a very interesting week regarding the Knesset investigation of Israeli NGOs accepting foreign money, especially from EU countries, in order to agitate against Israeli interests. It is one thing to be an independent “watch dog” on any variety of issues and situations affecting Israel and its policies, but another when the people behind these organizations have political agendas that attempt to undermine the country. These funds are coming from countries that have already shown their bias against Israel for any of a variety of reasons, including Norway, Sweden, UK, and EU sources.
I have also experienced first hand the deliberate attempt by some of the left leaning political advocates, not interested in transparency, attempt to discredit the proceedings by making personal attacks against individuals and their organizations that support this legislation. I think that it is about time that this issue be discussed and that all parties participate in this discussion. However, the NGOs that were invited all refused to show up and share their views. It is sad and disheartening that they had decided to abstain from the debate and then attempt criticism of the investigation.
The following are few paragraphs from an article and rebuttal by Naftali Balanson the managing editor of the NGO Monitor that appeared today’s Jerusalem Post.
The primary role of civil society is to “give voice” to ordinary citizens and ensure that government officials hear from those most affected by their decisions. The ability of citizens to inform public policy is the hallmark of any democracy, including Israel. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can be at the vanguard of democracy and pluralism, promoting the values of free and open debate.
Therefore, it was striking that some of the most prominent Israeli NGOs boycotted the December 1st Knesset conference on “Foreign Government Funding for NGO Political Activity in Israel.” The agenda included the political, diplomatic and legal issues raised by the phenomenon of NGOs which receive tens of millions of shekels from foreign governments, often without the knowledge of the Israeli government and public. Legislative proposals were also considered.
But they refused to attend. Instead, NGOs and their allies initiated a campaign to delegitimize the conference and silence its organizers. They pressed MKs like Daniel Ben-Simon to cancel participation in the event, and wrote angry op-eds in The Jerusalem Post (David Newman) and Ha’aretz (Didi Remez). Reflecting the pervasive secrecy and lack of full disclosure, Remez did not reveal that he works for Ben-Or Communications. In this role, he has a direct and personal interest in many of the organizations he was defending: the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Bimkom, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I), and Yesh Din.
These over-the-top reactions and silencing of critics reflect the “democracy deficit” and secretive nature of human rights NGOs in general. This trend is more pronounced among Israeli groups that rely heavily on foreign government funding.
For the rest of the story please go to
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259243065320&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
