Israel Matzav

Im Tirtzu: Arab money supporting Israeli Leftist groups

In a report released on YNet's website on Monday night, Im Tirtzu, the group that exposed the New Israel Fund's connection to the Goldstone Report, described how Arab and European moneys fund Leftist groups in Israel.

According to Im Tirtzu, a centrist extra-parliamentary movement that "strives to strengthen the values of Zionism in Israel," the findings prove the need for the establishment of an inquiry commission. The report focuses on two Palestinian organizations – the Welfare Association and the NGO Development Center –which it claims work together to fund pro-Palestinian activities in Israel and the territories.

The report states that the organizations' yearly budget, which is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, comes from a number of sources: Countries and organizations in Europe - including the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland and Denmark – as well as Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Qatar.

According to Im Tirtzu, large banks, such as the Islamic Development Bank, as well as Arab funds, also allocate money to the Welfare Association and the NGO Development Center, which then transfer 97% of the funds to Palestinians in the territories and some 3% to leftist Israeli organizations.

The report also claims that the Welfare Association is directly involved in Arab activity in Israel, including a campaign against obligating Arab youths to participate in Israel's National Service program.

Im Tirtzu said that among the Israeli organizations to receive funds from the Welfare Association are Adalah, Mada al-Carmel and the Galilee Society.

According to the report, $2.65 million were allocated by the Welfare Association to finance activity in Israel, specifically to boost the socio-economic status of Arab-Israelis and to preserve and foster Palestinian national identity.

The Welfare Association also supports two local councils – Nazareth and Kafr Kana.

Over the past few years the Welfare Association's annual budget stood at roughly $40 million, making it one of the key channels for the transfer of funds to the Palestinians.

The Arab countries also fund 13 Israeli Leftist organizations including B'Tselem, Mossawa, Adalah, Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, the Public Committee against Torture, HaMoked Center for the Defense of the Individual and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

Read the whole thing. A lot of the money is coming from Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Holland. I suspect that will be news to most Israelis. In particular, there's been a lot of hostility toward us from Sweden over the last couple of years (it was their media that accused the IDF of stealing organs from dead 'Palestinians'), and I suspect that a lot of Israelis will not be happy when and if they find out the truth.

Labels: Association for Civil Rights in Israel, B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence, Im Tirtzu, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:59 PM