Jerusalem – In advance of Israeli Independence Day, NGO Monitor has documented a number of Israeli NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that mourn the establishment of the state of Israel as a “Nakba” (“catastrophe” in Arabic) and actively promote a Palestinian “right of return,” which, if implemented, would effectually mean the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state. Such efforts are made possible by the extensive funding provided by foreign governments, mainly European governments (see below for funding details).

Many of these NGOs refer to Jewish aspects of the state of Israel as inherently racist, thereby denying the Jewish right to self-determination and misrepresenting the robustness of Israeli democracy.

“As Israelis mourn the victims of terror and warfare, and celebrate independence, a number of NGOs funded by European governments wage political war through false and demonizing campaigns exploiting the façade of human rights. Groups such as Zochrot, Adalah, Baladna, Combatants for Peace (CfP), and+972 Magazine continue the political warfare strategy adopted in the NGO Forum 2001 UN Durban Conference,” said Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor. “Foreign governments that claim to promote democracy and peace should not be funding and enabling fringe groups that delegitimize Israel and its vibrant democratic process.”

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