In the article, « Pourquoi l'action de la DDC dans les territoires palestiniens est à nouveau critiquée (17 Janvier 2007) », you claim that NGO Monitor « is not impartial. » This is not correct.  NGOs are powerful actors with huge budgets and no framework for ensuring accountability.  They use state funds to implement a strategy adopted at the 2001 UN Conference on Racism - to delegitimize Israel and promote the Arab-Israeli conflict.  NGO Monitor was founded to examine this activity, and to promote critical debate through our systematic, fact- and quote-based analyses. 

Our research on DDC showed that Swiss development funds support highly politicized NGOs like Al Mezan, ARIJ, and Dev.tv, whose activities work against peace.  Far from engaging in “professional actions” as Mario Carera claims in the article, these NGOs distort international law, falsely label Israel an “apartheid state” or accuse it of “war crimes”. Al Mezan repeatedly claims Israel is “killing and abducting the Palestinian population” while Dev.tv films attack Israel for attempting to “Judaize and Zionize” the country. Both DDC-funded NGOs erase the context of Palestinian terror and corruption.  Such activities are at the expense of DDC's goal of advancing civil society and helping to “contribute to the enhancements for the prospects for peace.”

Prof. Gerald Steinberg
Executive Director, NGO Monitor