Avaaz is an openly political “global web movement,” claiming to organize grassroots campaigns because “decisions are shaped by political elites and unaccountable corporations -- not the views and values of the world’s people” (emphasis in original).

Regarding Israel, Avaaz has been active on internal Israeli issues such as the “tents” protests (including a personal plea from Daphni Leef, a leader of the social protests, to petition for a new state budget), children of foreign workers, “violence and racism in talkbacks,” as well as topics related to the Arab-Israeli conflict – recognition of a Palestinian state, the Gaza War, and protests over a Jewish presence in Sheikh Jarrah (East Jerusalem).

While Avaaz’s pro-Palestinian PR initiative on statehood was uncritically cited by The Guardian, the EU Observer, Ha’aretz, and the Jerusalem Post, an independent analysis has expressed concerns that this represents “astroturfing” – “the manufacture of fake ‘grassroots’ campaigns.” 

In general, the lack of transparency about Avaaz’s operation and personnel make it difficult to evaluate whether its impact is real or artificial. Additionally, within the Israeli context, the extent of the relationship between Avaaz and activists and campaigns that are closely linked with the New Israel Fund are unclear. 

  • Avaaz was co-founded in 2007 by “Res Publica, a global civic advocacy group, and Moveon.org,” a George Soros-funded organization involved in ideological and political campaigns in the US. 
  • In 2009, budget was over $4 million. Claims that “Avaaz takes absolutely no money from governments or corporations...While we received initial seed grants from partner organizations and charitable organizations,” including Soros’ Open Society Foundations, “almost 90% of the Avaaz budget now comes [from] small online donations.” 
  • Activities include “signing petitions, funding media campaigns and direct actions, emailing, calling and lobbying governments, and organizing ‘offline’ protests and events.”
  • Avaaz’s campaign entitled “Palestine: the time is now,” aims at pressuring the UK, France, and Germany to support a Palestinian bid for recognition by “run[ning] 3 urgent public opinion polls that clearly show these leaders that their people support recognition, and flood[ing] the media with full page ads,” and conducting protests outside EU offices. The petition and accompanying video titled “Middle East Peace – The Real Story” promote the Palestinian narrative, claiming that “US-led peace initiatives have failed for decades, while Israel has confined the Palestinian people, confiscated their lands and blocked Palestine from becoming a sovereign political entity.”
  • Claims to have collected over 900,000 signatures on the petition, but according to an independent assessment, this campaign may represent “astroturfing” – “the manufacture of fake ‘grassroots’ campaigns”: “While there may be a logical explanation for the varying numerical data the [Avaaz] site displays [discrepancy between the number page views and signatures],the bottom line is that the numbers don’t add up. The conversion rate is rapidly dropping. This is not a rapidly growing viral campaign but rather a major investment that has fizzled.” 
  • Behind the façade of democracy and social protests (August 6, 2011), “The domain Avaaz.org attacked [29 governments email accounts]...with more than 250,000 SMTP email protocols [i.e., individual email messages that would flood and overwhelm the system]” on August 6, 2011, according to the Israeli government Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). In response, Avaaz claimed that there was no attack and that only 3,500 emails were sent. 
  • Avaaz calls for members to participate in the Sheikh Jarrah protests, providing a distorted account of the situation and using highly offensive, racially-charged rhetoric: “the unjust eviction of Palestinians, losing their homes in the aggressive Judaization of East Jerusalem.”
  • Avaaz’s campaign for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in 2007and to “end [] the blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza” called for a two-state solution and “respect for human rights on both sides.” But, the campaign was publicized through a highly problematic agitprop video called “Stop the Clash of Civilizations.” The video draws a moral equivalence between terrorists and their victims, between armies of sovereign states and terror groups, and between September 11th and the Iraq war, claiming “are we that different?” 
  • Raluca Ganea is a main Avaaz campaigner in Israel. She is also involved with an NGO called “Shutafut-Sharakah,” a “forum of civil society organizations committed to the advancement of democratic values and the promotion of an equal and shared society for all Israeli citizens, Jews and Arab-Palestinians alike.” Shutafut-Sharakah was founded, among others, by NIF-affiliated groups and The Abraham Fund Initiatives.