Click here to read full article in German (Also in Wirtschafts Woche)

EXCERPTS (translated from the original German)

A new study by the non-governmental organization “NGO Monitor” accuses the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation (Left Party), the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (Green), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (SPD), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (CDU), and others, of providing financial support to lobbying groups.

The list of accusations is long: German taxpayer money is directed to organizations that deny Israel’s right to exist, oppose the two-state solution, and rely on anti-Semitic stereotypes. “These organizations claim to pursue a moral agenda, but they act immorally,” Gerald Steinberg, President of NGO Monitor, told Handelsblatt Online.

Three examples:

The NGO Zochrot was granted 20,000 NIS (4,300 EUR) in 2013 by the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation. NGO Monitor accuses Zochrot of promoting an “extremely distorted historical narrative”. Indeed, the organization posts on its website statements against the two-state solution, which is endorsed by the federal government. Instead, Zochrot advocates for Palestinian “right of return” to Israel.

German taxpayer money also funds Miftah – a lobby group that aims to promote democratic development in Palestinian society. However, according to NGO Monitor, the organization has published posts accusing Israel of committing massacres, war crimes, and using anti-Semitic stereotypes. The German foundations apparently ignor the issue. According to NGO Monitor, Miftah has received in recent years approximately $120,000 from the Heinrich Böll and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

According to the report, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has also funded +972 Magazine, an English-language blog, which NGO Monitor accuses of “demonizing” the State of Israel, advocating for economic boycotts of Israel, as well as violence against Israeli civilians.

Beyond this substantial problem, NGO Monitor also points to the lack of transparency in the work of these foundations. As Steinberg claims, on the one hand, the foundations do not disclose information about the allocation of money provided to the organizations, while on the other hand, there is no control mechanism by the federal government to ascertain that German taxpayer money will be used only in accordance with German foreign policy.