MISEREOR

Activity

• MISEREOR is the official aid framework of the Catholic Church in Germany – since 1962, the German government is obligated under German law to provide financial support for the development work of church-aid organizations.
• MISEREOR views government advocacy as a central goal: “MISEREOR aims to influence public opinion and policymaking… This is how MISEREOR helps enable its partners and the beneficiaries to overcome structural injustices… appeal[ing] to the consciences of the powerful in Europe.”
• The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) contracts its church-based support to the Catholic Central Office for Development (KZE), a subsidiary of Misereor.

Funding

• In 2021, total income was €247 million; total expenses were €89.9 million, of which €2.9 million was spent on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
• Donors include the Catholic Central Agency for Development (KZE) and the Association of Dioceses in Germany (VDD).
• According to a November 2018 German parliamentary question, Germany funded six projects in the West Bank and Gaza implemented by the Catholic Central Agency for Development (KZE), a subsidiary of MISEREOR.

2018-2021 Funding to Misereor

Political Advocacy

• MISEREOR has provided grants to a number of highly biased and politicized NGOs active in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including:  Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, Zochrot, and HaMoked. (See table below for available financial information.)
  • According to a 1995 article in the Washington Report, PCHR Founder and Director Raji Sourani served “a three-year sentence [1979-1982] imposed by an Israeli court which convicted him of membership in the illegal Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine…” He was also denied a US entry visa in 2012. In February 2014, the PFLP organized a ceremony in Gaza honoring Sourani for winning the “Alternative Noble (sic) Prize.” For more information on PCHR’s PFLP ties, read NGO Monitor’s report “Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’ Ties to the PFLP Terror Group.”
    • In January 2020, a spokesman for Misereor defended this cooperation as “funding for projects that aim to ensure that human rights are respected by peaceful means.”
• In May 2021, Misereor was a signatory on a statement calling for the EU and its Member States to “Actively support accountability for violations of international law by all parties, including protecting the work and independence of the International Criminal Court.”
• In August 2019, Misereor funded a report by a German NGO, Facing Finance, titled “Occupied, annexed and profited – Palestinian Territories, Western Sahara and Crimea” which examined how “international companies and German financial institutions benefit from acts contradicting international law in the occupied and annexed areas.”
  • In the report, Facing Finance thanks the NGOs Who Profits and Human Rights Watch for their support in preparing it.
• In January 2017, as a member of the church umbrella organization CIDSE’s Palestine-Israel Working Group, MISEREOR released a report titled “No Place Like Home: A Reader On The Forced Internal Displacement Of Palestinians In The Occupied Palestinian Territory And Israel,” that was designed as a tool to lobby the European Union. The report calls for European “concrete action” and “promoting accountability” against Israel in order to “address[] the Israeli policies which are the root causes of displacement.”
• In 2014, published a guide, together with Bread for the World (BfW-EED), the aid framework of the Protestant Church in Germany, purporting to promote “fair tourism in Israel and Palestine taking into account international law.”
  • The guide seeks to “encourage travelers and pilgrims to view the Holy Land as a coherent travel destination and not to limit themselves to one side of the border… Until now travel programs and itineraries have been largely determined by the interests of the Israeli tourist industry”. (p. 4-5, NGO Monitor translation)
  • The guide dedicates a chapter to the Kairos Palestine Document, titled “Pilgrimage of Change” (p. 10, NGO Monitor translation). The Kairos-Palestine-Document denies the Jewish historical connection to Israel in theological terms, calls to mobilize churches worldwide in the call for BDS, and characterizes terrorist acts of “armed resistance” as “Palestinian legal resistance.”
  • Recommends tours of politicized anti-Israel organizations such as the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), which promotes BDS and advocates for a one-state solution.
  • Recommends politicized and highly biased organizations, such as Al-Haq, Breaking the Silence, Sabeel, and Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), as sources of information.
• In July 2014, MISEREOR and BfW- EED held a conference in Berlin on “The ICJ’s Wall Opinion Revisited: Towards its effective Implementation.” The event addressed “the impact of the wall … on the human rights of the local population, … attempt to clarify the role of the United Nations and …the role of third parties in ensuring the implementation of the legal obligations described in the advisory opinion.” Contrary to the narrative at the conference, the security barrier was built in response to terror attacks emanating from the West Bank and has saved countless lives since its construction.
• Listed as a sponsor for a 2013 conference, organized by radical Israeli NGO Zochrot, which promoted the Palestinian “Nakba” and the “right of return,” meaning the elimination of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.
• MISEREOR sponsored a 2013 UN event with a presentation by an official from Al-Haq on “Depleting Palestine: Unlawful Extraction of Natural Resources in Occupied Territory”, a leader in the anti-Israel lawfare and BDS campaigns. This panel was an attempt to further the BDS agenda at the UN.
• Together with Bread for the World, supported and promoted Breaking the Silence’s “Testimonies of a crew” exhibit in Berlin, spreading anonymous and unverifiable allegations against Israeli soldiers.
• Helped prepare a CIDSE booklet, “Gaza Dignity under Siege: Voices from Behind the Blockade,” featuring testimonies of pro-Palestinian activities, accusing Israel of disproportionate force and abuse of power, and omitting Israeli perspectives and security concerns.