Oxfam Novib

Profile

Country/TerritoryNetherlands

Activity

Oxfam Novib is the Dutch affiliate of Oxfam international, an “international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 92 countries.” Within the Oxfam umbrella, Oxfam Novib plays a leading role on the Arab-Israeli conflict, including demonization and other anti-Israel campaigns.

See also NGO Monitor’s reports on Oxfam InternationalOxfam Great Britain, and Oxfam-Solidarité (Belgium).

Funding

  • In FY 2020-2021, total income was €185.2 million; total expenses were €183.9 million.
  • Donors include the Netherlands, European Union, other branches of Oxfam, and the United Nations.
  • Oxfam Novib does not reveal all of its governmental donors, but does note that it has received money from Sweden (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency –SIDA) and from Belgium.

2017-2021 grants received (amounts in Euro)

Donor2020-20212019-20202018-20192017-2018
European Union23,775,00013,049,00020,057,00020,517,000
Sweden8,068,00014,122,00019,008,00018,557,000
Other Oxfam branches39,420,00045,377,00039,161,00049,144,000
Dutch government14,417,00018,621,00022,849,00022,299,000
United Nations5,789,0005,651,0004,003,0004,368,000

Funding for Politicized NGOs

  1. Implement Value Chain Development -Gaza – Project partners include the Union of Agricultural Works Committee (UAWC)
  1. Strengthening Resilience in E.J – Project partners include the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), and the Palestinian Counselling Centre (PCC).
  • WCLAC, PMRS, and PARC support BDS initiatives through participation in activities and events, signing of petitions and initiatives, and/or membership in BDS platforms.
  • Additional funding for this project was provided by the European Union’s East Jerusalem Programme.
  1. Install Carrier Lines & Rehab Agr Road – Project partners include Ma’an Development Center.
  1. B’Tselem Occupation 101 crash course

Political Advocacy

  • Oxfam Novib is active in promoting an anti-Israel agenda. Its 2009 monitoring report states that Oxfam Novib has “taken the lead in campaigning on Palestinian issues” within the Oxfam International network.
  • Oxfam Novib, along with Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO) and Pax (and Cordaid until January 2016), formed the organization United Civilians for Peace, which advocates for BDS campaigns against Israel and partners with highly politicized NGOs.
  • In June 2022, Oxfam Novib humanitarian expert Dirk Jan Jalvingh stated that “Humanitarian aid in Gaza has now become a humanitarian aid industry. Aid organizations are collectively forced to keep an open-air prison running.”
  • In May 2021, in the context of the 2021 Gaza conflict, Oxfam Novib posted a statement urging the United States “to realize that the billions in unconditional military aid to Israel that they approve each year — aid the Israeli military uses against my people — means that the United States is not a neutral spectator. or be an impartial peace broker, but fuel the conflict. I tell them that it is long overdue for them to critically examine the root causes of the violence and human rights abuses, and the US complicity in them.”
  • In April 2021, Oxfam Novib, alongside Amnesty Netherlands, PAX, and the Rights Forum hosted a webinar “about the consequences of the raids on the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank by the Israeli army.” The webinar discussed the joint report by Yesh Din, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, and Breaking the Silence titled “A Life Exposed.”
    • The report falsely claims that “The existence of two legal systems that apply to two separate national groups, as illustrated in this report in the context of the rules governing entry into the private domain, supports the claim that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid in the West Bank” (emphasis added).
  • In June 2020, Oxfam Novib, alongside the Rights Forum and PAX, hosted a webinar on “understanding business activities related to illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a major human rights problem, and presenting ways to end the complicity of Dutch/European economic and political actors with the settlement economy.” The webinar endorsed the discriminatory UN database of businesses operating across the 1949 Armistice line, aimed at bolstering BDS campaigns against Israel.
  • In July 2017, on the occasion of “50 years of occupation,” Oxfam Novib called to “Put an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, and also to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.” According to Oxfam Novib Policy Officer for the Middle East Evelien van Roemburg, “The expansion of the settlements, excessive use of force, forced expulsions, restrictions of freedom of movement, seizures of land and the destruction of houses are illegal. A powerless condemnation is not enough…We can not wait another 50 years for a solution.”
  • In June 2017, Oxfam Novib Head of Humanitarian Team Suying Lai, placed sole blame on Israel for the situation of people in Gaza stating “The occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel, which has been going on for 50 years, feeds the conflict between Israel and Palestinians…The occupation is the root cause of poverty and injustice in occupied Palestinian territory. This is exacerbated by the political struggle between the Palestinian Authority (in power in the West Bank) and the rulers in Gaza (Hamas). Sustainable and just peace is only possible if Israel ends the occupation” (emphasis added).
  • Signed, as part of the UCP, the 2015 Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) document titled “Charting a New Course: Overcoming the Stalemate in Gaza,” which misrepresents international law and distorts legal terminology in order to place primary blame for the 2014 Gaza war on Israel. The paper fails to mention Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, as well as terror tunnels running beneath the border into Israel. It further encourages contact with Hamas, stating that, “Restricted contact can undermine humanitarian access and implementation of humanitarian programmes…”
  • In September 2014, Oxfam Novib, alongside MIFTAHPalestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD), Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), and Women for Women in Sweden, participated in meetings held at the 27th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss “war crimes in Gaza and ongoing human rights violations in Occupied Palestine.”

Partners

Appendix 1

The following are selected projects listed as active on Oxfam Novib’s website (as of August 2022):

NGOYear(s)Total Budget (amounts in €)Project
Applied Research Institute Jerusalem - ARIJ2019-2020163,791ARIJ-OPTI SP Finance for Dev. 2019-2020
2016-2018292,572ARIJ - Finance for Development
Bimkom2016-201872,691BIMKOM - Conflict & Fragility
Breaking the Silence2019-202020,000Advocating with Jewish Diaspora
B'Tselem2019-202010,000B'Tselem Occupation 101 crash course
2019-202027,772Raise Awareness on HR Violations
Culture and Free Thought Association2021-2025245,607Strategic Partnership D&D "Towards a worldwide Influencing Network"
2021-2025182,623Culture and Free Thought Association
2022-202370,074Power to Choose
2019-202099,916CFTA- C&F 2019-2020
2016-2018135,600CFTA - Conflict & Fragility
Hamoked2020-202120,400Know Your Residency Rights
2019-202020,000Know your residency & social rights- EJ
2019-202069,213HAMOKED -C&F 2019-2020
2016-2018137,322HaMoked - Conflict & Fragility
Gisha2017-2021186,092Influence Int. Policies & regulations
2019-202057,189GISHA-C&F 2019-2020
2017-2021186,092Influence Int. Policies & regulations
2016-2018123,662Gisha - Conflict & Fragility
2016-2017343,579Protecting Lives in Closed Borders
Land Research Center202089,073Protection Services & Livelihood Support
Ma’an Development Center20209,544Food Voucher Distribution Monitoring
2021161,540Field Implementation of In-kind Food
2021-2022211,030Enhance the resilience of HHs in Gaza
2020-202140,384Monitoring food voucher distribution
202150,200CO-Support the affected families in Gaza
202153,626MPCA for 70 HHs in Gaza Strip
2021197,310Support of the affected families in Gaza
2021-202242,511Addressing Humanitarian needs
202085,960Install Carrier Lines & Rehab Agr Road
202083,640Install Carrier Lines & Rehab Agr Road
202055,469Counterpart 507325 MAAN Development Cent
2017135,445MA'AN Development Center
2016-2019908,197MAAN Development Center
MIFTAH2019-2020150,678MIFTAH-C&F 2019-2020
2016-2018296,451MIFTAH - Finance for Development
2016-2018186,223MIFTAH - Conflict & Fragility
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)2017-2022899,284Build Technical Skills & Support Job Cr.
202019,852Risk Communications Dissemination
2021-202288,143Jawwal Pay
2021853,411Assistance to affected and vulnerable farmers
2016-2019248,685PARC - Strengthening Resilience in E.J
2016-20191,181,016PARC
Palestinian Center for Human Rights2019-20209,284Challenging Shrinking Civil Space in oPt
Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)202035,637COVID-19 CAT Response
2016-2019426,255PMRS - Strengthening Resilience in E.J
Union of Agricultural Work Committees2017-20212,007,759Implement Value Chain Development -Gaza
201930,000ER to greenhouses farmers
2017-20191,636,005Recovery Support to Vulnerable Farmers
2016-2017286,002Protecting Lives in Closed Borders
Women's Affair Technical Committee2019-202090,523WATC Advance Gender Justice
Women’s Affairs Center2020-20234,520Women Affairs Centre (WAC)
20173,622Women Affairs Centre (WAC)
Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC)2019-2020149,756WCLAC-C&F 2019-2020
2016-2019470,848WCLAC - Strengthening Resilience in E.J
2016-2018195,724WCLAC - Conflict & Fragility
Yesh Din2019-202021,842The Stories behind the Numbers 2019
2019-202045,940YESH DIN-C&F 2019-2020
2016-2018105,000Yesh Din - Conflict & Fragility
ACHA2022-202665,484Power to Choose
Sabeel2020-202110,000Youth connecting communities in EJ

Appendix 2

According to quarterly reports submitted to the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits, the following Israeli organizations received funding from Oxfam Novib since 2018:

NGO2021202020192018
B'Tselem155,876
Bimkom8,567109,496
Gisha122,140230,711208,976
Hamoked68,071171,000219,529131,054
Yesh Din53,24154,387184,028132,749

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