• Congress mandates that the US Department of State annually submit its “Country Report on Human Rights Practices Worldwide.” These reports are generally written by officials in US consulates and embassies, who rely on NGOs for some of their information.
  • The 2007 State Department Report on Israel and the Palestinian Territories reflected more caution than previous reports in its reliance on NGOs. Nevertheless, the 2007 Report cited numerous claims from political NGOs which campaign on controversial issues and have published reports that include unsubstantiated evidence and false assertions.
  • The State Department does not provide criteria by which some NGO claims are quoted, while others are excluded. The report also includes numerous ambiguous or unverifiable allegations.
  • The State Department funds NGOs operating in Israel and the PA. The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which seeks to foster “greater freedom and opportunity” in the Middle East, is the main instrument for funding NGOs. A list of NGO-grant recipients for the PA (and other countries in the Middle East/North Africa region) can be found here. Grant-recipients in Israel can be found here.

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