• Paris-based NGO The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) is a network of 178 organizations throughout the world. FIDH pursues a “lawfare” strategy against Israel, accusing Israel of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” and “apartheid measures and practices, discrimination policies,” and considers anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) activists “human rights defenders.” FIDH was a major participant in the NGO-led campaign to boycott Israeli mobile phone network Partner Communications.
  • According to its 2014 annual report, FIDH received €2.5 million in grants from the European Union (EU) in 2014. The EU’s Financial Transparency System (FTS) reports a lower figure – €1.9 million.
  • 2015 saw an unprecedented rise in EU funding to FIDH – €21.2 million in grants according to the FTS. Some of this money was given to FIDH in partnership with other organizations, but neither the FTS nor FIDH provide information on how funds were distributed among co-recipients. As of December 2016, FIDH has not published its 2015 annual report.
  • According to additional data provided upon request of the European Parliament by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Budget1 FIDH is one of the top 15 EU recipients for 2015 and received €20.9 million from the EU. FIDH’s entire income in 2014 consisted of €6.9 million, one-third of this amount.
  • The grants listed on the FTS are as follows:
    • €15 million were granted to FIDH in partnership with ten other organizations for “The EU’s Human Rights Defenders Mechanism.” As stated on its website, this mechanism is run by a consortium of 12 NGOs, including FIDH. Its activities include “monitoring,” “promoting,” and grant-making throughout the world.
    • €4.3 million were granted solely to FIDH for “reinforcing the FIDH network for advancing protection of human rights as a development vector.” This grant alone, designated for overall activities, is almost twice the amount granted by the EU in 2014.

FIDH Ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization:

  • In August 2016, Shawan Jabarin (General Director of Al-Haq) was elected as FIDH’s Secretary General. Jabarin has been denied exit visas for Israel and Jordan on several occasions due to his alleged ties to the PFLP terrorist group. (See a translation of the decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice, June 20, 2007.)
  • Raji Sourani, director of FIDH member organization Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), admitted to having been convicted of membership in the PFLP.
  • The PFLP is designated a terrorist organization by the EU.
  • According to the exclusion criteria applicable for participation in procurement procedures of the EU’s Financial Regulation, “Candidates or tenderers shall be excluded from participation in procurement procedures if… they or persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such illegal activity is detrimental to the Union’s financial interests.” Cases of participation in a criminal organization include “cases of terrorist offences, offences linked to terrorist activities, and inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such offences.” (emphases added).

FIDH Submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC):

  • In November 2016, FIDH has submitted recommendations to the 15th Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC Statute. An FIDH declaration titled “Reject impunity: Don’t withdraw from the ICC,” signed by another 100 organizations, is included as an annex (p. 12).
  • According to the declaration, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC “will not shy away from exercising its jurisdiction over international crimes within its jurisdiction, even when those crimes may have been committed by individuals from major world powers, such as the United States, Israel, Russia or the United Kingdom. We will continue to advocate for the OTP and the ICC as a whole to conduct such investigations” (emphasis added).
  • Falsely labeling Israel as a “major world power,” insinuating that it can coerce international regimes into granting it impunity, is consistent with classic antisemitic narratives alleging disproportionate Jewish influence.
  • According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, contemporary examples of antisemitism include “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis,” and “Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.”