[Opinion] Exploiting children for propaganda: beyond the Ahed Tamimi campaign
Professor Gerald Steinberg responds to an article published by Brookings Institution regarding exploiting Palestinian children for propaganda.
Publications: | Reports, Books, Academic Publications, Submissions, Resource Pages |
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Other Content Types: | Press Releases, In The Media, Presentations, Posts, , Key Issues |
NGOs: | Defense for Children International - Palestine |
Start date: | 1 Jan 1988 |
End date: | 12 Nov 2018 |
Professor Gerald Steinberg responds to an article published by Brookings Institution regarding exploiting Palestinian children for propaganda.
Throughout 2018, NGO Monitor documented numerous concerns regarding UNICEF-oPt (UNICEF’s branch in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza) stemming primarily from its relationship with highly partisan non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Yona Schiffmiller discusses a DCI-P inspired congressional letter on child detention, promoted by J Street.
In the post 9/11 world, the issues of funding for terrorist organizations via Islamic charities and non-profits (as well as other sources) has received vast attention from global law enforcement and security agencies, as well as from scholars and other policy researchers. This paper attempts to shed light on a related but less explored phenomenon of Israeli, Palestinian, and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, that receive international government support and have ties to terrorist organizations. This financial support provides NGOs with legitimacy to continue operating despite their terror connections.
On June 27, 2018, the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) published his 2017 report on Children and Armed Conflict. Intensive lobbying by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), led by Human Rights Watch, to include the IDF on the list of “grave violators” of child’s rights (included as an Annex) failed.
On June 13, 2018, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a press statement accusing Israel of “apparent war crimes in Gaza” during the weekly Hamas-orchestrated violence along the border.
On May 18, 2018, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held a “special session of the Human Rights Council on the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Many of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that participated in the session condemned Israel for allegedly committing “war crimes” and denied the legitimacy of Israel’s right to self-defense.
The European Union (EU) and European governments provide funding to a number of Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for culture, art, and related activities. Detailed research and analysis of this funding reveal that many of the supported organizations utilize cultural activities to indoctrinate children and youth, promoting rejectionist and violent agendas.
In response to “Minors in Jeopardy,” a publication released today by B’Tselem, NGO Monitor issued the following statement:
A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been participating in a campaign celebrating and defending Tamimi. Despite the video evidence, they insist that Israel has no grounds for trying and imprisoning her. Although these NGOs claim to promote human rights and the rule of law generally, and protect the rights of children specifically, in Ahed Tamimi’s case they ignore the exploitation and recruitment of children as “soldiers” in a propaganda war against Israel.