The NGO Front in the Gaza War: Compilation of NGO statements
A compilation of over 500 statements by 52 NGOs on "Operation Cast Lead" (December 27, 2008 - January 29, 2009).
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: | BADIL - Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights |
Start date: | 1 Jan 1988 |
End date: | 26 Apr 2019 |
A compilation of over 500 statements by 52 NGOs on "Operation Cast Lead" (December 27, 2008 - January 29, 2009).
[UPDATED] Following the pattern in previous conflicts, a number of NGOs immediately issued condemnations of Israel following the IDF response to increasing deadly rocket attacks from Gaza. Many of these statements reflect bias and double standards, and ignore or give little attention to Israeli human rights and casualties. NGOs exploit legal terminology, including terms such as "war crimes," "collective punishment," and "indiscriminate attacks." Some use the fighting in Gaza to repeat calls for boycotts and sanctions as part of the Durban strategy, and accuse Israel of perpetrating a "massacre."
As predicted by NGO Monitor, the majority of NGO submissions to the UN's UPR of Israel ignore human rights issues facing Israelis and areas where Israel is a leader in this field, while grossly distorting the humanitarian, human rights and international legal dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nord-Sud XXI, Ittijah, Badil, and PGAAWC exploit human rights terminology and employ inflammatory rhetoric against Israel. Adalah, Amnesty, and others attribute "racist" motives to Israeli policies, instead of acknowledging that these are legitimate responses to Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians.
A Durban Review Conference preparatory meeting was held in Geneva on Oct. 6-17. NGO participation was divided, with some opposing a repetition of the antisemitism of the 2001 conference. Other NGOs pressed the anti-Israel and anti-Western agenda of the "Durban strategy." BADIL and MRAP condemned Israel. Unofficial meetings of NGO representatives about a potential NGO Forum included antisemitic and anti-Israel attacks against Jewish representatives.
In anticipation of the United Nations Human Rights Councils Universal Periodic Review of Israel, scheduled for December 2008, NGO Monitor prepared a submission highlighting problematic NGO activity vis--vis human rights in Israel.