Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF)

Activity

• In 2004, Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF) was established by EuroMed Rights, then called Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), which is a “network of more than 80 human rights organisations, institutions, and individuals based in 30 countries.”
• EMHRF provides “strategic financial assistance” to “human rights defenders in difficulty or at risk, for the specific purpose of allowing them to pursue their activities, as well as to small human rights organisations or groups with the aim of strengthening their capacities in implementing innovative activities in the region.”
• In 2016, EMHRF supported seven NGOs that claim to “report human rights violations, the involvement of Israeli and international companies in the occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territories, and the destruction of houses and population displacement to the media, including social media, and UN mechanisms.”

Funding

• In 2019, total income was €2.7 million; total expenses were €2.7 million.
• Donors include: Sweden (SIDA), Denmark (MFA), Norway (MFA), European Union (EIDHR), National Endowment for Democracy (United States), Rockefeller Brothers Foundation (RBF), Open Society Foundations, and Sigrid Rausing Trust (Germany). (See table below for further funding information.)
  • Past donors include the Netherlands, France, Canada, Amnesty International, and Oxfam Novib (the Netherlands).
• In 2019, EMHRF was an implementing partner on a €15 million project with the European Union titled “The European Union human rights defenders mechanism: protectdefenders.EU.”
  • In 2015-2018, EMHRF participated in an €15 million European Union project (via EIDHR) to “assist human rights defenders at high risk.”
• EMHRF has provided grants to a number of highly biased and politicized NGOs active in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including Who Profits, B’Tselem, Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI), and Al Marsad. EMHRF is not transparent and does not provide a list of grants and amounts provided to “beneficiaries.” The information below is provided by its Israeli grantees, and is therefore a partial picture. (See table below for further funding information.)
  • Who Profits initiates international BDS campaigns, targeting Israeli and foreign banks, security companies, civil infrastructure facilities, and private companies.
  • B’Tselem is a central proponent of false accusations of Israeli “war crimes” and actively pursues its political agenda via lobbying of the UN, the US, the EU, and European governments.
  • PCATI regularly circulates unverifiable allegations of Israeli torture, using them as the basis for campaigns of demonization in international forums.
  • Al Marsad has accused Israel of “cleansing the Golan” and has called for a “a boycott of Israeli products originating from settlements in the occupied Golan.”

Council of Representatives

• EMHRF’s Council of Representatives advises the board on the budget of the Foundation, as well “the program for future actions.”
• The “Honorary Representative for Palestine” is Maysa Zorob. Zorob previously worked for Al-Haq, “establish[ing] and manag[ing] the organization’s first European Office with a focus on EU human rights policies.”
• A number of members of the Council are highly biased and politicized NGOs active in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including Adalah, Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), B’Tselem, Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI), Al Mezan, Al-Haq, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).