[Opinion] Human Rights, European Money, and the ICC Wars
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[EXCERPTS]
…legal war has proceeded step by step, led by a powerful army of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), largely funded by European governments under the façade of human rights and international law. While the exact amounts and NGO allocation processes in the European Union under frameworks such as the EU Instrument Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) are top-secret and exempted from Freedom of Information laws, the annual total for anti-Israel campaigning related to this warfare is estimated at approximately 100 million euros.
After the ICC was established, the next conquest took place in September 2001, when, using European and Canadian money, more than 1500 highly politicized NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in partnership with radical Palestinian groups such as Al Haq, shaped the agenda of the infamous UN Durban Conference.
The NGO network worked continuously to implement this strategy. The leaders include Palestinian groups such as Al Haq and the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, as well as a network of Israel-based and Europe-funded NGOs such as B’tselem, Yesh Din, Adalah, and many more, and radical NGOs based in Western Europe. These NGOs have bombarded the ICC prosecutor, the media, diplomats and policy makers with press releases, glossy “reports”, and legal memoranda repeating allegations of Israeli war crimes and violations of international law. While the leadership of the Palestinian Authority built the formal foundation for using the ICC weapon against Israel, the NGO network provided the political support.
…as the exploitation of the ICC moves forward, the European funding will become more pronounced, and create greater friction. Beyond their role in supporting this form of warfare against Israel, European officials might also become aware of their own vulnerability to the abuse of international law frameworks.