[Opinion] What have we done to stop the funding of terrorism?
[Excerpts]
Speaking of do-gooders, the greatest paradox is that the main suspects in the murder of Shnerb’s daughter are self-defined “human-rights activists.” The West also sees them this way. They were all employed by organizations that claim to promote human rights and humanitarian aid and are supported financially by the EU, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. When these governments learned that those they were paying with European taxpayer money were involved in the terrorist attack, some of them were silent while others denied European funds had reached the individuals in question, even though they were senior organization officials. Two of them, the commander of the terrorist cell that murdered Rina and the commander that authorized the murder, were financial officers at the PFLP.
According to publicly available data, since 2011, the EU alone has transferred at least 38 million euros (around $45.16 million) that allow for the transfer of money to supporters of terror and called the Israeli Foreign Ministry in for a dressing down at the EU Embassy. And members of the European Parliament are shocked that their money, which is supposed to do good, supported the people suspected of carrying out the fatal attack. They signed petitions and submitted queries, and even raised the issue in a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs and Security Council. As a result of all the pressure, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell ordered an internal investigation that continues to this day. After a year of denials, the Dutch government also woke up and halted its funding to the organization in the summer of 2020.
That was July, and ever since, Shnerb has been waiting for some kind of development or sign that someone cares that European money continues to fund organizations with ties to terror groups. One year on, the EU is still examining itself. Germany, Spain, France, and Italy are silent. Even here in Israel, barely a word is spoken on the subject.
How is it that the State of Israel hasn’t made this issue a priority? How has it not been discussed in meetings between Israeli and European politicians since August 2019? Why has no serious discussion been held in the Knesset? What prevented us from demanding sanctions on organizations involved in terrorist activities, in particular when those same organizations that employ the suspects are leading campaigns to slander Israel at the UN, various parliaments around the world, and at the International Criminal Court?
