Bisan Research & Development Center
Profile
| Country/Territory | Palestinian Authority |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.bisan.org/ |
| Founded | 1989 |
| In their own words | “In Bisan we continuously seek to enhance Palestinian’s resilience and to contribute in building an effective democratic civil society.” |
Funding
- Bisan Research & Development Center does not publish financial data, donor information, or sources of funding, reflecting a complete lack of transparency and accountability.
- Independent research shows that Bisan’s donors have included the European Union, Belgium, and Spain.
- In 2017-2019, the European Commission granted €699,236 to Bisan for a project titled “strengthening community resilience and social cohesion in East Jerusalem on both sides of the separation wall.” The project included five Palestinian NGOs recipients, including Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC), and the Land Research Center.
- Several past and current DCI-P board members and employees have apparent ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. DCI-P leads the campaign exploiting children to promote demonization of Israel. Many of its allegations are false and part of attempts to smear Israel with allegations of “war crimes” and promote BDS.
- Several past and current UPWC employees have apparent ties to the PFLP. UPWC is also active in supporting BDS campaigns and utilizing inflammatory rhetoric.
- In 2017-2021, Belgium (Directorate-General for Development Cooperation; DGD) provided the Belgian NGO Viva Salud (formerly Médecine pour le Tiers Monde/ Geneeskunde voor de Derde Wereld) with€1.15 million for two projects. Bisan Research & Development Center, which is an implementing partner of these projects, was earmarked €337,892.
- In 2014-2018, Spain granted €640,610 for “strengthening community resistance and Palestinian social cohesion in east Jerusalem” as part of the Kanan project, which is dedicated to strengthening “the social and political participation channels of the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem through enhancing the capacity of the youth.” The project is implemented by six NGOs, including, Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC), Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), and Alternative Information Center-Palestine.
- Alternative Information Center-Palestine, Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees(UPWC), and Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), all have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.
Activities
- In July 2020, Bisan vehemently opposed a new requirement in European Union grant contracts with Palestinian NGOsthat prohibits grantees from working with and funding organizations and individuals designated on the EU’s terror lists. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, a representative of Bisan stated, “Palestinian civil society is donor-dependent. Bisan used to get its funding primarily from EU governments, but we withdrew our project concept notes for this year after they [European Union] included the ATC [anti-terror clause] in their contracts.”
Bisan Ties to the PFLP
- On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense declared Bisan a “terror organization” because it is part of “a network of organizations” that operates “on behalf of the ‘Popular Front’.”
- A 2014 dissertation by Sbeih Sbeih (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) on Palestinian NGOs claims that “some [NGOs], because of their link to PFLP, opposed the Oslo Accords. Such was the case of Bisan.”
- On July 29, 2021, Israeli forces confiscated computers and documents from Bisan’s office. In response, the PFLP published a statement “renew[ing] its demand to confront the continuing Zionist violations against the active Palestinian civil institutions.”
Staff Ties to the PFLP
- Ubai Aboudi, Bisan’s Executive Director, was arrested by the Israeli authorities on November 13, 2019. In June 2020, Aboudi was sentenced to 12-months in prison. According to his conviction, Aboudi “was convicted of being a member and an activist of the Popular Front organization during the period starting from 2016 and ending in July 2019.” Specifically, Aboudi “was responsible for recruiting additional activists to the organization from young people and students, as well as strengthening the organization’s infrastructure in the area” (on file with NGO Monitor).
- Aboudi formerly served as the Union of Agricultural Work Committee’s “M&E [Monitoring and Evaluation] Officer” until 2019. The Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC) is identified by Fatah as an official “affiliate” and by USAID-engaged auditas the “agricultural arm” of the PFLP. On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense declared UAWC a “terror organization” because it is part of “a network of organizations” that operates “on behalf of the ‘Popular Front’.”
- Itiraf Hajaj (Rimawi) served as Bisan’s Executive Director. Rimawi was arrested on September 23, 2019, and an Israeli authorities’ statement refers to him as responsible for PFLP clandestine operations. Additionally, according to the PFLP-linked organization Samidoun, in 1995-2017, Rimawi was arrested several times. A 2016 High Court of Justice decision [HCJ-2524/16] referred to Rimawi as a “PFLP member” who “posed a security threat” (on file with NGO Monitor).
- According to Palestinian media, Rimawi was sentenced to three and a half year of prison in December 2020.
- In May 2019, Bisan Senior Researcher Gebril Muhamad attended a memorial event organized by the PFLP. It centered on PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna, who, according to information posted by the PFLP, “contributed to the establishment” of several PFLP-affiliated NGOs. The hall was decorated with PFLP paraphernalia.
Government Funding to Bisan
| Government | Funder | Amount | Year(s) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) | €699,236 | 2017-2019 | Implemented by 5 Palestinian NGO partners |
| Spain | Basque Agency for Development Cooperation (AVCD) | €800,764 | 2015-2018 | Via Mundubat; Implemented by 5 Palestinian NGO partners as part of the Kanan project |
| Italy | MFA | €1.6 million | 2014-2017 | Via CISS - Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud; Implemented by 4 Palestinian NGO |
| Belgium | Directorate-General for Development Cooperation (DGD) | €337,892 | 2017-2021 | Via Viva Salud |
| €1.2 million | 2014-2016 | Via Solidarité Socialiste; Implemented by 3 Palestinian NGO |
Related Articles
Analysis: Israel Designates 6 PFLP-linked NGOs as Terrorist Organizations
On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) designated 6 Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations. According to the MoD, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC), and Bisan were included on Israel’s list of terrorist organizations because they are operated by and for the benefit of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Summary of the PFLP’s NGO Network
NGO Monitor has identified a network of 13 NGOs linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization and funded by European, and in some cases, other governmental frameworks.