Activities

• Founded as “a small fundraising drive by Norwegian churches.”
• Operates in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• According to its website, “Norwegian Church Aid has supported the Palestinian churches’ humanitarian work among Palestinian refugees since the 1950s. In 2005, we established an office in Jerusalem in order to strengthen this work.”
• In 2016, established a “joint office” with DanChurchAid in Jerusalem.

Political Advocacy

• Supports the Kairos Palestine document, which calls for BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) against Israel; denies the Jewish historical connection to Israel in theological terms; and rationalizes, justifies, and trivializes terrorism, calling it “legal resistance.”
• In September 2021, NCA organized a photo exhibit of the West Bank, alleging that Palestinians “live with daily crucifixions.”
• In June 2021, NCA was a signatory on a statement referring to Gaza as “a hell on earth.”
• In August 2015, NCA was a signatory to a petition calling on world leaders to “lift the blockade” and “stop this injustice” as “the blockade has been found to be in violation of international law and is collective punishment of all Palestinians in Gaza.”
• Published a “Country plan 2011-2015: The occupied Palestinian Territory with Israel and faith-based organisations in the Middle East,” together with ACT Alliance, presenting a highly biased and politicized view of the conflict and accusing Israel of “excessive use of force,” “demolitions,” “displacement,” “harassment,” using “human shields,” and promoting the Palestinian narrative of “Nakba” [meaning the establishment of Israel is a “catastrophe”].
• Signatory to the 2015 Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) “joint agency briefing paper titled, “Charting a New Course: Overcoming the Stalemate in Gaza,” misrepresenting international law and distorting legal terminology to place primary blame for the 2014 Gaza war on Israel. The paper omits Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, as well as terror tunnels running beneath the border into Israel. The paper further encourages contact with Hamas, stating: “Restricted contact can undermine humanitarian access and implementation of humanitarian programmes…”
• In 2013, NCA was one of 36 organizations (including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Christian Aid, ICCO, Diakonia, and others) that collectively called on Israel to “Stop Demolishing Peace.” The appeal places sole blame for the conflict on Israel, omitting Palestinian terror against Israeli civilians.
• In October 2011, NCA organized an art exhibit at a high school in the village of Nesbru, Norway, which portrayed an “X” through an Israeli flag, with the word “Murder” written backwards in English. Following negative publicity, the high school removed the exhibit.
• Following Hamas’ takeover of Gaza in 2006, NCA, along with the Norwegian Refugee Council and Norwegian People’s Aid, criticized the Norwegian government for “withdrawing economic support” for the “Hamas government.” In addition to recognizing Hamas as a legitimate party, NCA criticizes Israel for imposing sanctions on this terrorist organization that continually targets Israeli civilians.

Ties to EAPPI

• In Norway, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is administered by Norwegian Church Aid.
  • EAPPI consistently demonizes Israel, making accusations of “apartheid,” “war crimes,” and “Bantustans”; calls the security barrier, which has saved countless lives from suicide bombings, “evil.”
• EAPPI is considered to be the “main project” of NCA’s “Faith Communities and Peace Building program in Israel-Palestine.” This NCA program is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Section for Humanitarian Affairs.
• Since 2011, “NCA has deployed 70 Norwegian Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs)…to provide protective presence, report and refer cases to other organisations in the humanitarian system.”
• Former EAPPI advocacy officer Nader Hanna explained that “NCA is also involved in recruitment, which is the most important. So they (NCA), they’re advertised – they do interviews, they receive applications, they do tests, and they also test them before they come here. And when they go back home, NCA is also coordinating their advocacy efforts back home…NCA is funding, and facilitates so that candidates are able to come and participate in this program.”
• According to a Norwegian Church Aid report (2015), “EAPPI and RHR [Rabbis for Human Rights] contribute to ‘protect vulnerable’ populations, many of them Bedouin villages… Through its networks NCA, EAPPI and RHR have also advocated directly to ministers and government officials as well as through news and social media, resulting in political pressure on Israel from both within and internationally.”

BDS Activities

• Active in promoting the BDS (boycotts, divestments and sanctions) campaign against Israel.
• Held campaign titled “Close the Weapons Loophole!” calling on Norwegian authorities to “regulate exports” and to stop “sell[ing] weapons to Israel.”
• On June 2, 2016, NCA was a signatory on a letter calling on the EU to “uphold its legal responsibilities and hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and to defend the right of individuals and institutions to take part in the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for justice and equality.”
• On July 9, 2014, NCA was a signatory on a letter to the Norwegian government “condemn[ing] in the strongest possible terms Israel’s breaches of international law, through the introduction of sanctions against Israel.”
• Was a signatory to the 2012 report “Trading Away Peace” that repeats the BDS agenda, calling on EU and individual European governments to wage political warfare through various forms of economic sanctions on Israel.
• In 2010, NCA donated NIS 118,024 to Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP), a pro-BDS NGO that has participated in campaigns against Israeli banks, the Elbit and G4S security companies, Ahava cosmetics, and Agrexco produce, and initiated the “Who Profits” database that identifies targets for anti-Israel divestment and boycotts.