Tent of Nations (TON)

Activities

• Seeks to “embody an approach to conflict and occupation,” “help the oppressed and marginalized to be conscious that they too are powerful,” and “work with others in the local area to lay the foundations for a future Palestine.”
• According to its website, TON is registered under the Bethlehem Bible College umbrella with support from the Friends of Tent of Nations in Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and North America.
• TON is a popular destination for pro-Palestinian activists. Offers “programs and facilities for solidarity movements, churches, youth organizations and tourist groups and host a large number of visitors each year,” including delegations of the World Council of Churches and Inter-faith Peace Builders, and others.
  • WCC plays a key role in mobilizing churches worldwide to support international BDS campaigns against Israel.
  • IFBP sends delegations to “Israel/Palestine,” presenting highly one-sided, distorted positions based solely on the Palestinian narrative.
• Utilizes highly biased and politicized rhetoric, distorting the reality of the conflict and calling the security barrier the “Apartheid wall” and alleging that “everyday …more land is being confiscated for new settlements or expanding the existing ones and more and more Palestinian farmers are attacked by Israeli settlers.”
• Offered an English course given by the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Israel and Palestine (EAPPI).
  • Founded by the WCC, EAPPI frequently demonizes Israel; promotes BDS campaigns and the Kairos Palestine document, which denies Jewish historical connections to Israel.

Friends of Tent of Nations North America (FOTONNA)

• Established in 2007 by three individuals who had each visited TON in 2006 as part of an Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) tour. Claims to be “an all-volunteer charitable corporation.”
• Aims to: “Raise funds for TON projects”; “Assist in shaping U.S. policy in the region by sharing information with members of Congress and the State Department”; “Build ‘bridges of understanding’ by raising awareness in the United States about the conditions of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the extremely negative impact that living under Israeli Occupation has on all people in the region”; and “work to bring dignity and sustainability to all of the Palestinian people when the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian land is ended.” (emphasis added)
• Funding: Does not publish any financial information, reflecting a lack of transparency and accountability.
• Political Advocacy: Arranges speaking tours abroad for Nasser to raise funds and to give lectures.
• During the Summer 2014 Gaza conflict, encouraged followers to attend a demonstration, organized by A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, in front of the White House, calling to “Stop the Massacre in Gaza!”
• Sponsored a highly biased and politicized film series that promoted the Palestinian narrative of the “Nakba.”
• Website links to other highly biased and politicized NGOs including: US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), Interfaith Peace Builders (IFPB), Parents Circle- Families Forum (PCFF), Combatants for Peace, Churches for Middle East Peace, Mondoweiss, Friends of Sabeel-North America, Just Vision, Kairos USA and others.