Press Release:
NGO Monitor Announces New Members of International Advisory Board
Judge Abraham Sofaer and Col. Richard Kemp Join Board of Research Institution
JERUSALEM – As part of its expanding operations and scope, NGO Monitor today announced the addition of Judge Abraham Sofaer and Col. Richard Kemp to its International Advisory Board. Sofaer and Kemp join Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Professor Alan Dershowitz, among others, on the now 12-member board.
“NGO Monitor is honored by the agreement of Judge Abraham Sofaer and Colonel Richard Kemp to join our International Advisory Board,” says Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor. “They each have unique expertise that will contribute to our mission of holding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in political advocacy accountable for their actions, funding sources, and reports.”
Judge Sofaer is the George P. Shultz Distinguished Scholar and Senior Fellow at The Hoover Institution, Stanford University and Professor of Law by courtesy at Stanford Law School. He clerked for then Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the US Supreme Court. He served two years as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan (1967-69), ten years as Professor of Law at Columbia University, and six years as a US District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In 1985 he became the Legal Adviser of the US Department of State, and served under Secretary of State Shultz and Secretary James Baker unti1 1990.
“I am honored to join NGO Monitor’s distinguished International Advisory Board,” says Judge Sofaer. “At a time when NGOs wield great influence in the public discussion about human rights around the world and in the Middle East in particular, NGO Monitor works to inform people about the motivations of these NGOs, the impact of their actions, and the sources of their funding. Democratic processes can easily be taken advantage of if NGOs are left unchecked – NGO Monitor holds them accountable.”
Colonel Richard Kemp served in the British Army from 1977 to 2006. He was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, was an infantry battalion Commanding Officer, worked for the Joint Intelligence Committee and the UK government crisis management committee COBR, and completed 14 operational tours of duty around the globe. He received worldwide acclaim when he testified before the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding Israel’s Operation Cast Lead and the subsequent Goldstone Report, stating, “During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in the combat zones than any other army in the history of warfare.”
“The work of NGO Monitor is a cause I believe is vital to securing universal human rights,” adds Col. Kemp. “The Middle East is a hotbed for NGOs that pursue their own political ideologies, and we’ve seen the detrimental impact of NGO false claims and misinformation in the universal arena. By increasing the transparency of their operations and sources of funding, we can begin to eliminate many of the false allegations in some of their reports.
Along with Judge Sofaer and Col. Kemp, NGO Monitor’s International Advisory Board includes:
- Elie Wiesel – Nobel Laureate
- Prof. Alan Dershowitz – Harvard University, lawyer and author
- Hon. Fiamma Nirenstein – Vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
- Elliott Abrams – Former US Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy
- Ambassador Yehuda Avner – Former diplomat, served as Ambassador to UK and Australia
- R. James Woolsey, Former director, Central Intelligence
- Douglas Murray – Director, The Centre for Social Cohesion
- Prof. Judea Pearl – UCLA and President, Daniel Pearl Foundation
- Prof. Ruth Wisse – Harvard University, Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature
- Tom Gross – Journalist and international affairs commentator