NGO Monitor President to Address EU Parliament Committee

NGO role in the Arab-Israeli conflict will also be discussed in Irish Parliament

Click here for Prof. Steinberg’s remarks

Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, will address a hearing of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights today, June 23, 2010, in Brussels, Belgium. He will brief the subcommittee on EU funding for Israeli and Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the lack of transparency in the decision-making processes behind the funding for these groups.

“This is a first step towards recognition by the European Parliament of the important issues raised by NGO political advocacy,” said Steinberg, who also will meet with EU officials while in Brussels. “NGO Monitor’s detailed research during the past eight years demonstrates that EU support for NGOs in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict has been largely ineffective, and is often counterproductive.”

Also today, NGO Monitor Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg is speaking at the Irish Parliament’s Joint Committee on European Affairs session on the “EU-Israel Association Agreement and the Situation in Gaza.”

Prof. Steinberg will discuss the central involvement of European-funded NGOs in BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions), “lawfare” and demonization campaigns. He will also address NGO biases and double standards, their false or unverifiable allegations, and distorted versions of international law that undermine the moral foundations of universal human rights.

In January 2010, NGO Monitor filed suit in the European Court of Justice against the European Commission for failing to release pertinent documents, necessary for evaluating the efficacy of EU funding policies.

“The EU has the obligation to its own constituents, and to the Israelis and Palestinians whose lives are being impacted by these policies, to conduct a fully transparent inquiry and re-evaluation of these NGO funding policies and processes,” continued Steinberg.

The EU Parliament subcommittee hearing is scheduled for 6 PM (18:00) Brussels time.

NGO Monitor publishes analysis and reports on the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy-makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations, and the general public.