The BDS Life and Times of Omar Shakir
Omar Shakir’s background and history of anti-Israel activity exemplifies the organization’s troubling ideological approach to Israel and retreat from the universal principles of human rights.
International NGOs
International NGOs should work toward the goal of ensuring human rights for all citizens, everywhere. Instead, many disproportionately focus on allegations of Israeli violations and use their power and funding to promote a distorted narrative of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Omar Shakir’s Obsessive Anti-Israel Twitter Campaign (June 2018– February 2019)
Omar Shakir tweeted 970 times (including retweets) on issues relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict, ranging from boycotting businesses over the 1949 Armistice line, the violence along the Gaza border, and his lawsuit against the Israeli government.
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Amnesty International’s Antisemitic Campaign against Jewish Tourism
In January 2019, Amnesty International published a report on "The Tourism Industry and Israeli Settlements" that denies Jewish connections to historical sites – including in the Old City of Jerusalem – and in essence faults Israel for preserving Jewish historical and cultural heritage, as well as places that are holy to Christians.
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Amnesty International’s Antisemitic Campaign: Background and Information
Amnesty International will conduct a series of intense campaigns targeting Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and Trip Advisor. Amnesty will also deny Jewish historic connections to biblical sites, including in Jerusalem – reminiscent of antisemitic UNESCO resolutions.
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EAPPI: The World Council of Churches’ Training Camp for Anti-Israel Advocacy
Founded in 2002, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is the Geneva-based World Council of Churches’ (WCC) “flagship project” on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite marketing itself as a human rights and protection program, EAPPI places significant emphasis on political advocacy before, during, and after the trip.
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Human Rights Watch’s Airbnb Campaign: Discrimination and BDS
On November 20, 2018, Human Rights Watch, in cooperation with Kerem Navot, published a report targeting Airbnb. The report followed a two-year long coordinated and well-financed BDS campaign.
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Omissions and Oversimplifications: HRW’s Report on PA and Hamas Torture
Human Rights Watch’s October 2018 report “Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent: Arbitrary Arrest and Torture Under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas” contains a number of obvious omissions and reflects an absence of serious analysis
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The NGOs and Funders Behind Airbnb’s BDS Policy
On November 19, 2018, Airbnb issued a press release announcing it was “removing listings” in “Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank.” This change in policy was a clear result of a coordinated and well-financed campaign targeting the company by NGOs involved in BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns against Israel.
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Flooding the Courts: The Norwegian Refugee Council’s European-Funded Proxy War
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has used millions of European taxpayer funds, primarily from the UK, for a campaign that exploits the Israeli justice system and is aimed at circumventing appropriate diplomatic channels.
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UN Secretary-General Report on Children and Armed Conflict: Clear Departure from NGO Propaganda Against Israel
On June 27, 2018, the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) published his 2017 report on Children and Armed Conflict. Intensive lobbying by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), led by Human Rights Watch, to include the IDF on the list of “grave violators” of child’s rights (included as an Annex) failed.
