On February 5, 2009, a group of radical anti-Israel NGOs — including Al-Haq, Alternative Information Center, Defense of Children International, Ittijah, and Joint Advocacy Initiative at the YMCA — lobbied the Czech Foreign Minister (responsible for EU foreign relations) “calling for an official freeze on the upgrade of EU-Israel bilateral relations until the completion of a comprehensive and independent investigation into alleged violations of international humanitarian law” during the fighting in Gaza. The letter also demanded an “annulment of the planned upgrade, and the potential suspension” of economic and other agreements between the EU and Israel.

This is part of the NGOs’ Durban Strategy of isolating Israel internationally, using allegations of “war crimes” to advance political goals. In fact, many of the organizations participated in a failed attempt to prevent the upgrade of EU-Israel relations in June 2008.