Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), a “humanitarian solidarity movement” operated by the Norwegian labor unions, is funded by Norway, Sweden, United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, European Union, and Japan. NPA total income in 2016 was 1.25 billion Norwegian kroner (NOK) (approx. 130 million USD).

According to the US Department of Justice, NPA provided “material support” to Iran, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) – designated terrorist organizations under US law. As a result of these partnerships, in April 2018, NPA settled a civil-fraud suit, paying a $2 million settlement to the US.

Additionally, NPA partner organization, Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), is linked to the PFLP terrorist organization. The PFLP is also banned by the EU, Canada, and Israel.

NPA is a leader and mobilizer of BDS campaigns (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and other forms of anti-Israel demonization.

US Civil Suit against NPA

  • In April 2018, NPA settled a civil fraud case with the US Justice Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The suit charged NPA with a violation of the US False Claims Act for providing material support to Iran and Palestinian terror groups.
  • Specifically: “NPA funded numerous workshops attended by young people in the Gaza Strip and senior officials from the partner political parties, including Hamas, PFLP, and DFLP. Hamas, PFLP, and DFLP used information that they obtained from these workshops to alter their behavior in order to become more attractive to youth and, thereby, benefit from increased youth support.”
  • Beginning in 2010, an NPA-funded project, “Youth of the Day Leaders of Tomorrow” in cooperation with the Institute for Development Studies, “provided practical support to strengthen partner organizations that organise activities, including training in planning.”
  • NPA agreed to pay U.S. authorities $2.025 million due to the breach of an agreement made with USAID.
    • According to Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman: “For years, Norwegian People’s Aid obtained grant money from USAID by falsely representing that it had not provided, and would take reasonable steps to ensure that it did not knowingly provide, material support to prohibited parties under U.S. law.”
    • According to the NPA, USAID funding was provided to and used for a project in South Sudan. NPA claims that it misunderstood the US anti-terror waiver and believed that it applied only to the South Sudan project, and not to its work in Gaza and elsewhere.
  • In addition to the “significant financial penalty for its conduct,” the US Attorney stated that NPA “importantly, has admitted to its conduct and agreed to put proper precautions in place to ensure that it does not happen again.”

NPA Support for NGO affiliate with terror

  • NPA partners with the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) which has been identified by Fatah as an official PFLP “affiliate,” and by USAID as the “agricultural arm” of the PFLP.
  • NPA received NOK 90 million (USD 11.5 million) (2012-2019) from the Norwegian government for projects with UAWC and the Palestinian umbrella organization, Union of Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO). PNGO requires that members refuse to sign US anti-terror waivers prohibiting them from accepting “anything but unconditional funding.” Furthermore, in June 2017, PNGO condemned Norway’s decision to pull funding from a youth center named after Dalal Mughrabi, a terrorist who murdered 37 Israeli civilians in 1978- including 12 children.

Support for BDS

  • In June 2016, NPA worked with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet) to publish a second draft of its document, “Dangerous Liaisons, ” which falsely alleged that Norwegian companies are participating in international law and human rights abuses through their financial investments in Israel.
  • In 2014, NPA played a central role in lobbying the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) to divest from Israeli companies.
  • NPA funds and relies heavily upon information from the Israeli BDS NGO, Who Profits.

Other NPA Partners

Due to a lack of transparency, NPA’s funding to various Palestinian organizations is unclear.  However, NPA partners with highly politicized NGOs including: Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network (PNGO), Al Maqdese for Society Development (MSD), Al Tawasol Forum Society, Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (PCDCR), Democracy and Workers’ Rights Centre in Palestine (DWRC), and others.