2009 Gaza War
International Law, Human Rights, and NGOs Series
The exploitation of international legal rhetoric has become a major weapon in the political war to delegitimize Israeli responses to attacks on its civilian population. By couching political attacks in legal terms, NGOs seek to create a veneer of credibility and expertise, thereby increasing international pressure against Israel.
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NIF-Funded NGOs: Goldstone's Building Blocks
NIF-funded groups and their publications were featured centrally in the Goldstone report. Many of these citations referred to speculative issues unrelated to the conflict in Gaza, seeking to brand Israeli democracy as repressive. BTselem, Adalah, ACRI, Gisha, PHR-I, and Yesh Din have continued supporting Goldstone and lobbying governments to legitimize the reports extreme biases and endorse its recommendations. Some NIF grantees campaign against the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish democratic state. Others are active in worldwide boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns targeting Israel.
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Obsession and Scandals: HRW in 2009
In 2009, Human Rights Watch publications on Israel comprised 28% of its total Mideast output. This is more than Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, and other chronic human rights abusers. HRW issued 34 statements on the Goldstone Report, which out-numbered documents on all the countries in the Middle East, except Israel and Iran. Scandals included a fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia, the revelation that Marc Garlasco is an avid collector of Nazi memorabilia, and founder Robert Bernsteins NY Times op-ed that strongly criticized the organizations role in turn[ing] Israel into a pariah state.
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