An NGO funded by the EU, among others, affirmed its support for “armed struggle” against Israel in a statement released Saturday night.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said that it “affirms the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation by all available means, including armed struggle, all the way to achieve their legitimate rights, end the occupation, and establish their independent state.”
The remark came at the end of a response to what it says was the IDF taking its reports out of context.
Even before its statement in support of violence against Israel, PCHR has long had links, documented by NGO Monitor, which researches the funding of anti-Israel organizations, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated a terrorist group by Israel, the EU, US, and others.
Those links include joint events, such as a book launch for a PFLP commander, and staff members, such as General Director Raji Sourani who said in 2014: “I was in the ranks of the Popular Front…We are proud that once we were members of this organization and we fought in its ranks.”
Which national governments have provided funding to PCHR?
The Swiss government approved a $380,000 grant to PCHR for the years 2021-2024, requiring the NGO to sign a contract committing to “refrain from incitement to violence or hatred.”
“Any breach of the above-mentioned obligation justifies the immediate termination of the present contract by the donor and entitles the donor to demand the full reimbursement of its effective contribution,” the contract reads.
The EU granted 475,000 Euros to PCHR in 2022 for “promoting and protecting human rights.”
The NGO, however, has said that “starting in 2020, PCHR will employ all its resources and energy in this trajectory,” referring to the International Criminal Court’s investigation of Israel for alleged war crimes.
Last week, the European Parliament passed a vote calling on the European Commission to create “a public blacklist of NGOs, that have engaged in activities such as hate speech, incitement to terrorism, religious extremism supporting or glorifying violence, or have misused or misappropriated Union funds.”
In addition, the government of Ireland, an approved 81,000 Euro grant to PCHR in 2021, while the government of Norway gave 680,000 USD to PCHR in 2019-2021.
“The EU itself rules out any support for organizations who incite violence, and we hope Brussels and other EU member states will act swiftly to cut their financial support to PCHR.”
NGO Monitor Olga Deutsch
The Foreign Ministry said it plans to speak to each of the countries funding PCHR to make clear the severity with which it views their contributions to an organization calling for armed conflict against Israel.
“We demand that the EU and European states not fund organizations that call for a violent confrontation with Israel,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
NGO Monitor Vice President Olga Deutsch said that “PCHR is known for its biased positions on Israel. They have long maintained close ties to the terror group PFLP, and have been one of the leading voices working to criminalize Israel at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
“This latest statement takes their activities outside the realm of political discourse, and openly incites violence against Jews, and justifies terror,” Deutsch added. “The EU itself rules out any support for organizations who incite violence, and we hope Brussels and other EU member states will act swiftly to cut their financial support to PCHR.”
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