Israeli-based Arab human rights organisation – B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories - is becoming more and more politically involved in the unresolved 100-years conflict between Jews and Arabs over sovereignty in the territory formerly called Palestine.
The beneficiary of substantial international financial largesse – B’Tselem has a belligerent political anti-Jewish stance.
In a recent Position Paper headlined: “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid” – B’Tselem claims:
"More than 14 million people, roughly half of them Jews and the other half Palestinians, live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea under a single rule … the entire area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River is organized under a single principle: advancing and cementing the supremacy of one group – Jews – over another – Palestinians… There is one regime governing the entire area and the people living in it, based on a single organizing principle."
But there is no single rule – no Jewish supremacy - no apartheid.
B’Tselem’s claim is patently false - as the Oslo Accords clearly attest: Area A of the 'West Bank' is totally ruled by the Palestine Liberation Organisation – which also exercises full administrative and shared security control over Area B of the 'West Bank' – these areas totalling 40% of the 'West Bank' and housing 95% of the West Bank' Palestinian Arab population.
Gaza is totally ruled by Hamas.
B’Tselem’s last published list of international donors in 2017 included:
-Bread for the World: a non-partisan, Christian organization based in the United States advocating for policy changes to end hunger.
-Catholic Relief Services: carrying out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.
-Christian Aid Ireland: a partnership of people, churches and local organisations committed to ending poverty worldwide.
-The Church of Scotland: seeking to inspire the people of Scotland and beyond with the Good News of J.C. through enthusiastic worshipping, witnessing, nurturing and serving communities.
-The UCC: a distinct and diverse community of Christians coming together as one church to join faith and action - with over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S.
-DanChurchAid (DCA): a Danish humanitarian, not for profit organisation based in Copenhagen - established in 1922 with its roots in the Danish Evangelical-Lutheran Church serving as a central pillar of DCA’s constituency
-The European Commission: playing an active role in developing the EU's overall strategy and in designing and implementing EU policies.
-The European Endowment for Democracy (EED): an independent, grant-making organisation, established in 2013 by the European Union (EU) and EU member states as an autonomous International Trust Fund to foster democracy
-The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF): an independent regional foundation established and registered as a Danish foundation in 2004 by EuroMed Rights, a network of more than 80 human rights organisations
-UNDP: The United Nations development agency helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress.
These organisations are perfectly entitled to continue donating their money to B’Tselem.
But foreign entities - funding 69% of donations to B’Tselem in 2019 - must also expect to be subjected to trenchant criticism - knowing their future donations will be used to stir up resentment against the Jewish People and its legal right to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in Judea and Samaria (aka 'West Bank') and Gaza as authorised by the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the United Nations Charter.
International donors funding Israeli-based Arab human rights organisations now need to tread very carefully.
Author’s note: The cartoon – commissioned exclusively for this article — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators – whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades. His cartoons can be viewed at Drybonesblog