An investigative report has uncovered direct Swiss government funding of Yossi Beilin's 'Geneva Initiative' as well as a suspicious subsidy offered to journalists willing to cover the 'Oslo-style' ceremony in Geneva.
Numerous statements have been issued by the Tel Aviv office of Yossi Beilin's Geneva Initiative, claiming the do-it-yourself accord was financed by private Jewish contributors.
However, an investigative report by David Bedein, Bureau Chief of the Israel Resource News Agency, has exposed that funding of the wildcat initiative came directly from the Swiss government. Bedein has also discovered that the Swiss government is covering travel costs for journalists, in an attempt to increase media coverage of the Oslo Accords-styleceremony to take place in Geneva.
Bedein reports that one of the architects of the Geneva Initiative, Dr. Stephen Cohen,
stated that the financier of the Geneva Initiative was the Swiss government. He was addressing a conference of the extreme-left Brit Tzedek V'Shalom organization in Boston on November 19th. Cohen, who described himself as a paid advisor to the US State Department, said in response to a question from the audience that he knew of no major Jewish contributors to the Geneva Initiative.
On Monday, November 24th, the Geneva Initiative organizers made an offer to fly journalists to cover the event in Geneva on a subsidized round-trip chartered flight for only $150. $800 is the average price for round-trip tickets to Geneva.
The spokesperson for the Geneva Initiative told reporters that the flights were subsidized by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based Non-Governmental organization ("www.hdcentre.org").
When asked if this Center was financed by the Swiss Government, the Geneva
Initiative Spokesperson said that she did not know. Bedein contacted the CHDs office in the Palestinian Authority, but they were unaware of any involvement with the journalistsflight arrangements.
The spokesperson at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogues Geneva office was then contacted by Bedein and asked whether the flight for the journalists on Monday, sponsored by their agency, was financed by the Swiss government.
The spokesperson's reply was: "What flight"?
The Centers spokesperson checked and called back to say that his agency was not in any way, shape or form involved in the subsidy or organization of the journalist's flight to cover the Geneva Initiative.
The Center spokesman suggested calling the Swiss government spokesman. The Swiss government spokesman was not ready to say anything on the subject, saying that all this would be discussed in a press conference tomorrow.
Bedein called the Beilin Geneva Iniative Office again to ask why they had lied about the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue subsidizing the flights, when the Center's spokesperson clearly states that his organization had nothing to do with the flight.
After two hours, the spokesperson for the Beilin Geneva Initiative called Bedein back with a reply that, Yes, it is the Swiss government that is subsidizing the flight for journalists.
Bedein commented, "It seems highly unusual for a foreign government to finance the events and activities of another government's non-parliamentary opposition, but it is even more unusual for a foreign government to PAY for reporters to cover such an event. So much for the notion that private Jewish contributors are behind the Beilin Geneva Initiative."
Numerous statements have been issued by the Tel Aviv office of Yossi Beilin's Geneva Initiative, claiming the do-it-yourself accord was financed by private Jewish contributors.
However, an investigative report by David Bedein, Bureau Chief of the Israel Resource News Agency, has exposed that funding of the wildcat initiative came directly from the Swiss government. Bedein has also discovered that the Swiss government is covering travel costs for journalists, in an attempt to increase media coverage of the Oslo Accords-styleceremony to take place in Geneva.
Bedein reports that one of the architects of the Geneva Initiative, Dr. Stephen Cohen,
stated that the financier of the Geneva Initiative was the Swiss government. He was addressing a conference of the extreme-left Brit Tzedek V'Shalom organization in Boston on November 19th. Cohen, who described himself as a paid advisor to the US State Department, said in response to a question from the audience that he knew of no major Jewish contributors to the Geneva Initiative.
On Monday, November 24th, the Geneva Initiative organizers made an offer to fly journalists to cover the event in Geneva on a subsidized round-trip chartered flight for only $150. $800 is the average price for round-trip tickets to Geneva.
The spokesperson for the Geneva Initiative told reporters that the flights were subsidized by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based Non-Governmental organization ("www.hdcentre.org").
When asked if this Center was financed by the Swiss Government, the Geneva
Initiative Spokesperson said that she did not know. Bedein contacted the CHDs office in the Palestinian Authority, but they were unaware of any involvement with the journalistsflight arrangements.
The spokesperson at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogues Geneva office was then contacted by Bedein and asked whether the flight for the journalists on Monday, sponsored by their agency, was financed by the Swiss government.
The spokesperson's reply was: "What flight"?
The Centers spokesperson checked and called back to say that his agency was not in any way, shape or form involved in the subsidy or organization of the journalist's flight to cover the Geneva Initiative.
The Center spokesman suggested calling the Swiss government spokesman. The Swiss government spokesman was not ready to say anything on the subject, saying that all this would be discussed in a press conference tomorrow.
Bedein called the Beilin Geneva Iniative Office again to ask why they had lied about the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue subsidizing the flights, when the Center's spokesperson clearly states that his organization had nothing to do with the flight.
After two hours, the spokesperson for the Beilin Geneva Initiative called Bedein back with a reply that, Yes, it is the Swiss government that is subsidizing the flight for journalists.
Bedein commented, "It seems highly unusual for a foreign government to finance the events and activities of another government's non-parliamentary opposition, but it is even more unusual for a foreign government to PAY for reporters to cover such an event. So much for the notion that private Jewish contributors are behind the Beilin Geneva Initiative."