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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Court Dismisses 'Frivolous' Case Against NGO Monitor

January 23, 2007 www.ngo-monitor.org

Court Dismisses 'Frivolous' Case Against NGO Monitor

Attempt to Silence Analysis of NGOs such as PCWF Rejected by Texas Judge

On January 17, 2007, a Texas Federal Court judge dismissed as "wholly
frivolous" and "baseless" Palestine Children's Welfare Fund (PCWF) Riad
ElSolh Hamad's defamation suit against NGO Monitor, Frontpage Jerusalem, the
Center for Study of Popular Culture and others. Hamad charged the
organizations had defamed him and violated his constitutional and civil
rights linking him and his charity in newspaper and Internet articles to
Islamic fundamentalist terror.

In addition to dismissing Hamad's claims as "groundless", United States
District Court Judge, Sam Sparks, leveled Rule 11 sanctions against Hamad
and ordered him to pay defendants' attorney's fees and costs totaling almost
$60,000 as well as a $1000 fine to each defendant for Hamad's repeated
violation of court orders.

NGO Monitor Executive Director Professor Gerald Steinberg noted: "This was a
clear attempt to use the courts and intimidation to prevent independent
analysis and exposure of the incitement by anti-Israel NGOs. This strategy
has now been rejected."

In his ruling, the judge called Hamad's complaint "an intelligible morass of
vitriolic accusations" that had "no basis in law."

NGO Monitor analysis shows Gaza-based PCWF openly exploits children's issues
for radical politicized agendas that promote the conflict. These activities
are entirely inconsistent with its claims to be a humanitarian organization.
Among PCWF's activities, documented in NGO Monitor's report, is a children's
drawing contest. The judges rewarded, almost without exception, entries that
featured fierce and violent hatred of Israel. The winning picture features
a fire, in the shape of a map of Israel and the Palestinian Authority,
consuming the Star of David with the word "Israel" written inside the flag.
Another entry depicted a Palestinian flag dropping flames on an Israeli flag
and burning Israelis standing next to it. Such activities serve only to
advance a culture of violence and hatred.

The use of the courts in the attempt to prevent debate and the exposure of
the highly politicized activity taking place under the guise of promoting
human rights is widespread. The judge in this case rejected the effort to
silence NGO Monitor's analyses of such activities.

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