NGO Monitor reveals Dutch government funding for Electronic Intifada

NGO Monitor

November 29, 2010
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/ngo_monitor_reveals_dutch_gov_t_funding_for_electronic_intifada

Electronic Intifada (EI), a website that publishes articles that compare
Israelis to Nazis and promotes campaigns for anti-Israel BDS (boycotts,
divestment and sanctions), has received funding indirectly from the Dutch
government. The Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO),
a Netherland-based NGO has supported EI since at least 2007, including a
3-year funding commitment. ICCO receives 95% of its budget from the Dutch
government and the EU.

In 2008, ICCO received €124 million in Dutch government funds, representing
90% of its €139 million budget. An additional €8.5 million (6.1%) came from
the European Commission (Annual Report, p. 135). When NGO Monitor contacted
ICCO regarding funding for EI, our researcher was directed to the
coordinator of government funds, Mieke Zagt. Ms. Zagt did not return NGO
Monitor’s phone calls or emails.

As documented by NGO Monitor, EI plays a central role in the Durban strategy
of political warfare against Israel, with frequent accusations of
“apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “slow genocide.” Articles on the EI
site justify violence against civilians, call Gaza a “concentration camp,”
and label Palestinian participation in peace talks as “collaboration.” EI
has an extensive section supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) movement against Israel. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah, as well as other
contributors, also employ antisemitic and anti-Israel themes in their
writings and Twitter statements.

Despite the evidence to the contrary, ICCO praised EI as an “internationally
recognized daily news source” that “contributes to a balanced opinion.”

In an article (Jerusalem Post, November 26, 2010), journalist Benjamin
Weinthal quoted Netherlands Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal: “I will look
into the matter personally. If it appears that…ICCO does fund [EI], it will
have a serious problem with me.”

In sharp contrast, Chairman of ICCO’s Executive Board Marinus Verweij called
EI “an important source of information” and said “in no way is the EI
anti-Israel or anti-Semitic.” The Post also reported that ICCO informed the
Dutch government that EI “was funded with Dutch subsid[ies] until 2010. From
2010 on it has allocated only non-subsidy funding.” The evidence for this
claim has not been provided.

NGO Monitor research on ICCO has also uncovered significant conflicts of
interest concerning EI. ICCO Middle East program officer, Mieke Zagt, who is
responsible for coordinating the funding, has also published in EI, and is a
vocal proponent of BDS. Additionally, EI contributor Adri Nieuwhof has
worked at ICCO as an interim manager in the Middle East department, and as a
consultant on other issues. EI co-founder Arjan El Fassed was also an ICCO
staff member.

Click here to read NGO Monitor’s factsheet on Electronic Intifada and Ali
Abunimah
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/electronic_intifada_and_ali_abunimah_factsheet