PRESS RELEASE
May 20, 2013

Contact:
Lenny Ben-David
NGO Monitor
054-216-8155
lenny.bendavid@ngo-monitor.org

Report: U.S. Government Funding for
Mideast Political NGOs Undermines U.S. Policy

Jerusalem - A report presented to Members of Congress today by NGO Monitor
shows that U.S. Government funding of several political NGOs in the
Palestinian Authority and Israel contradicts U.S. policy, has a negative
impact on the peace process, and lacks the independent oversight necessary
to prevent abuses.

Professor Gerald M. Steinberg, President of NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based
research institute, is meeting this week with Members of Congress,
congressional staff, Washington think tanks, journalists and foreign policy
decision-molders.

The 13-page report, The Negative Impact of U.S. Government Funding for
Mideast Political NGOs,
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/due_diligence_and_accountability_the_negative_impact_of_u_s_government_funding_for_mideast_political_ngos

is written by Steinberg and Naftali Balanson, NGO Monitor Managing Editor.
The 38-page appendices
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/usa.pdf

include a directory of the political NGOs involved and correspondence with
U.S. government agencies and officials.

"Some of the NGO grantees conduct activities that sharply contradict program
objectives and policies," Steinberg explained. "The National Endowment for
Democracy (NED), for instance, funded by the U.S. Government, in turn funds
political advocacy NGOs that demonize Israel and promote BDS (boycotts,
divestment, and sanctions) campaigns targeting Israel. This activity is
entirely inconsistent with U.S. policy."

One such organization is MIFTAH ($178,740 in 2007-2012), a Palestinian NGO
involved in anti-Israel campaigns and antisemitism, including repetition of
the infamous blood libel and allegations of "the slaughter of Palestinian
children."

Another group, "Windows," received $750,000 in a three-year grant from the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It is described by the
Agency as "a tool for Israeli and Palestinian participants to learn about
each other." Windows' Youth Media Program adopts a Palestinian narrative of
the conflict including highly offensive comparisons between Israel and Nazi
Germany.

"Obviously, USAID and NED do not endorse such views," Steinberg said, "but
the funding is indicative of the lack of supervision and transparency in
such grants. Self-reporting, without independent evaluation on such complex
issues, violates the principles of good governance."

NGO Monitor urges U.S. officials to conduct detailed, professional and
independent evaluations of NGO activity before grant allocation, during
implementation, and at the conclusion of the grant cycle.

NGO Monitor notes that U.S. officials have taken important steps to increase
transparency and accountability. NGO Monitor recently received an assurance
from U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, "We have put in place
greater policy oversight of grant-making decisions over the past few years."

NGO Monitor (www.ngo-monitor.org), based in Jerusalem, provides information
and analysis, promotes accountability, and supports discussion on the
activities of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) involved in Middle East
politics and human rights affairs.
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