Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs released a report titled Terrorists in Suits: The Ties Between NGOs promoting BDS and Terrorist Organizations that shows operational and ideological ties between the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, and Palestinian terrorist organisations, including Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to the report, at least 30 active and “retired” terrorists were on the payrolls of BDS-linked NGOs. Some of these prominent terror figures cited in the report include Palestinian hijacker Leila Khaled, former Hamas “military” operative Muhammad Sawalha and convicted terrorist Shawan Jabarin.
The Arab and Islamic terror organizations tied to the BDS Movement were “utilizing a network of NGOs promoting boycotts against Israel as an additional tactic in their ultimate goal of dismantling the State of Israel,” the report said.
“Terrorist organizations and the BDS campaign have united in their goal of dismantling the Jewish State, with the former viewing boycotts as an additional tactic to their armed attacks against Israel,” Minister of Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, said referring to the findings of the report. “Following the exposure of the ties linking boycott organizations to the terrorist groups, I urge the governments of Europe to rethink the legitimacy and stop the funding they provide to Israel-boycott organizations.”
Legal Insurrection reviewed the 79-page report. Here are some of the key findings:
Over the past several years, an organized and well-coordinated campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel and promote the BDS campaign against it has been taking place around the world, primarily in Western countries.The campaign involves a network of non-governmental organizations, a number of which have close ties to designated terrorist organizations, most-prominently Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Terrorist organizations see the “civilian” struggle against Israel – demonstrations, marches,fundraising, political lobbying and the so-called “peace” flotillas – as a complementary effort of their armed attacks against the State of Israel. (…)[N]umerous members and terrorist operatives have become leading figures in NGOs which delegitimize and promote boycotts again Israel, while concealing or downplaying their terrorist past. Some continue to serve as members of terrorist organizations to this day. Thus, members of Palestinian, North American and British NGOs which delegitimize Israel, present themselves as human rights activists, while withholding any mention of their ties to terrorist organizations. (…)The preponderance of information shows that this is a premeditated, coordinated and organized modus operandi of the terrorist organizations, which seek to “whitewash” their end-goal of eliminating the State of Israel byhiding behind the façade of “legitimate” human rights NGOs, primarily operating in the Palestinian Authority, the UK and the US.This method is another evolution in the tactics employed by terrorist organizations to attack the State of Israel by exploiting Western values. It derives from their realization that in today’s day and age, civil society has a significant ability to influence democratic governments. In their eyes, the path to mainstream acceptance requires adopting “legitimate” methods of action. As a result, terrorist organizations have embraced a new approach, at the basis of which is waging a campaign against Israel in the public opinion and legal arenas, while cynically and deliberately exploiting human rights NGOs perceived in the West as “legitimate.” To our understanding, terrorist organizations hope that in this way, they will co-opt civil society to push their governments to place pressure on Israel, with the aim of curtailing its military and economic freedom of action. (…)Some NGOs tied to terrorist organizations have received funding from European countries and EU institutions, both in the past and in the present. These NGOs are also funded by aid agencies which in turn are financed by Western governments (i.e. indirect governmental financing), and by private philanthropic foundations. In our estimation, in light of the ties between the terror organizations and these NGOs, there is concern that government and private funds are being transferred to terrorist organizations, both directly and indirectly.
The report also showed how these terror-linked NGOs receive millions of euros from the European Union, European countries, and western charity foundations. In light of the new findings, the Israeli government has called upon the EU and other foreign donors to “examine the activities of NGOs which promote the agenda of terrorist organizations and ensure that no ties, either direct or indirect, exist between these NGOs and designated terrorist organizations,” urging them to “immediately end all funding to NGOs with ties to such terrorist organizations.”
Last month, The EU officials rejected a similar Israeli demand and defended their practice of giving millions of euros to BDS groups annually. “Simply because an organisation or individual is related to the BDS movement does not mean that this entity is involved in incitement to commit illegal acts, nor that it renders itself ineligible for EU funding.” the EU diplomatic mission in Israel said.
The research commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs not only exposes the ideological affinity between the BDS and various terrorist groups, but also extensive personnel and operations ties between them. While the anti-Israel boycott activism on Western campuses and elsewhere tries to camouflage itself as a grassroots campaign, it is a well-coordinated global operation steered by the Palestinian and Islamic terrorist organizations.
Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, reveals links between BDS and terrorist organizations (June 2018)
[Cover image via YouTube]
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