NGO Monitor

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NGO Monitor (Non-governmental Organization Monitor) is an Israeli non-governmental organization with the stated aim of "promoting critical debate and accountability of Human Rights NGOs in the Arab Israeli conflict."[1] The Economist and Jewish Telegraphic Agency identify NGO Monitor as a pro-Israel group [2][3] and The Jerusalem Post states the organization writes reports detailing the operations of alleged anti-Israel political NGOs.[4]

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[edit] Structure, staff and funding

NGO Monitor is the central project of the Organization for NGO Responsibility, a self-described independent non-profit organization registered in Israel operating out of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Institute for Contemporary Affairs whose publisher is Dore Gold, a former ambassador to the United Nations for Israel and advisor to Ariel Sharon.[5] Its editor is Gerald M. Steinberg, a professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.[6] It was formerly a joint project of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and B'nai Brith International founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation.[7] Its staff includes:[1]

  • Gerald M. Steinberg, Executive Director: Professor of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University, where he directs the Interdisciplinary Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation; also a Senior Research Associate at the BESA Center for Strategic Studies, a consultant to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Security Council, and a columnist.[8]
  • Sarah Mandel, Associate Editor: Orthodox Jewish immigrant who settled in Alon Shvut in the Israeli occupied West Bank.[9]
  • Anne Herzberg, Director of Research and Legal Advisor.
  • Dan Kosky, Communications Director.
  • Andre Oboler, Legacy Heritage Fellow.

NGO Monitor states that it was founded with funding from the Wechsler Family Foundation originally directed to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.[10] Nina Rosenwald, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)[11], is another NGO Monitor donor.[12]

[edit] Activities

NGO Monitor describes its objective as "promoting critical debate and accountability of Human Rights NGOs in the Arab Israeli conflict." The organization further describes its aims as "to end to the practice used by certain self-declared 'humanitarian NGOs' of exploiting the label 'universal human rights values' to promote politically and ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas." [1]

NGO Monitor has criticized several international human rights organizations, such as Christian Aid (for its alleged "extensive involvement in anti-Israel propaganda campaigns"[13]), Human Rights Watch (for being "systematically and exceedingly biased"[14]), Amnesty International,[15] Oxfam[15], the Center for Constitutional Rights and Medecins Sans Frontieres (also known as Doctors Without Borders).[16]

It has also criticized the Ford Foundation for funding the Palestinian Al Mezan Center, which it claimed was involved in "blatantly political anti-Israel activities".[17] Subsequent to this criticism, the Ford Foundation modified its policies regarding funding of NGOs. [18]

NGO Monitor has also accused B'Tselem, that describes itself as "The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories", of having a political agenda and falsifying and distorting data. NGO Monitor further writes that B'Tselem also employs "abusive and demonizing rhetoric designed to elicit political support for Palestinians".[19]

[edit] Criticism

A 2005 article in Jewish Daily Forward takes issue with NGO Monitor saying that Human Rights Watch (HRW) places “extreme emphasis on critical assessments of Israel” and is more critical of HRW than on any other of the 75 NGOs it concerns itself with. Leonard Fein claims that HRW devote more attention to five other nations in the region — Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Turkey and Iran — than they did to Israel but that, despite extensive correspondence, editor Steinberg has failed to correct the misleading claim about HRW on the NGO Watch website. The article claims other Israeli related distortions by NGO Monitor, outside its remit.[6]

NGO Monitor criticized the New Israel Fund, which states that its primary objective is to strengthen Israel's democracy, for funding organizations that the NGO Monitor claims are engaged in a "campaign to delegitimize Israel." These claims were denied by the President of the New Israel Fund and law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, Peter Edelman, who described NGO Monitor's criticism as "un-democratic and un-Jewish" and "inherently and fundamentally flawed." [20]

In an article for Political Research Associates, which describes itself as a progressive think tank devoted to supporting movements that are building a more just and inclusive democratic society[21], Jean Hardisty and Elizabeth Furdon describe NGO Monitor as a "conservative NGO watchdog group, NGO Monitor, which focuses on perceived threats to Israeli interests", adding that "the ideological slant of NGO Monitor's work is unabashedly pro-Israeli. It does not claim to be a politically neutral examination of NGO activities and practices."[22]

Ittijah, the Union of Arab Community Based Organisations in Israel, labels NGO Monitor as "an organ of the American pro-Israel lobby." [23] Editorialist Leonard Fein claimed that NGO Monitor had refused to correct a mistaken claim about another NGO.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c About NGO Monitor. NGO Monitor.
  2. ^ Boycotting Israel: New pariah on the block, The Economist, September 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Ha'aretz columnist dropped by British Zionists, JTA Breaking News, August 31, 2007.
  4. ^ Europe to host NGO attack on Israel, The Jerusalem Post, August 22, 2007.
  5. ^ Shlomo Greenwald. Ford Foundation Is Criticized on Mideast Funding. New York Sun. May 23, 2006.
  6. ^ a b c Leonard Fein. "Monitoring The Monitor", Jewish Daily Forward, 2005-05-20. 
  7. ^ IMRA: Follow up on ISM and the death of Rachel Corrie
  8. ^ Professor Gerald M. Steinberg. Bar-Ilan University.
  9. ^ One on One: Fact, fiction and fabrication, The Jerusalem Post, November 8, 2006.
  10. ^ JCPA: Institute for Contemporary Affairs
  11. ^ Hudson Institute: Staff Bio
  12. ^ NGO Monitor: Founding Donor
  13. ^ Christian Aid (UK). NGO Monitor.
  14. ^ Special Report: "Activity Summary of Human Rights Watch March 2003 - March 2004". NGO Monitor.
  15. ^ a b "Human Rights Groups are Working Against Peace". NGO Monitor.
  16. ^ ´Political Humanitarianism´ and Medical NGOs. NGO Monitor.
  17. ^ NGO Monitor: Ford Foundation NGO Funding Update
  18. ^ netWMD: "Stunning Reversal"
  19. ^ Betselem: Report Uses Outdated Sources and the Rhetoric of Demonization, NGO Monitor Analysis (Vol. 2 No. 12), August 15, 2004.
  20. ^ NGO Monitor: Exchange of letters on NIF transparency and accountability
  21. ^ PublicEye.org: About PRA
  22. ^ Policing Civil Society Spring 2004, Political Research Associates
  23. ^ Ittijah: About Ittijah

[edit] External links

[edit] Official Links

[edit] Articles pertaining to NGO Monitor