This is a summary of the opinion article by Moshe Dann, journalist of The Jerusalem Post, about the perceived underlying reasons behind the EU’s support of anti-Israel NGOs that are operated by Palestinian institutions and are linked to terrorist organisations.
Recently, seven anti-Israel Palestinian NGOs have been closed for supporting terrorist organisations. However, in response, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Israel, claiming that there was no evidence of wrongdoing. At the same time, the work and message of these organisations were no secret: Israel is a racist, Nazi, and Apartheid state, and therefore resistance (violence and terrorism) against Israeli Jews is not only legitimate but a sacred duty.
Mahmoud Abba, chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has described these NGOs’ work as “to expose the occupation and its crimes against our people.” Abbas acknowledged that the seven NGOs are Palestinian institutions which operate according to Palestinian law.
According to Dann, these NGOs are part of a strategy to promote a global intifada against Israel led by Iran, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is known to back Hamas and operates worldwide and in North America via many front groups, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and student groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). It is the basis for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and other organisations that seek to isolate, demonise and destroy Israel.
Either the European Union knows that the NGOs are engaged in anti-Israel propaganda and incitement and approves, or it has no idea what is happening. Dann believes that the real message of the EU to Israel is that it cannot protect itself, and that the EU will promote the country’s destruction.
The EU’s support for anti-Israel NGOs is not about defending human rights or Palestinian self-determination but about supporting the Palestinian narrative, the Nakba, ending the occupation, and the two-state solution. It’s about killing Jews and destroying Israel.
As the Abraham Accords prove that some Arab countries are willing to accept Israel and make peace, while the EU-backed NGOs, the PLO, Hamas, and Islamist, and Jihadi groups oppose it.
Although a Palestinian state would be allied with Iran and other countries that seek Israel’s demise, the EU, UN, and others don’t seem to care and may even support it. Rationalised as a moral and ethical issue, it would be the first step towards eliminating Israel.
Understandably, most Muslims and Arabs support this, but why do many Christians support this anti-Zionist, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda? Why do the EU and most European countries spend hundreds of millions of Euros yearly to support that agenda? Why do some church groups agree? Why do banks and companies support boycotts and sanctions against Israel?
Besides Muslims and Arabs, many Christians support this because Jew-hatred is deeply rooted in European culture. This is well-documented, and it inspired pogroms, massacres, and even the support of the Nazis and the Holocaust. Supporting the Palestinian cause, therefore, is only an excuse for Jew-hatred, consciously or unconsciously.
Never Again demands honesty; there are no exceptions or excuses. Visiting Yad Vashem and honouring the victims of the Holocaust are meaningless when threats facing Israel are ignored. Those who support NGOs linked to terrorists, ignore Iran’s declared intention to destroy Israel, and support terrorist organisations are contributing to another Holocaust.
The author, Moshe Dann, is a PhD historian and journalist in Israel.