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(Washington, D.C., Dec. 21, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International has just published an essential report, pulling back the curtain on European Union (EU) assistance to the Palestinian Authority and other beneficiaries.
The report, titled “Aligning Principles and Practice: EU Assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian NGOs, Rethinking the Approach to Meet Normative Goals,” is a unique, comprehensive guide to European Union funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Palestinian NGOs. It provides a deep look into serious inconsistencies in the EU’s implementation of its stated values in relation to Palestinian actors—including the unconditional nature of most funding—and offers recommendations to improve oversight and accountability. In his opening remarks on Dec. 21 at the webinar launching the report, Member of European Parliament David Lega (European People’s Party) noted, “We in the European Union must do better: We should impose clear conditions on EU funding. Thanks in large part to EU assistance, Palestinians are the largest recipients of per capita support in the world. European citizens should know that their money is used to promote peace and EU values.” He highlighted the persistent issues of payments to families of convicted criminals by the Palestinian Authority as well as anti-Semitic and inciteful content in Palestinian textbooks: “[The EU] has, in the process, aided and abetted persistent human rights abuses by the Palestinian Authority and has turned a blind eye to unconscionable practices such as the payments to families of convicted terrorists, considered martyrs for the killing of Israeli civilians. The European Union has for the longest time also failed to hold both UNRWA and the Palestinian Ministry of Education accountable for gross anti-Semitism and incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis in Palestinian textbooks.” In turn, MEP Dietmar Köster (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), noted, “One of the construction sites that we all have in our eyes very vividly is the trouble regarding the anti-Semitism in Palestinian textbooks sponsored by UNRWA. This showed once again how important it is to examine exactly whether civil organizations are used under the guise of humanitarian aid to carry out anti-Israel attitudes and actions. This fundamental issue goes far beyond educational propaganda. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the PFLP for instance finances terrorist acts through these channels. The party tries to acquire donations from abroad with the help of a network of civil organizations. These personnel and organizational links have been discussed in Israel for a long time. The EU supports Palestinian NGOs financially. Thus, such cash flows urgently need to be checked through the EU Anti-Fraud Office.” He later added, “As part of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU must therefore use its leverage with the PA for the better and advocate reforms, so that the above-mentioned adjusting screws can really be turned. This is crucial for Israel’s security and stability in the region. The PA must be held accountable wherever it exerts its jurisdiction, and the EU in turn must take a firm stand when it comes to cases of non-compliance.” The report findings reveal that the EU has neither pushed the Palestinian Authority to significant reforms nor held it accountable for its human rights violations. The European Union has not substantively addressed the infamously persistent issue of so-called “pay-for-slay” payments—financing to the families of convicted terrorists by the PA. At the same time, the implementation of the anti-terrorism clause for NGOs has been opaque. Building on research commissioned by the European Union itself, the report addresses persistent anti-Semitism in Palestinian textbooks utilized in UNRWA schools. The report was released today by B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, together with Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, and Alina Bricman, B’nai B’rith International director of EU Affairs. B’nai B’rith International is grateful to have been joined by members of the European Parliament representing the two largest political groups on a European level—Lega and Köster--as well as author and former member of Knesset Dr. Einat Wilf and the authors of the report, Dr. Tommaso Virgili and Dr. Paul Stott. Mariaschin stressed, in conversation with Wilf, the need for the EU and individual member states to demand accountability in their dealings with the PA, UNRWA and civil society. He noted, “[The Abraham Accords] have managed in just over one year to breathe new life and hope into the region, to bring a sense of opportunity and to present a whole new universe of partnerships and exchanges. This momentous paradigm shift is a unique opportunity for the European Union to join this positive momentum.” “The EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinian Authority and to Palestinian civil society, as well as the second biggest donor to UNRWA. Given this reality, the EU has an essential role to play in the promotion of peace, but in accordance with its own values and stated goals and to date that has not been regrettably the case.” B’nai B’rith looks forward to engaging with policymakers and other EU officials in the new year to remedy the challenges identified in the report. The report was initiated and overseen by Schneider and Bricman and can be found here: https://www.bnaibrith.org/uploads/1/1/6/9/116999275/bnai_brith_report_eu_assistance_to_the_pa_and_palestinian_ngos.pdf The launch event is available here: https://www.facebook.com/bnaibrithinternational/videos/1054525421778862 B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit bnaibrith.org. B’nai B’rith Unveils Study: Aligning Principles and Practice: EU Assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian NGOs Rethinking the Approach to Meet Normative Goals (Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International announces the Dec. 21 release of a unique and groundbreaking report into the European Union’s assistance toward Palestinian beneficiaries.
The report, titled “Aligning Principles and Practice: EU Assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian NGOs, Rethinking the Approach to Meet Normative Goals,” is a unique, comprehensive guide to European Union funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestinian NGOs. It provides a deep look into shortcomings in the EU’s implementation of its stated values in relation to Palestinian actors—including the unconditional nature of most funding—and offers recommendations to improve oversight and accountability. The report finds that the EU has neither pushed the Palestinian Authority to significant reforms nor held it accountable for its human rights violations. The European Union has not substantively addressed the infamously persistent issue of so-called “pay-for-slay” payments—financing to the families of convicted terrorists by the PA. At the same time, the implementation of the anti-terrorism clause for NGOs has been opaque. Building on research commissioned by the European Union itself, the report addresses persistent anti-Semitism in Palestinian textbooks utilized in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools. The report comes at an important time: Tectonic shifts are taking place in the Middle East, with Israel forging new and unprecedented ties and potentially cutting the Gordian knot of political deadlock in the Middle East. A new European Union Action Plan for Palestine is upcoming and a first-ever EU Strategy on Combating Anti-Semitism with a strong foreign policy mandate was published earlier this year. We hope the report will provide momentum for the EU to review its approach and put in place policies that will lead to much needed, and long neglected, accountability in the face of Palestinian rejectionism, terror and incitement. The report “Aligning Principles and Practice: EU Assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian NGOs, Rethinking the Approach to Meet Normative Goals” was authored by Dr. Tommaso Virgili and Dr. Paul Stott. Join B’nai B’rith International for a launch event on Dec. 21, 2021, 10 a.m. ET | 4 p.m. CET | 5 p.m. Israel. The event will feature members of the European Parliament; B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin; Dr. Einat Wilf, author and former Knesset member; and the report’s authors. Register for the event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CSqjd7I2ROW46TX0PeyEgw B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit bnaibrith.org. (Washington, D.C., May 11, 2021)—B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
In light of ongoing Hamas terror attacks against Israel and Fatah’s incitement of violence against Israelis, we call on the White House to abandon plans to open a consulate in East Jerusalem and to rescind any permission for the PLO to open an office in Washington, D.C. The clear support for these attacks that has come from Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas shows, without question, that the PA gives approbation to those using violence in Jerusalem. Abbas has declared this uprising “the battle of all battles; that the long struggle against a satanic colonialist force” is at hand. A more peaceful and certain result would be to come to the negotiating table to discuss a real, tangible outcome. Central to Hamas’ doctrine is a call for Israel’s destruction. It is becoming increasingly clear that the PA refuses to choose a path toward resolving this conflict. In light of that, keeping these offices closed would send a strong message that promoting violence against Israel is a dead end. B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org. (Washington, D.C., May 10, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We strongly condemn Hamas and Fatah for ongoing violence and rocket attacks against Israel. Riots in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount have targeted Israeli forces and civilians alike, and rockets have been fired from Gaza at Jerusalem and southern Israel. We specifically condemn Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah for their constant incitement and calls to violence against Israelis. We stand with Israel and its people as they face this ongoing violence and unrest. We call for an end to the incitement and violence exhorted from both Gaza and the West Bank and stand in solidarity with Israel and its right to defend itself in the face of such attacks. We encourage the media around the world to use caution in formulating their accounts of the situation. The Palestinians are using all means to demonize Israel. B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit bnaibrith.org. (Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We strongly condemn Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s reported refusal of an Israeli proposal to open a coronavirus vaccination location in the area of the Temple Mount. The decision puts the health and safety of both Israelis and Palestinians at risk. The proposal, sent to the Palestinian Authority and the Jerusalem Waqf, the authority overseeing Muslim holy places, was meant to provide vaccinations mainly to Palestinian worshippers gathering at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount. A second offer by Israel, that the vaccines be administered by Arab Israelis rather than by Jews, was also apparently rejected by the Palestinian Authority and the Waqf. Abbas’s opposition unambiguously puts politics ahead of the health and safety of citizens. We urge that the vaccination station be allowed to open. Israel’s rapid and robust program to vaccinate all citizens has resulted in a large drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Israel currently has the world’s highest per capita rate of coronavirus vaccinations. B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit bnaibrith.org. (Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s statement that she accepts the Palestinian canard that “war crimes have been or are being committed” by Israel, and that she will investigate those, is profoundly improper and dangerous. Clearly, Bensouda cannot tell the difference between war crimes and Palestinian propaganda. It is the Palestinians who have for decades subjected Israel to the high crimes of unrelenting, indiscriminate terrorism – thus necessitating Israeli defensive efforts – and an open campaign of national extermination. By contrast, despite singularly difficult circumstances, Israel, the Middle East’s only actual democracy, has carried out its pursuit of security with a degree of restraint and care rarely if ever seen in the history of military conflict. Israel has appealed and sacrificed for peace with the Palestinians, as it had successfully with other Arab neighbors, but been met only with more Palestinian violence against its civilians, rejection of mutual compromise and attempts to circumvent direct negotiations by instead recruiting international political and even juridical bodies to pressure and harm the Jewish state. Beyond the fact that Israel has its own renowned and fully functioning legal system to ensure the country’s compliance with key national and international obligations, the ICC does not have jurisdiction over baseless charges leveled by the Palestinians since the latter do not as of yet, and never have, represented an existing state. Since 1947, the Palestinians consistently rejected opportunities to establish their own state alongside a Jewish state. The ICC gravely risks politicizing itself, and losing fundamental credibility, by exceeding its mandate and accepting false, politically motivated claims. Such a step is deeply harmful to peacemaking, to vital counterterrorism efforts anywhere and to the cause of all those suffering from genuine atrocity around the world. B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org  B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith is outraged by the torching of Joseph’s Tomb, a holy site in the ancient city of Shechem in the West Bank, by Palestinian rioters. As of yet, no injuries or deaths have been reported. While Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces managed to disperse the crowds and douse the fire, significant damage has been reported in the women’s section of the site. The arson came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinian leadership to stop a wave of attacks on Jews. After a week of silence, PA President Mahmoud Abbas finally issued a statement condemning the group’s actions and announcing plans to create an investigatory committee. While vicious attacks have left seven dead and more than 30 wounded—Abbas issued no condemnation while other PA officials have been busy inciting this kind of violence. B’nai B’rith is appalled that the PA ignored multiple violent deaths before finally denouncing this act of wanton arson.  B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith International opposes the Palestinian Authority’s campaign to have its flag flown outside of United Nations headquarters with the flags of U.N. member states. The Palestinians secured status as a U.N. non-member observer “state” in 2012, but are not actual members of the world body. This push comes as the Palestinian mission to the U.N. reportedly plans to submit a resolution calling for the flying of all “observer state” flags. An early draft of the resolution named both the Palestinians and the Vatican as non-member observer states that should have their flags flown. The draft resolution was apparently circulated without the Vatican’s authorization and the Holy See has asked the Palestinians to remove any mention of the Vatican from the draft. The flags outside the United Nations represent U.N. member states and the Palestinian territories do not as of yet comprise a state, owing to the Palestinians’ consistent refusal to reach a meaningful, negotiated two-state solution that includes recognition of the Jewish state. It would furthermore be inappropriate to fly the Palestinian flag as part of the Palestinian territories are illicitly ruled by the terrorist group Hamas, which is openly committed to the destruction of an existing U.N. member state, Israel. The Palestinians cannot be the only one of the world’s countless communities with nationalist aspirations to be unilaterally and superficially afforded the trappings of sovereignty. The United Nations has long joined in insisting that the Palestinian conflict with Israel be settled exclusively through direct talks and agreement with Israel. Unrequited political concessions to the Palestinians only further remove any incentive for Palestinian leaders to finally enable their constituents to live alongside Israelis in peace.  B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith International is deeply disappointed by the U.S. government’s intervention on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as it petitions a New York federal court that ruled the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liable for terrorist attacks that killed 33 Americans and injured more than 450 during the Second Intifada. The administration filed a “statement of interest” expressing its concerns of a PA financial collapse should the Palestinian government be forced to pay out $665.5 million in damages to 10 American families. The historic ruling was announced in February when the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York jury sided with the plaintiffs, awarding them $218.5 million in damages, a figure that triples to $655.5 million under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act. It was the first case successfully prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Act. There needs to be a price paid for committing acts of terror and the means available to prosecute those responsible. While the victims’ families cannot bring their loved ones back, they can go to the courts to achieve redress. That is the process that led to the court’s ruling. If the Palestinian leadership, and those who plan and give the orders to carry out terrorist acts, know they can escape any punishment in the United States, what barrier would there be to additional attacks against American citizens? The judgment of the court should stand.  Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki being welcomed at the International Criminal Court in April 2015. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is once again misappropriating an important global forum to advance its own agenda rather than to advance the cause of peace. In a move that further demonstrates its true intentions, which is to use global venues to strong-arm Israel (rather than negotiate), the PA has accused Israel of “war crimes.”
The PA provided documents to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detailing what it claims are Israel’s “war crimes,” relating to Israel’s self-defense in Gaza in 2014, along with its settlement construction projects in other parts of Israel. This incessant effort to internationalize the conflict with Israel shows the PA’s true hand. The PA consistently has tried to isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state by outlandishly characterizing Israel’s attempts to defend itself from terrorist attacks as war crimes. Six months ago, when PA President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to the ICC, B’nai B’rith wrote: “In order to preserve the essential principle of conflict resolution through negotiation, and the fundamental right and duty of responsible states to combat terrorism, Palestinian exporting of political grievances to The Hague must be firmly rejected internationally.” While the delivery of these documents makes for good show, true efforts by the Palestinians to work for peace are nonexistent. The delivery of these documents should be viewed by the world community as yet another cynical move to divert attention from the complete lack of effort by the PA to work toward peace. |
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