New Israel fund trying to destroy Israel

[mord]

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=35541 

Saturday, August 4, 2007
Gerald M. Steinberg: It's time for a debate on the New Israel Fund 

 It's time for a debate on the New Israel Fund
Gerald M. Steinberg Canadian Jewish News August 2 2007
www.cjnews.com/TOPScnCJN/images/stories/eCJN/Aug_2_TOR_eCJN.pdf
In response to my CJN column on "How the Diaspora can help fix Israel" (Feb.
8, 2007), which included a brief comment on the New Israel Fund, Isser
Dubinsky, president of NIF Canada's board of directors, and Jay Brodbar, NIF
Canada's executive director, wrote a long letter singing the praises of
their organization and rejecting the image of "an aging-hippie projection of
American Jews involvement in the Civil Rights era." One month later, the
Harvard Crimson carried a news story headlined "New Israel Fund lawyers
compare Bedouins' plight to U.S. civil rights movement." If the shoe fits.

In its almost 30-year history, the NIF has become one of the most wealthy
and powerful Jewish institutions in Israel and the Diaspora - in that sense,
it's a huge success. But like other power brokers, NIF officials
systematically reject constructive criticism. As a result, mistakes are
compounded until the organization reaches a crisis. As mail from NIF donors
to me and NGO Monitor (of which I am the executive director) demonstrates,
an increasing number of people are asking questions about how their money is
being used.

But with at least 150 groups receiving grants at any time, it's difficult
for anyone to get a general picture of the NIF, or to understand how its
decisions are made. Some of these grants and projects are strictly
charitable, such as assistance provided to communities in northern Israel to
overcome the impact of last year's war. However, much of the NIF's budget
goes to highly political activities designed to change Israeli society
according to a particular design.

Some Israeli board members who are central in selecting the NGOs and
projects are fringe politicians and activists who use the money to impose
their agendas after being rejected at the ballot box. As a result, in this
sense, many Israelis have an image of the NIF that is anti-democratic,
arrogant and dangerous - as a body that comes from the outside and
mysteriously gives large sums of money to a few activists.

Unlike government programs that are subject to public debate and
accountability, most Israelis have no recourse when the NIF promotes an
agenda to which they strongly object. And most NIF donors are shielded from
this perception. The largest chunk - one-third - of the NIF's annual budget
goes to more than 20 organizations that claim to promote "civil rights" for
Israel's Arab minority.

But these NGOs use the money to demonize and delegitimize the concept of
Jewish sovereignty and equality among the nations. Some, such as Adalah and
Mousawa, submit papers to the United Nations accusing Israel of apartheid.
They also refer to Zionism as racism, and distribute an alternative
constitution for Israel that would abolish the concept of a Jewish state.
The NIF is responsible for "empowering" the most radical Israeli Arab voices
and giving them the resources to dominate the discussion at the expense of
moderate leaders.

Misguided NIF policies also support radical groups such as Physicians for
Human Rights-Israel, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions,
whose head, Jeff Halper, supports the most virulent boycott promoters, such
as Naim Ateek. And after funding Tel Aviv lawyer Shamai Leibowitz - who
supports economic sanctions against Israel and the creation of a binational
state west of the Jordan River - NIF officials quietly admitted that they
don't endorse his views, but they didn't apologize for this error, and the
damage was done.

For these and other reasons, the time for an open debate on the NIF is long
overdue. NIF donors should be able to listen to different Israeli views and
decide how best to use their considerable funds. The NIF is an important
institution that should help cement the relationship between Israelis and
Diaspora Jews. With realistic goals and by encouraging valid criticism and
open debate, the NIF can play a constructive role. In this spirit of
co-operation, I urge Dubinsky and Brodbar to forgo the polemics and standard
letters to the editor and join me and other Israelis in public discussions
on how best to realize our shared goals.

Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg is the Executive Director of www.ngo-monitor.org ,
and heads the Program on Conflict Management at Bar Ilan University
 

[newman]

 
The bad news to good news stories about Israel ratio is running at about 1000:1. I wish something would balance this out.

[mord]

The bad news to good news stories about Israel ratio is running at about 1000:1. I wish something would balance this out.

Well members are begining to question it's Hamas like agenda