In a long-awaited first, the European Union canceled a grant to Palestinian NGO, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. The NGO refused to sign a clause that would obligate it to ensure that no terrorist organizations benefit from their funded programs.
Article 1.5 of Annex II of the “General conditions applicable to European Union-financed grant contracts for external actions” introduced to EU contracts with NGOs in 2019 stipulates that grant beneficiaries must ensure no funds go to groups listed as terrorist organizations. Finally, Brussels has enforced this condition.
Olga Deutsch, vice president of Jerusalem’s NGO Monitor, stated, “We hope that the EU will further examine the 25 million euros that we found it gave such groups since 2011.”
Similarly, Israel’s Finance Ministry announced Wednesday that it is cancelling a plan to grant a fuel-tax exemption to “international aid NGOs” that operate in Judea and Samaria.
Our friends at Im Tirtzu and My Israel collaborated with other pro-Israel advocacy organizations to let Knesset Finance Committee members know that several of the NGOs that would have benefited from the tax break are involved in anti-Israel activities.
AFSI applauds the EU’s important decision and commends it for not caving in to the pressure of NGOs operating as funnels for anti-Israel terror groups. We are equally pleased to see Israel taking firm action to push back against NGOs involved in anti-Israel activity. We are cautiously optimistic that this will set off a domino effect of cancelling funding to NGOs who seek to destroy Israel.
#NoFundingForTerror #EUNixesTerrorFunding #NGOsFeelTheSqueeze
@MyIsraelorgil @IMTIzionism
Israel Cancels Tax Break for Anti-Israel NGOs, by Yakir Benzion. United With Israel – June 17, 2020