-----
B"H
The NGO monitor has highlighted, in a way too polite manner, that the Ford Foundation continues to echo the anti-Jewish sentiments of it's dear founder and notorious anti-Semite, Henry Ford.
Remember that they get their funding from selling those cute little mustangs, fashionable SUVs, and the nice suburban minivans that many Jews tootle around town in.
Buy a Subaru.
M
-----
Ford Foundation: 2007 Review of Funding for Political NGOs active in the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict NGO Monitor January 28, 2008
www.ngo-monitor.org/article/6
Summary:
Ford-funded NGOs led the campaign against Israel at the UN World Conference
Against Racism, at Durban in 2001.
The Ford Foundation's 2007 database of direct grants does not include NGOs
which exploit human rights rhetoric as part of the Durban strategy of
demonizing Israel. However, Ford does not include information on indirect
and continuing funding.
NGO Monitor's research shows that PCHR, Miftah and PHRO continued to receive
Ford Foundation support in 2007.
NGO Monitor sent numerous requests for clarification to Ford which were not
answered in a substantive manner.
Many other NGOs, which appeared on Ford's funding database in 2005 and 2006,
and which promote boycotts and divestment, and selectively use human rights
rhetoric to demonize Israel, continue to list Ford as a donor in 2007.
These findings raise serious questions of Ford's transparency and its
commitment to its own post-Durban guidelines. There is also a real
possibility that Ford-funded NGOs will again lead the demonization of Israel
at the 2009 follow-up conference to Durban.
Ford Foundation Grantees 2007 - Improvement?
In 2006, NGO Monitor reported a comparative reduction in the Ford
Foundation's support for the most virulent NGOs that focus primarily on
demonization of Israel under the "Durban strategy". In 2007, none of the
problematic NGOs from 2006 were found in the Ford Foundation's grants
database. If funding had indeed ceased, this would constitute a marked
improvement in Ford's funding practices.
However, research throughout 2007 has revealed that Ford continues to
support some of the most radical and politicized NGOs, despite the fact that
they have not appeared in its grant database since 2005. The Ford Foundation
has consistently failed to answer NGO Monitor's enquiries about multi-year
grants and indirect funding not included in its database. In March and
November 2007, NGO Monitor contacted the Ford Foundation repeatedly to
establish whether any 2005 grant recipients continued to receive support in
2006/7. Ford failed to provide a substantive response.
Ford-funded NGOs from previous years continue to list Ford as donor
NGOs which continue to list Ford as a funding source on their websites,
although these are not included in Ford's 2007 database, include
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) website states that the
organization is funded by the Ford Foundation.
New Israel Fund website lists the Ford Foundation as under "Special Programs
and Partners." In September 2007 Ford renewed its 2003 five-year partnership
with NIF, to support civil society, human rights and social justice
organizations in Israel. NIF, in turns, funds Adalah, Mossawa, Machsom
Watch, Arab Association of Human Rights and HaMoked, Bimkom, I'lam, and other NGOs.
Miftah lists Ford as a donor in materials provided to NGO Monitor (see
below)
Al-Mezan lists Ford as a project donor for 2006
Al-Haq - the 2006 Annual Report lists a $100,000 grant from the Ford
Foundation, $50,000 of which had not been spent by the end of 2006.
Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO) lists Ford as a donor in its
2006 Annual Report
Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre (JLAC) (On JLAC's list of
"Partners 2000-2007" "Ford Foundation, Cairo Office" is listed)
Interpeace website states that the organization is funded by the Ford
Foundation.
Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) lists Ford as a funding
source
Human Rights Watch still lists the Ford Foundation as a donor of "$100,000
or more" among the organization's "Supporters of General and Endowment
Funds - April 2005 - March 2006".
International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) states that it is supported
by the Ford Foundation
Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs
(PASSIA) - continues to list Ford as a funding source for "Training and
Education in International Affairs" on its website
Ir Amim continues to list Ford as a supporter on its website
All of these NGOs were contacted[1] in November and December 2007, and asked
whether the Ford Foundation remains an active donor. Only PCHR, Miftah,
PHRO, Save the Children - UK and HRW responded.
PCHR
PCHR has not appeared in Ford's grant database since 2005. In an email of
October 31, 2007 PCHR Director Raji Sourani confirmed that the website was
indeed up to date, including the sections on funding. As NGO Monitor has
reported, "while PCHR does an important job of describing intra-Palestinian
human rights abuses, it is blatantly one-sided in its removal of the context
of terror and disregard of human rights abuses committed against Israeli
civilians. PCHR also supports 'all the efforts aimed at enabling the
Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in regard to
self-determination and independence,' including calls for political,
economic, and academic boycotts against Israel."
MIFTAH
Miftah has not appeared in Ford's grant database since 2005. Miftah's
administrative and financial director Rula Muzaffar attached a list of
Miftah's donors for the year 2007 to his email of October 30, 2007. [link to
attached excel file] The Ford Foundation appears as a donor for the period
March 2003-February 2007, supporting three different projects/activities:
Institutional Support and Policy Formulation.
Empowerment of Women in Negotiations.
Enhancing Accountability in the Public Sector.
Miftah is a political lobbying group which claims to increase "global
awareness and knowledge of Palestinian realities by providing policy
analysis, strategic briefings and position papers." However, despite
claiming to be politically independent, Miftah uses Durban strategy
rhetoric, characterizes terrorists as "activists" and "freedom fighters,"
and promotes highly politicized campaigns that do not contribute to peace.
An op-ed on the Miftah website (August 2, 2006) claimed that Israel was
deliberately targeting Lebanese civilians. The author wrote that Lebanese
civilian deaths "are part of a systematic policy carried out by the Israeli
military establishment, approved by the highest political echelons, aimed at
squashing, silencing and obliterating any voice of rebellion, anyone who
dares stand up to the beast." Miftah has also described suicide bombings
against civilians as "resistance." An article of July 5, 2006 about
Palestinian women during the last six years of violence stated that "several
young women also decided to join the ranks of the resistance movement", went
on to describe the first Palestinian female suicide bombing and commented
that "this marked the beginning of a string of Palestinian women dedicated
to sacrificing their lives for the cause."
Palestinian Human Rights Organization
PHRO was listed in Ford's 2006 grant database, but not in the 2007 list.
General Director Assistant Rola Badran responded to NGO Monitor's inquiry
that all the details requested were available in the following link: PHRO's
Annual Report 2006 (page 48). The Ford Foundation is listed as contributing
$74,972.00 to support PHRO's strategy at the end of September 2006.
PHRO is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and
La Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) (also listed as
supported by the Ford Foundation), both heavily involved in the demonization
of Israel. PHRO also participated in the 2001 Durban Conference and
continues to promote the NGO strategy adopted there, including accusing
Israel of "apartheid and ethnic cleansing," as well as "perpetration of
racist crimes against humanity including. acts of genocide," and calls for
"complete and total isolation of Israel."
In July 2006, PHRO issued a report titled, "Lebanon Crisis. Israel Severe
Breaches to the International Law". This report was prepared "in light of
Israel's assault on Lebanon" and describes "genocide in Qana" and "Israel's
actions in Killing Civilians, imposing a Siege on Lebanon, Disproportionate
Use of Forces, Using Prohibited Weapons in addition to Collective
Punishment."
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
HRW featured in Ford's list of 2006 grantees, as receiving a restricted
$300,000 grant for an HIV/AIDS program and a $60,000 grant for a full-time
researcher in Brazil. Yet HRW still lists the Ford Foundation as a donor
of "$100,000 or more" among the organization's "Supporters of General and
Endowment Funds - April 2005 - March 2006".
In response to NGO Monitor's request for clarification Helen Raynsford from
HRW UK replied that "the information that you have asked for is
confidential."
Save the Children - UK
The Save the Children Fund received two grants from the Ford Foundation in
2006: $50,000 to support the prospective Save the Children China Foundation,
and $200,000 was given to Save the Children to fund human rights education
in Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. Save the Children no longer list Ford as a
donor, and Customer Service Advisor Ellie Mcleod (Individual Giving) said
she could not offer a response to our enquiry due to "the number of similar
requests that we receive and our limited resources." In the past, this
organization has promoted the Palestinian version of the conflict in
material designed for teachers.
The New Israel Fund (NIF)
As noted in NGO Monitor's 2006 report, following intense criticism of its
role in funding NGOs involved in the 2001 Durban NGO Forum, the Ford
Foundation announced a five-year partnership with NIF. This entailed a $20
million grant to establish a new peace and social justice fund. In September
2007, the Ford Foundation announced a second $20 million grant to extend
this partnership for an additional five years. The Ford Foundation is
mentioned on NIF's website under "Special Programs and Partners". However,
NIF is not included in Ford's 2007 grants database.
Conclusion
The Ford Foundation released guidelines after the 2001 Durban conference
which declare that it will not fund NGOS that " promote or engage in
violence, terrorism, bigotry or the destruction of any state, nor will it
make sub-grants to any entity that engages in these activities." This
prohibition is applicable to all of the organization's activities, and not
merely those supported by a direct grant from Ford.
The evidence presented in this update shows that changes in Ford's grant
database in 2006 and 2007 do not fully reflect implementation of the
post-Durban changes in funding policy, and raise questions about Ford's
commitment to transparency. PCHR, Miftah and PHRO selectively apply human
rights terminology to demonize Israel, and actively promote the Durban
Strategy, including boycotts and divestment.
Ford stated objectives are to "strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty
and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human
achievement." But the continued funding of these and possibly other groups
not listed in the data base for 2007 contradicts these goals, as well as the
commitments made after Durban 2001. In this context, there is a very real
possibility that Ford-funded NGOs will again lead the demonization of Israel
at the 2009 Durban follow-up conference.
---
[1] NGO Monitor asked the following NGOs about their donors in 2007: PCHR,
Al-Haq, Miftah, Al-Mezan, PHRO, DWRC, JLAC, Muwatin, Interpeace, PANORAMA,
Save the Children - UK (SCF), HRW, ICJ, FIDH, PASSIA, Ir Amim. Only PCHR,
Miftah and PHRO were helpful in supplying relevant information. Save the
Children - UK (SCF) and HRW replied that they did not have resources to
reply. The rest of the NGOs, as well as the EMHRN, failed to respond.
B"H
The NGO monitor has highlighted, in a way too polite manner, that the Ford Foundation continues to echo the anti-Jewish sentiments of it's dear founder and notorious anti-Semite, Henry Ford.
Remember that they get their funding from selling those cute little mustangs, fashionable SUVs, and the nice suburban minivans that many Jews tootle around town in.
Buy a Subaru.
M
-----
Ford Foundation: 2007 Review of Funding for Political NGOs active in the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict NGO Monitor January 28, 2008
www.ngo-monitor.org/article/6
Summary:
Ford-funded NGOs led the campaign against Israel at the UN World Conference
Against Racism, at Durban in 2001.
The Ford Foundation's 2007 database of direct grants does not include NGOs
which exploit human rights rhetoric as part of the Durban strategy of
demonizing Israel. However, Ford does not include information on indirect
and continuing funding.
NGO Monitor's research shows that PCHR, Miftah and PHRO continued to receive
Ford Foundation support in 2007.
NGO Monitor sent numerous requests for clarification to Ford which were not
answered in a substantive manner.
Many other NGOs, which appeared on Ford's funding database in 2005 and 2006,
and which promote boycotts and divestment, and selectively use human rights
rhetoric to demonize Israel, continue to list Ford as a donor in 2007.
These findings raise serious questions of Ford's transparency and its
commitment to its own post-Durban guidelines. There is also a real
possibility that Ford-funded NGOs will again lead the demonization of Israel
at the 2009 follow-up conference to Durban.
Ford Foundation Grantees 2007 - Improvement?
In 2006, NGO Monitor reported a comparative reduction in the Ford
Foundation's support for the most virulent NGOs that focus primarily on
demonization of Israel under the "Durban strategy". In 2007, none of the
problematic NGOs from 2006 were found in the Ford Foundation's grants
database. If funding had indeed ceased, this would constitute a marked
improvement in Ford's funding practices.
However, research throughout 2007 has revealed that Ford continues to
support some of the most radical and politicized NGOs, despite the fact that
they have not appeared in its grant database since 2005. The Ford Foundation
has consistently failed to answer NGO Monitor's enquiries about multi-year
grants and indirect funding not included in its database. In March and
November 2007, NGO Monitor contacted the Ford Foundation repeatedly to
establish whether any 2005 grant recipients continued to receive support in
2006/7. Ford failed to provide a substantive response.
Ford-funded NGOs from previous years continue to list Ford as donor
NGOs which continue to list Ford as a funding source on their websites,
although these are not included in Ford's 2007 database, include
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) website states that the
organization is funded by the Ford Foundation.
New Israel Fund website lists the Ford Foundation as under "Special Programs
and Partners." In September 2007 Ford renewed its 2003 five-year partnership
with NIF, to support civil society, human rights and social justice
organizations in Israel. NIF, in turns, funds Adalah, Mossawa, Machsom
Watch, Arab Association of Human Rights and HaMoked, Bimkom, I'lam, and other NGOs.
Miftah lists Ford as a donor in materials provided to NGO Monitor (see
below)
Al-Mezan lists Ford as a project donor for 2006
Al-Haq - the 2006 Annual Report lists a $100,000 grant from the Ford
Foundation, $50,000 of which had not been spent by the end of 2006.
Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO) lists Ford as a donor in its
2006 Annual Report
Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre (JLAC) (On JLAC's list of
"Partners 2000-2007" "Ford Foundation, Cairo Office" is listed)
Interpeace website states that the organization is funded by the Ford
Foundation.
Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) lists Ford as a funding
source
Human Rights Watch still lists the Ford Foundation as a donor of "$100,000
or more" among the organization's "Supporters of General and Endowment
Funds - April 2005 - March 2006".
International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) states that it is supported
by the Ford Foundation
Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs
(PASSIA) - continues to list Ford as a funding source for "Training and
Education in International Affairs" on its website
Ir Amim continues to list Ford as a supporter on its website
All of these NGOs were contacted[1] in November and December 2007, and asked
whether the Ford Foundation remains an active donor. Only PCHR, Miftah,
PHRO, Save the Children - UK and HRW responded.
PCHR
PCHR has not appeared in Ford's grant database since 2005. In an email of
October 31, 2007 PCHR Director Raji Sourani confirmed that the website was
indeed up to date, including the sections on funding. As NGO Monitor has
reported, "while PCHR does an important job of describing intra-Palestinian
human rights abuses, it is blatantly one-sided in its removal of the context
of terror and disregard of human rights abuses committed against Israeli
civilians. PCHR also supports 'all the efforts aimed at enabling the
Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in regard to
self-determination and independence,' including calls for political,
economic, and academic boycotts against Israel."
MIFTAH
Miftah has not appeared in Ford's grant database since 2005. Miftah's
administrative and financial director Rula Muzaffar attached a list of
Miftah's donors for the year 2007 to his email of October 30, 2007. [link to
attached excel file] The Ford Foundation appears as a donor for the period
March 2003-February 2007, supporting three different projects/activities:
Institutional Support and Policy Formulation.
Empowerment of Women in Negotiations.
Enhancing Accountability in the Public Sector.
Miftah is a political lobbying group which claims to increase "global
awareness and knowledge of Palestinian realities by providing policy
analysis, strategic briefings and position papers." However, despite
claiming to be politically independent, Miftah uses Durban strategy
rhetoric, characterizes terrorists as "activists" and "freedom fighters,"
and promotes highly politicized campaigns that do not contribute to peace.
An op-ed on the Miftah website (August 2, 2006) claimed that Israel was
deliberately targeting Lebanese civilians. The author wrote that Lebanese
civilian deaths "are part of a systematic policy carried out by the Israeli
military establishment, approved by the highest political echelons, aimed at
squashing, silencing and obliterating any voice of rebellion, anyone who
dares stand up to the beast." Miftah has also described suicide bombings
against civilians as "resistance." An article of July 5, 2006 about
Palestinian women during the last six years of violence stated that "several
young women also decided to join the ranks of the resistance movement", went
on to describe the first Palestinian female suicide bombing and commented
that "this marked the beginning of a string of Palestinian women dedicated
to sacrificing their lives for the cause."
Palestinian Human Rights Organization
PHRO was listed in Ford's 2006 grant database, but not in the 2007 list.
General Director Assistant Rola Badran responded to NGO Monitor's inquiry
that all the details requested were available in the following link: PHRO's
Annual Report 2006 (page 48). The Ford Foundation is listed as contributing
$74,972.00 to support PHRO's strategy at the end of September 2006.
PHRO is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and
La Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) (also listed as
supported by the Ford Foundation), both heavily involved in the demonization
of Israel. PHRO also participated in the 2001 Durban Conference and
continues to promote the NGO strategy adopted there, including accusing
Israel of "apartheid and ethnic cleansing," as well as "perpetration of
racist crimes against humanity including. acts of genocide," and calls for
"complete and total isolation of Israel."
In July 2006, PHRO issued a report titled, "Lebanon Crisis. Israel Severe
Breaches to the International Law". This report was prepared "in light of
Israel's assault on Lebanon" and describes "genocide in Qana" and "Israel's
actions in Killing Civilians, imposing a Siege on Lebanon, Disproportionate
Use of Forces, Using Prohibited Weapons in addition to Collective
Punishment."
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
HRW featured in Ford's list of 2006 grantees, as receiving a restricted
$300,000 grant for an HIV/AIDS program and a $60,000 grant for a full-time
researcher in Brazil. Yet HRW still lists the Ford Foundation as a donor
of "$100,000 or more" among the organization's "Supporters of General and
Endowment Funds - April 2005 - March 2006".
In response to NGO Monitor's request for clarification Helen Raynsford from
HRW UK replied that "the information that you have asked for is
confidential."
Save the Children - UK
The Save the Children Fund received two grants from the Ford Foundation in
2006: $50,000 to support the prospective Save the Children China Foundation,
and $200,000 was given to Save the Children to fund human rights education
in Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. Save the Children no longer list Ford as a
donor, and Customer Service Advisor Ellie Mcleod (Individual Giving) said
she could not offer a response to our enquiry due to "the number of similar
requests that we receive and our limited resources." In the past, this
organization has promoted the Palestinian version of the conflict in
material designed for teachers.
The New Israel Fund (NIF)
As noted in NGO Monitor's 2006 report, following intense criticism of its
role in funding NGOs involved in the 2001 Durban NGO Forum, the Ford
Foundation announced a five-year partnership with NIF. This entailed a $20
million grant to establish a new peace and social justice fund. In September
2007, the Ford Foundation announced a second $20 million grant to extend
this partnership for an additional five years. The Ford Foundation is
mentioned on NIF's website under "Special Programs and Partners". However,
NIF is not included in Ford's 2007 grants database.
Conclusion
The Ford Foundation released guidelines after the 2001 Durban conference
which declare that it will not fund NGOS that " promote or engage in
violence, terrorism, bigotry or the destruction of any state, nor will it
make sub-grants to any entity that engages in these activities." This
prohibition is applicable to all of the organization's activities, and not
merely those supported by a direct grant from Ford.
The evidence presented in this update shows that changes in Ford's grant
database in 2006 and 2007 do not fully reflect implementation of the
post-Durban changes in funding policy, and raise questions about Ford's
commitment to transparency. PCHR, Miftah and PHRO selectively apply human
rights terminology to demonize Israel, and actively promote the Durban
Strategy, including boycotts and divestment.
Ford stated objectives are to "strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty
and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human
achievement." But the continued funding of these and possibly other groups
not listed in the data base for 2007 contradicts these goals, as well as the
commitments made after Durban 2001. In this context, there is a very real
possibility that Ford-funded NGOs will again lead the demonization of Israel
at the 2009 Durban follow-up conference.
---
[1] NGO Monitor asked the following NGOs about their donors in 2007: PCHR,
Al-Haq, Miftah, Al-Mezan, PHRO, DWRC, JLAC, Muwatin, Interpeace, PANORAMA,
Save the Children - UK (SCF), HRW, ICJ, FIDH, PASSIA, Ir Amim. Only PCHR,
Miftah and PHRO were helpful in supplying relevant information. Save the
Children - UK (SCF) and HRW replied that they did not have resources to
reply. The rest of the NGOs, as well as the EMHRN, failed to respond.
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