Dutch reject Wilders’ smears against Gaza rights group
Rights and Accountability 23 October 2020
NGO Monitor attacks Palestinian human rights groups to undermine their work towards ending Israeli impunity.
ActiveStillsA campaign to undermine the work of Palestinian human rights organizations by conflating them with “terrorist” groups has suffered a significant blow.
The government of the Netherlands said earlier this month that “there is no reason to assume” that there are links between Al Mezan, a human rights group in Gaza, and the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Dutch funding of Al Mezan had come under question by Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, and two other members of parliament belonging to the far-right group.
The lawmakers raised accusations of “Dutch aid money for Palestinian terrorists” after the publication of a document smearing Al Mezan authored by NGO Monitor, an anti-Palestinian group with close ties to the Israeli government and settler movement.
The document rehashes formulaic smears long used by organizations close to Israel against Palestinian human rights groups working towards accountability at global bodies such as the International Criminal Court.
NGO Monitor describes Al Mezan as “highly active in anti-Israel lawfare campaigns” and criticizes it for making “attempts to secure arrest warrants for Israeli officials for alleged ‘war crimes.’”
The Jerusalem-based group asserts that photos and posts published on social media demonstrate links between Al Mezan board and staff members and the PFLP and Hamas, which are designated as “terror” groups by the European Union.
Allegations dismissed
In its seven-page response, the Dutch government states that it “takes such allegations seriously” but declares NGO Monitor’s claims to be unfounded.
The Dutch government affirms that raising alleged violations to international bodies are “legitimate” and standard activities for human rights groups.
It added that it objects to social media posts concerning armed resistance made by Al Mezan staff members in their personal capacity. It adds that these posts were raised with Al Mezan, which it said would see to their removal.
However, international consensus recognizes that occupied and colonized peoples have the right to armed resistance against foreign domination.
And while it places onerous conditions on funding to Palestinian nongovernmental groups, the EU rewards Israel for its crimes.
The result is an increasingly “shrinking civic space” in which Palestinian human rights groups may operate – as intended by the Israeli government and its proxies.
“Malicious incitement”
While welcoming the Dutch government’s response to the claims made by NGO Monitor, Al Mezan called for the unequivocal rejection of “malicious incitement” intended to shield Israel from accountability
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