Stop relying on politicized NGOs, says NGO Monitor
NGO Monitor is urging the US State Department to stop relying on politicized NGOs for its annual “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.” NGO Monitor’s detailed reports on these NGOs show that they promote a political agenda – including efforts to impose academic boycotts, and divestment – at the expense of accurate analysis.
NGO Monitor analyses of the NGOs quoted in previous editions of the “Israel and the Occupied Territories” section of the report show that these NGOs display a consistent anti-Israel political bias.
The State Department report refers to its NGO sources as “reputable international organizations” and “credible NGOs.” However, according to NGO Monitor, these NGOs have no independent research capabilities, provide insufficient documentation for independent verification, accept anecdotal claims from politically motivated groups or individuals, and discriminate between sources based on political agendas.
In a letter to Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, NGO Monitor urged the State Department to refrain from repeating unverified allegations of politicized NGOs in future reports. The next report is scheduled for publication within the month.
“Many of these NGOs are active participants in incitement,” said Professor Gerald Steinberg, Editor of NGO Monitor. “They demonize Israel through false allegations of human rights abuses and selective citations of international law.”
Highly politicized NGOs found in the State Department Report include the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, B’tselem, Adalah, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.
For the text of the NGO Monitor letter to the State Department go to: http://www.ngo-monitor.org/
