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European Commission Funds NGOs that Manipulate Israeli Democracy
[NGO Monitor] The European Commission distributes 5-10 million euros annually under the Partnerships for Peace Program (PfP) to Israeli, Palestinian, and European civil society organizations. While the EU claims to support "civil society initiatives that promote peace, tolerance and non-violence in the Middle East," the evidence shows that many of the grantees reflect a very narrow political perspective and exacerbate the conflict through biased campaigns against Israel. PfP-funded NGOs include the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions headed by Jeff Halper, a prominent participant in the "Free Gaza" boat trips and campaigns in support of Hamas in August 2008; Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch, whose publications regularly omit the context of terror and employ "apartheid" rhetoric that contributes to the demonization of Israel; and the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem, which is involved in the anti-Israel divestment campaign. More than half of the PfP projects show a clear and consistent bias in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This constitutes an attempt by a group of EU officials to directly interfere with the internal affairs of Israel, and to manipulate Israeli democracy to conform with the dominant EU "political vision."