Half the truth that’s fit to print

Gerald M. Steinberg
NGO Monitor
First printed in JPost
11 July '10

Israel is a very porous country, in the sense that individuals and organizations, particularly with money, can easily gain influence. This is both a reflection of an open and lively democracy and a remnant of the early Zionist movement, when Jewish philanthropists from the Diaspora, such as the Rothschild and Montefiore families, had central roles and close links with political leaders.

In the 1950s and 1960s, David Ben-Gurion and his political machine continued to rely on external donors, including friendly socialist parties, for campaign financing. Following this lead, Menachem Begin and Herut were also supported by their backers.

Like other remnants of Zionist politics, foreign funding continues, with unexamined consequences.

In this context, the “exposé” of tax-exempt funding for right-wing organizations (“Tax-exempt funds aid settlements in West Bank,” The New York Times, July 6) is not surprising. But the authors missed or erased half the story.

Based on NGO Monitor’s extensive research, the scale of tax-exempt funding from the US for the other side of the spectrum probably exceeds the $20 million average annually reportedly provided to support the settlement agenda. And, as in the case of groups targeted in the Times, radical left grantees push objectives that are also in direct opposition to US government policies.

NGO Monitor’s research shows how numerous groups that receive tax-exempt donations promote violent demonization, boycotts (illegal under US law) and “one-state” policies that are equivalent to seeking the destruction of Israel. These include Electronic Intifada, ICAHD-US, Friends of Sabeel, the benignly named Middle East Children’s Alliance and the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition.

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