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EU Partnership for Peace Programme:
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Copyright 2013 ASHREI-ME. All rights reserved.
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EU Partnership for Peace Programme:
Throwing Money Away on Palestinian NGOs
October 2013
ASHREI-ME is an independent organizaon
that supports human rights for people in the
Middle East who are all but ignored by the
media, by tradional NGOs and by the
internaonal community.
ashrei-me.org
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EU Partnership for Peace Programme
and Palesnian NGOs
The EU Partnership for Peace Programmedescribes its goals this way:The achievement of lasng peace in the
Middle East is a central aim of the EU,
whose main objecve is: a two-State solu-
on leading to a nal and comprehensiveselement of the Israeli-Palesnian con-
ict based on implementaon of the Road
Map, with Israel and a democrac, viable,
peaceful and sovereign Palesnian State
living side-by-side within secure and rec-
ognised borders enjoying normal relaons
with their neighbours in accordance with
UN Security Council Resoluons 242, 338,
1397, 1402, and 1515 and on the princi-
ples of the Madrid Conference.
...The EU Partnership for Peace Pro-
gramme supports local and internaonal
civil society iniaves that promote
peace, tolerance and non violence in the
Middle East. The objecve of this support
is to contribute to the rebuilding of con-
dence within each society and between
sociees.
The programme aims to promote inia-
ves in areas which are likely to have an
impact on peoples everyday lives and
welfare, including praccal acvies
which will promote communicaon and
understanding by demonstrang the ad-vantages of working together for mutual
benet and tangible results.
ASHREI-ME decided to test these stated goals
against the websites of the organizaons
headquartered in the Palesnian territories
to see if the NGOs being given grants were
living up to the stated goals of the European
Commission.
In praccally every case, the Palesnian or-
ganizaons did not come close to reaching
the standards given by the EC. Indeed, it ap-
pears that over the years of giving millions of
euros to these NGOs, the EC has watered
down its expectaons for what these NGOs
are expected to accomplish.
There are four major failings in how the EC
funds are distributed to Palesnian NGOs.
1) The major goal of rebuilding condence
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between Palesnian and Israeli society has
been all but abandoned.
It is axiomac that condence-building
measures must precede any plans for a real,
sustainable peace. Yet ever since the Palesn-
ians rejected the peace plans oered in 2000,
there has been a steady divergence between
the Palesnian and Israeli peace camps.
While Israeli peaceniks have connued to
cling to hopes of peace and reconciliaon
throughout the second infada and thou-
sands of rockets being launched from Gaza to
Israel aer Israeli withdrawal from the sector,Palesnian society has turned the idea of
even talking with Israelis into a virtual crime.
Arabic media and many organizaons decry
any hint of what they call normalizaon
with Israel.
With very few excepons, the EU-funded
NGOs have not risen to this challenge to push
back and declare that normalizaon is not a
dirty word. If anything, they have withdrawn
into their own cocoons, either severing es
with Israeli peers or not being willing to pub-
licly acknowledge them.
The net result is that the culture of peace is
non-existent in the Palesnian territories.
Yet many of the EC-sponsored programs
listed pretend that the Palesnian NGO grant-
ees are working towards a normal relaon-
ship with their Israeli counterparts or with
Israeli society as a whole. Their websites
show that this is not even close to being true.
2) Peace is incompable with accepng Ha-
mas as a partner with the PA.
There is a second, fundamental problem with
one of the ECs stated goals:
[The EC] recognises that connued and
comprehensive Palesnian reforms are
necessary andnaonal reconciliaon is a
basic step to move forward the soluon
of the conict.
On the other hand, it states:
Terrorist aacks against Israel have nojuscaon whatsoever and the EU has
included Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other
armed Palesnian groups in its list of
banned terrorist organisaons.
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It is obvious that the Palesnian Arabs are
now divided between Hamas-run Gaza and
Fatah-run West Bank. If Hamas is a terror or-
ganizaon according to the EU, how is it pos-
sible to have naonal reconciliaon with a
terrorist group and sll be adhering to ECsgoals?
In fact, a number of programs funded by the
EC priorize peace between Hamas and Fatah
more than they care about peace between a
Arab and Jew. Hamas goals are anthecal to
everything the Western world stands for. Ac-
cepng, and even encouraging, Palesnian
naonal reconciliaon is nothing less than
accepng Hamas legimacy.
EU-funded programs must make clear that
Hamas rule is not acceptable and that Hamas
must not be rewarded, even indirectly, by the
EU. Reconciliaon means that the EC is ad-
vocang compromise with Hamas, and the
PAs acceptance of some of Hamas goals
such as the eventual full destrucon of Israel
and the enshrinement of terrorism as a desir-
able strategy. (Fatahs plaorm also includes
terrorism, another fact that the EC apparently
decides to ignore based on its funding
paerns.)
3) While issues that the Palesnian side con-
siders obstacles to peace are generously
funded, those that Israel considers im-
portant are ignored.
The Palesnian side is not the only party to
negoaons. Yet while every issue that Pales-
nians consider important is covered and tac-
itly accepted by the EC funding (selements,
Jerusalem, refugees, natural resources) those
that Israel considers important are missing
from the conversaon.
There is not one funded NGO that works to
reduce incitement against Jews and Israel in
the media and in textbooks. There is not one
funded NGO that works acvely to create an
environment of normalizaon and trust with
Israel. There is not one NGO that supports
the idea of two states for two peoples.
These are crical issues that must be ad-
dressed for real peace, and yet they are ab-
sent in the European Commissions priories
based on the organizaons they fund.
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This indicates a clear bias of the EC towards
the Palesnian Arab perspecve, that Israeli
acons are the only ones that are impedi-
ments to peace. If the EC truly wanted to
work towards peace, it would take seriously
the issues at the top of both sides agendas,
not just one.
4) Some of the funded groups seek the de-
strucon of Israel, explicitly or implicitly.
As the following report shows, some of the
groups funded by the EC in fact support the
so-called right of return, which is simply a
misreading of internaonal law meant to de-
mographically destroy the Jewish state. It is
not compable with the goal of two states for
two peoples.
Other groups do not explicitly condemn ter-
rorism as a strategy, rather they consider it to
be an unaracve tacc at the moment.
To fund groups that consider terrorists to be
heroes, or that hold out hope that Israel is a
temporary blight on the Arab world that will
eventually be replaced with another Arab
state, is against EC principles.
In conclusion, the paerns of funding by the
EC indicate that the Partners for Peace pro-
gram has lile or no oversight and lile or no
strategy behind it that is remotely consistent
with the principles it states. Rather than
keeping these programs running indenitely
with an automac rubber stamp to connue
funding year aer year, the EC needs to step
back and re-evaluate whether each of the re-
cipients of grants is doing even a modicum of
work towards the stated goals of the project
and whether they are consistent with EC and
EU goals for peace.
As it stands, there is a large disconnect be-tween the funded groups and the prospects
of real peace in the Israeli-Arab conict.
ASHREI-ME
October, 2013
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Save Youth Future Society
T
he Save Youth Future Societys purpose,
even according to the EC, is to help pro-mote dialogue and mutual understanding
between conicng pares.
While the website is careful not to say it spe-
cically, it is obvious which two pares are
being referred to: Fatah and Hamas.
Hamas is classied as a terror organizaon by
the EU. If there is ever going to be peace,
reconciliaon with Hamas and other terrorgroups such as Islamic Jihad is not what is
needed. What is needed is for organizaons
that advocate real peace with Israel to be em-
powered to speak out.
Hamas is not a partnerit is an obstacle.
Palesnian Youth Promong Naonal Reconciliaon between
Conicng Pares in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by
Advocang for Internal Dialogue and Mutual Understanding
499,755
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Media for in peace building in Palesne:
The acon will build Palesnian (both in the West Bank and
Gaza) journalists, independent media outlets, media
professionals' capacity on eecve media work for promong
peace building, social cohesion, non-violence.
ElamonaMedia Research and Development
W
hile the EC claims that its funds are
meant to promote peace building,the Elamona website does not refer at all to
peace with Israel. In fact, Israel isnt men-
oned at all in the English site.
What Elamona does claim to do is, as we
have seen, promote reconciliaon between
Palesnian facons. As its own descriponof
this EC-funded program states:
Elamona aims for structural changes in
the Palesnian society using the media
as a catalyst. It intends to support the
development of an alternave media
through improving the capacity, perfor-mance and impact of the neutral and
non-faconal media outlets and in mo-
bilizing those media outlets in pro-
mong a culture of tolerance, mutual
trust and cohesiveness within
thefraconalPalesnian societythrough a strengthened media.
The descripon of this program by the EC is
decepve. The only peace building being
promoted is within Palesnian society, not
between Arabs and Jews.
217,617
http://home.elamona.org/en/1/3/132/http://home.elamona.org/en/1/3/132/http://home.elamona.org/en/1/3/132/ -
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Popular Struggle
Coordinaon Commiee
T
he Popular Struggle Coordinaon Com-
miee is, together with Al Quds Univer-sity, Spanish NGO Nova and the Israeli Coali-
on of Women for Peace, working on this
project.
However, the PSCC website has many viru-
lently an-Israel arcles. It explicitly supports
BDS, whose leaders are on the record as
wanng to see Israel eliminated and replaced
with an Arab majority state. Its website also
speaks about resistance but nowhere does
it condemn terrorism or violence, only sayingthat violence has fallen out of favor among
many Palesnians. Addionally, the PSCC
supports potenally fatal stone throwing and
slinging.
The PSCC advocates taccs and goals that are
completely at odds with stated EU policy, yet
it is being funded by the EU.
Addressing fear: strengthening the nonviolent alternave
355,130*(*together with other organizations)
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Medicine in the Service of Peace A cross-border Israeli-
Palesnian Professional Medical Cooperaon Program ...in
order to promote peace and condence building between the
two communies, and broaden the base of support to a
negoated soluon of the conict through building mutual trust
and capacity for conict resoluon.
Palesne Red Crescent
Society
T
his iniave is a joint eort with the Per-
es Center for Peace. The descriponmake it clear that the program is meant to
facilitate cooperaon and trust between Is-
raelis and Palesnians in the healthcare eld.
However, the Palesne Red Crescent Society
website doesnt menon the Peres Center or
this iniave at all. The only menons of Isra-
el on its site are negave and oen very inac-
curate (such as accusaons of the IDF using
depleted uranium in its weapons, quong a
Brish conspiracy theorist.)
It also refers to Israels separaon fence as
the apartheid wall.The site does not talk about specic Israeli-
Palesnian peace at all. There is no stated
support for a two-state soluon. There is no
discussion of cooperaon with Israeli health
ocials at all.
In short, PRCS does not publicly promote a
single value that this program is meant to en-courage. But it happily takes EU funds.
499,244*(*together with other organizations)
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Panorama Palesnian Center for Disseminaon of
Democracy & Community Development
P
anoramas website has not been acve
since mid-
2012. It is unclear if it sll ex-ists. The EC funding was earmarked from Jan-
uary 2012 through December 2013.
Cached copies of the site show that it sup-
ported the so-called right of return meant
to demographically destroy the Jewish state.
Panoramas logo erases Israel altogether.
Palesnian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum... aims to sustain strong
relaons between Palesnian and Israeli Peace NGOs, to
increase the breadth and eecveness of their work and to
enhance their capacies.
406,998*(*together with Peace Now)
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Sustainable Planning as a Tool to Promote Dialogue and
Cooperaon between Palesnians and Israelis ... bring Arab and
Jewish Israelis together with Palesnians to share experiences,
engage in dialogue on sustainable planning processes, and work
together to develop a 'Sustainable Planning Guidelines
Document'.
Applied Research
Instute Jerusalem (ARIJ)
T
he Applied Research Instute-Jerusalem
describes this program a bit dierently
than the EC does. According to its website,
the only session that has occurred so far un-
der this iniave was meant to engage in di-
alogue with Arab Israelis, specically from
Nazareth. The project is described there this
way:
The overall objecve of the project is to
share experiences between professionals
and experts in planning and develop-
mentfrom Nazareth and Bethlehem, in
addion, engage in dialogue on sustain-
able planning processes, and work to-
gether to develop a "Sustainable Plan-
ning Guidelines Document".
Nothing is stated about speaking with Jewish
Israelis.
Addionally, Israeli policies are described as
apartheid in mulple places on the site. It
spins a false history of the past century in its
Land Research Centersecon.
While much of the organizaon concentrates
on uncontroversial ecological issues, there is
nothing on its website that advocates peace
between Israel and a Palesnian Arab state.
335,910*(*together with other organizations)
http://www.arij.org/latest-news/588-arij-sustainable-planning-development.htmlhttp://www.arij.org/latest-news/588-arij-sustainable-planning-development.htmlhttp://www.poica.org/pal-in-a-century/pal-in-century.phphttp://www.poica.org/pal-in-a-century/pal-in-century.phphttp://www.poica.org/pal-in-a-century/pal-in-century.phphttp://www.arij.org/latest-news/588-arij-sustainable-planning-development.html -
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PalTrade
P
alTrade does not menon this iniave
on its website.
The site does discuss Palesnian-Israeli coop-
eraon in business, but the most recent re-
port advocang that posion is from 2007.
That earlier project was also done in coopera-
on with The Peres Center.
One EC-funded project is discussed, however:
a project to encourage Palesnian exports tobypass Israel and to go to Jordan or Egypt di-
rectly, called the Trade Corridors Facilitaon
Project.
The site does not have too much that isovertly an-Israel, but there is no recent in-
formaon about facilitang peace between
the two sides in line with the ECs Partnership
for Peace program goals.
Clearly, trade relaons between Israel and
the Palesnians is a crucial component of any
permanent and lasng peace, yet PalTradeseems to be a lile ambivalent about in-
creasing those business es based on its site.
Partners in Business, Partners in Peace: Increasing
Capacies for Israeli-Palesnian Business Cooperaon:
enhance Israeli-Palesnian business and economic relaons
with an emphasis on increasing the level of Palesnian
exports to Israel, and maximizing the business potenal forboth sides.
458,097*(*together with Peres Center)
http://www.paltrade.org/cms/images/enpublications/Facilitating%20Palestinian%20Global%20Trade%20Through%20Jordan%20and%20Egypt%20-%20eng.pdfhttp://www.paltrade.org/cms/images/enpublications/Facilitating%20Palestinian%20Global%20Trade%20Through%20Jordan%20and%20Egypt%20-%20eng.pdfhttp://www.paltrade.org/cms/images/enpublications/Facilitating%20Palestinian%20Global%20Trade%20Through%20Jordan%20and%20Egypt%20-%20eng.pdf -
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Knowing the Other through Publishing Valid, Comprehensive
and Objecve Informaon about Israel and the Israeli Society:
MADAR
PalesnianForum forIsraeli Studies
This project translates a variety of arcles
from Israeli media into Arabic. An 8-page sup-
plement is published In Al Ayyams newspa-
per biweekly, prominently labeled as an EC
iniave. There is also analysis of Israeli me-
dia.
A sampling of the arcles translated show a
bias towards news stories that makes Israel
look bad or that indicate that Israeli society is
in trouble. None of the stories we looked at
described any Israeli peace programs or any-
thing posive about the Israeli economy, for
example.
While MADAR does mostly what the EC pro-
ject descripon says (with the excepon of
objecve,) it is unclear how the project en-
courages peace. Arab media translate Israeli
newspapers all the me and there is no extra
value added with the MADAR projects. Only if
MADAR would seek out stories that humanize
Israeli Jews, or that highlight Israeli peace
group acvies.
Moreover, it would be unimaginable to see
the EC fund a similar project to translate Ara-
bic news arcles into Hebrew.
360,000
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Palesnian Peace
Coalion Associaon
The Palesnian Peace Coalion Associaon
pretends to be a driving force behindMahmoud Abbas decisions, giving no evi-
dence of any inuence whatsoever. For exam-
ple, in its Strategic Plan 2013-2015, it takes
credit for Palesne being recognized as an
observer state in the UN as well as for local
elecons.
Addionally, the PPCA supports the so-called
Right of Return, meant to destroy Israel de-
mographically and to turn it into another Pal-
esnian Arab state. While it tells its Europe-an donors that it is commied to a two-state
soluon, in fact it is advocang two Arab
states.
This sort of doubletalk is rampant in the Pal-
esnian NGO world but Eu donors do not
know enough to ask the hard quesons, or
they accept it as just one of those things.
Through a variety of outreach acvies, the project aims at
promong peace, specically the Geneva Peace Iniave,
among the wide public
387,248*(*together with other organizations)
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Other NGOs
The webpage of the Center for Democracy
and Community Development , which re-
ceives part of a 455,414 grant, could not be
examined in depth because it is lled with
malware. According to NGO-Monitor, its posi-
on is to destroy Israel through implementa-
on of the Right of Return.
The webpage of the Associaon of Society
Voice for Social and Developing Work, which
receives a 239,800 grant, could not be
found.
The Palesnian Informaon and TechnologyAssociaon of Companies includes third-
party reports on the importance of cooper-
ang with Israel but there is very lile on its
webpage that directly encourages such coop-
eraon.
The Qeiadat Associaon webpage could not
be found. It receives part of a 500,000 grant.