August 1st, 2007 by NGO Monitor Staff | Category: Durban Conference, UN, Government Funding, ICAHD, Palestinian Center for Human Rights

            The United Nations has scheduled an “International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace”, to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels, August 30-31. This misleading not withstanding, this annual conference is held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the International Coordinating Network for Palestine - frameworks that promote the conflict through NGOs involved in implementing the Durban agenda of demonization. This year, for the first time, the exercise is gaining the legitimacy of sponsorship by the European Parliament, further highlighting the role that the Europe Union plays in supporting the NGO campaign. While the speakers list is secret until the conference, highlighting the violation of transparency in the UN and EU, past speakers have included radical figures such as Jeff Halper (from the EU-funded ICAHD (and allied with Sabeel), Raji Sourani from PCHR, Michael Warschawski, of the Alternative Information Centre, and Jamal Juma’ Ja’afreh, from the “Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign”. Topics include “The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and civil society response”,  “Action by civil society organizations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”, workshops on “Fortieth anniversary of occupation: building on action taken by civil society…”, and “Strengthening campaigns to end occupation, including grassroots campaigns against the wall, rallying around Bil’in” (the site of violent attacks organized by NGOs in order to provoke Israeli responses).  The program and further information can be found at http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf and through representatives of the European Union and parliament.

Posted July 31 2007