Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum
Created in November 2005 and funded by the European Union, the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum seeks to “influence decision making and public opinion, support the peace process and reconciliation efforts by mobilizing civil society and greater populations of the region.” Made up of over 100 organizations, members of the Forum include B’Tselem, Gisha, ICAHD, Machsom Watch, Peace Now, Rabbis for Human Rights, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and Shatil.
The Resources section of the Forum’s website features two articles by Jeff Halper of ICAHD. NGO Monitor has previously noted Halper’s opposition to a two state solution, his tendency to employ highly charged terms such as “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing,” as well as his blaming Israel for continuing violence in the Middle East. In the Forum’s call for the implementation of the 2002 Arab peace initiative, there is no mention of Palestinian terrorism and corruption as problems, but rather, Israel’s “occupation” is ultimately presented as the main obstacle peace.
On June 10-13, 2007, the Forum will host a conference in Florence in order to discuss how
to increase the international profile of Palestinian-Israeli peacebuilding activities; to strengthen the European community’s partnership with civil society organizations, in order to expand European involvement in peacebuilding activities; and to amplify the call by Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations to European governments and institutions, for a stronger political effort to revive the peace process between the respective governments.
NGO Monitor has reported extensively on how many EU-funded NGOs, including ICAHD, engage in anti-Israel demonization rather than “peacebuilding activities”. NGO Monitor will follow the events of the conference and will report on any significant developments.
Updated: June 19, 2007.
