A Dutch lawmaker has submitted parliamentary questions concerning The Rights Forum, a group with apparent links to EU-designated Palestinian terror organizations, which had requested that 14 publicly-funded schools in the Netherlands hand over “documents or information about the institutional ties… [they may maintain] with Israeli universities, institutions and companies, as well as organizations that propagate support for the State of Israel.”
HonestReporting, as part of an ongoing effort to hold The Rights Forum accountable, on February 17 called on Dutch authorities to launch a probe into the group.
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Revealing The Rights Forum’s Agenda
The Rights Forum campaigns in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and previously lobbied for the release from jail of senior Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member Khalida Jarrar, who was most recently arrested in 2019 following a terror attack that killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb.
The Rights Forum made its controversial inquiry request — known as a Wob — based on the Netherlands’ 1991 freedom of information law. However, Dutch law does not require that all freedom of information requests be fulfilled. Indeed, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, advises that in “some cases your [freedom of information] request may be rejected, for instance for security reasons or if it concerns confidential data related to people or companies. Public authorities may refuse a request for information which is manifestly unreasonable.”
Related Reading: Dutch Universities Move to Reveal Correspondences With Jews & Israel Supporters in Response to Demand By Pro-Palestinian Org With Possible Terrorism Ties
Following Backlash, Dutch Universities Announce Suspension of Investigations
The Rights Forum’s Wob request prompted HonestReporting to go on the offensive. Dutch universities subsequently announced that they would — at least temporarily — suspend investigations into their and their faculty members’ connections to and interactions with Jewish and Israel-related organizations.
HonestReporting then proceeded to reach out to the Dutch tax authority, providing it with details that could lead it to open an investigation into The Rights Forum.
To read our letter, click here.
Moreover, our investigative articles induced Dutch lawmaker Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB), to submit on February 23 the following written questions in parliament about The Rights Forum’s Wob request:
- Do you think the Wob request from The Rights Forum Foundation about ties between 14 Dutch universities and Israeli/Jewish institutions [1] tends towards antisemitism, based on the IHRA working definition adopted by the House of Representatives under motion Bisschop (#35570-VI-70)? If not, why not? If so, can you expound on this?
- How do you view the available information [2] that The Rights Forum, and individuals associated with this foundation, have links to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), organizations classified as terrorist groups by the European Union? [3]
- Is it true that The Rights Forum is or was regarded as a discussion partner by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? [4] If yes, given the above matters, are The Rights Forum and its representatives still welcome at the Ministry in the future?
- Were the matters described under 2 taken into account when The Rights Forum was granted the status of a public benefit institution (ANBI) by the Tax and Customs Administration? [5] If not, why not? If yes, why was the status nevertheless granted?
- Do you believe that The Rights Forum serves the public interest with its activities? Do you believe The Rights Forum meets the legal requirements regarding integrity?
- Are you willing to instruct the Tax and Customs Administration to re-evaluate the ANBI status of The Rights Forum?
[1] https://niw.nl/the-rights-forum-legt-absurde-eis-op-tafel/
[2] https://honestreporting.com/dutch-universities-suspend-investigations-into-ties-with-israeli-honestreporting-calls-for-official-probe-into-possible-terror-links-of-pro-palestinian-group/
https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/the_rights_forum0/
https://www.cidi.nl/mensenrechten-activist-met-pflp-banden-en-terreurgoedprater-komen-in-tweede-kamer-spreken/
[3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L:2021:043:FULL&from=en
[4] https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/wob-verzoeken/2020/08/20/besluit-op-wob-verzoek-over-communicatie-tussen-stichting-the-rights-forum-en-het-ministerie-van-buitenlandse-zaken-2009-2020
[5] https://www.geef.nl/nl/doel/the-rights-forum/anbi
As outlined in HonestReporting’s impact reports, our proactive approach is consistently garnering results, including as they relate to legislative initiatives (see, for instance, here and here).
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(Gidon Ben-Zvi contributed to this report)
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