Israel Based NGO, “B’Tselem” Accused of “Treason”

Today’s Top Stories

1. Labor party activist Yuval Mor Musli filed a treason complaint against the Israel based NGO B’Tselem after they made a contentious presentation to the UN Security Council, accusing Israel of human rights abuses in the West Bank.  Prime Minister Netanyahu said the organization has joined “chorus of mudslinging” against Israel and had “recycled the false claim that ‘the occupation and the settlements’ are the reason for the conflict.” He also announced that he would advance a law to block national service volunteers from working with the organization. The organization says it is not anti-Israel but merely critical of specific Israeli policies, while the US State department has said it is “troubled” by Israeli “attacks” on the organization, saying that the department “values” their information. Interestingly, B’Tselem is subject to Israel’s “NGO Law,” which obligates all Israel based NGO’s that obtain more than 50% of their funding from foreign governments to declare their funding publicly. My question is: how does an organization that gets most of its funding from foreign governments get away with calling itself an “NGO” (“non-governmental organization”)?

2.  In the West Bank we are seeing increasing Palestinian opposition to their government and its president, Mahmoud Abbas. Interestingly, the primary issues driving this opposition relate not to Israel but rather to corruption, brutality and economic neglect by the Palestinian government itself. However, another source of anger for Palestinians appears to be what they perceive as their government’s “collaboration with Israel.” Meanwhile, a recent opinion poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows that 65% of Palestinians want Abbas to resign. Abbas is in the 12th year of his four year term.

3. A raging battle for Mosul, Islamic State’s largest foothold in Iraq, tests the Obama administration’s strategy of relying on local forces and not putting American “boots on the ground.” The outcome of this battle could be a significant turning point in the growth (or gradual defeat) of Islamic State, and also a test of what one could call, the “Obama doctrine.” In a move reminiscent of Israel, Iraqi and coalition aircraft have been dropping leaflets to attempt to minimize civilian casualties.

Israel and the Palestinians

•Israel has begun a major crackdown on the manufacture of home-made sub-machine guns in the West Bank. This is the type of weapon that was used in a terror attack at Israel’s Sarona shopping mall last June, which resulted in the death of four victims.

• Israel has arrested a Palestinian football (soccer) coach, who was responsible for organizing his team to honor the terrorist who shot and killed two Israelis in Jerusalem last week. The official reason for the arrest is “suspicion of incitement.” For more details on the original event check out our previous IDNS.

Around the World

• Some additional follow up on the UNESCO resolution: Israel has halted its ties with UNESCO, the UN body responsible for “cultural understanding” after the committee voted in favor of a resolution that effectively denies any Jewish history at the Western Wall and Temple Mount, referring to each only in the context of Islam. Calling the resolution, “absurd,” Prime Minister Netanyahu added:

What’s next? A UNESCO decision denying the connection between peanut butter and jelly? Batman and Robin? Rock and roll?

For more information about the resolution, take a look at our prior IDNS. Meanwhile, director general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, apparently disagreed with her own committee saying, “I firmly believe that to deny or conceal any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site,” and Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made a similar statement. Bokova has received death threats as a result of her statement. Mexico changed its vote, choosing to withdraw its support for the resolution, and in light of a broad outcry, it briefly appeared that a new vote may take place, but the resolution was eventually adopted by the UNESCO executive board, making it final.

• Roger Waters, of the rock band Pink Floyd, who is also known as an outspoken supporter of BDS (the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel) and frequent proponent of various public displays of anti-Semitism, held a concert at which he, as usual, took some time to malign the Jewish state. Meanwhile, the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs dispatched an airplane that flew over the grounds during Waters’ set, beaming the message, “Support Israel-Palestine Peace — Not Hateful Boycotts. ”

• The Guardian noted that a number of people involved in the 2010 flotilla, which was purportedly meant to attempt to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, may have their lawsuits against Israel dismissed due to Israel’s reconciliation agreement with Turkey. Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed the more recent “Women’s Boat to Gaza,” which also attempted to breach the blockade but ended when the IDF uneventfully boarded the boat and deported its passengers back to their home countries. In a common example of media bias, both articles left out all relevant context including: the reason the blockade exists (to protect Israeli civilians from being targeted by smuggled weapons), the violence initiated by the passengers on the 2010 flotilla and the harm they inflicted on Israeli soldiers, in fact: neither article even mentioned the word, “Hamas.”

Commentary/Analysis

• Is Putin Middle East’s new Sheriff? Shmuel Rosner thinks so, in his New York Times op-ed about the declining US influence, and increasing Russian influence, in the Middle East.

• Jonathan Tobin  and UN watch’s Hillel Neuer have an interesting take on the UNESCO resolution that essentially reclassifies Jewish holy sites as being Muslim: both of them have separately raised the idea that based on which nations voted for the resolution, which voted against and which abstained, it is apparent that support for Israel at the UN is actually increasing, while support for Palestinians is gradually decreasing. They point out that a number of nations who traditionally voted against Israel on these type of resolutions, including all of the EU nations, abstained this time around. Is this room for optimism, or even a sign of a new trend at the UN?

• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .

– JCPOA: Iranian Missiles in Houthi Hands Threaten Freedom of Navigation in Red Sea
– Asia Times: China, Israel and hi-tech
– Jewish News Online: Mark Regev is Israel’s new ambassador to the UK

Featured image: CC BY Markus Spiske;

For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.

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