Yes, it’s time for self-examination—by the NIF
Op-ed: The New Israel Fund’s activity as a foreign-funded ‘political opposition,’ which has been involved in protests aimed at toppling Prime Minister Netanyahu and in attempts to thwart the removal of illegal infiltrators, is outrageous; the real problem, however, is the anti-democratic and anti-Zionist nature of its activity.
In a recent op-ed, he wrote that the NIF was simply “advancing social justice issues,” “opposing the settlements,” “talking” about “prayer rights” and about “the occupation,” and said it was time “for us to go back to talk about values, policy and ideas, focusing on the case in question.”
This disingenuous account is aimed at making us forget that the NIF, which has funded some 850 organizations over the years and spends about NIS 100 million a year, operates as a clear political activist body.
Rachel Liel, who Gitzin succeeded as executive director, admitted it when she called the NIF “the real political opposition in Israel.” NIF President Talia Sasson made a similar comment, saying that “the government is acting against its citizens,” but “the civil society and its organizations… will stop it from running wild.”
Liel and Sasson are following in the footsteps of former NIF Executive Director Eliezer Yaari, who wrote following Ehud Barak’s victory over Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1999 elections: “It's impossible to look at what happened and not see the clear fingerprints of the New Israel Fund.”
The NIF, let me remind you, is an American organization. Its conscious activity as an active “political opposition”—which has recently been involved, for example, in protests aimed at toppling Netanyahu and in attempts to thwart the removal of illegal infiltrators—is outrageous.
Nevertheless, that isn’t the most serious problem in my opinion. The real problem is the anti-democratic and anti-Zionist nature of its activity.
This is demonstrated by the NIF in its activity against “the occupation.” The organizations it supports aren’t only working in Israel to convince and voice opinions; they are active around the world as well as anti-Israel agents.
B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence, which are supported by the NIF, are spreading anti-Israel propaganda in the world, releasing distorted and false reports and “testifying” against Israel in committees and conference abroad. Other NIF organizations, like the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and HaMoked, are working to reduce the IDF’s ability to fight terror and are providing terrorists with legal defense.
During military operations, NIF-backed organizations rush to the courts to prevent the IDF from operating, while shouting in the foreign media—like the B’Tselem director did at the start of Operation Protective Edge—that “Israel is violating humanitarian international law.”
The NIF also supports anti-Israel organizations that boycott Judea and Samaria, nationalistic Palestinian organizations in Israel that are related to the radical vision document published by the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, as well as organizations like Mossawa and Adalah (which promotes the right of return, operates against Israel in international institutions and has assisted in an attempt to sue IDF officers abroad).
As far as Gitzin is concerned, this is “a deep reflection of Zionism.” But seriously, why are the NIF and its organizations working to tarnish Israel and encouraging decisions and actions against the state? The answer is that they see Israel as a peace refuser, and are therefore interested in weakening and isolating the state, so it would be forced to give in to international dictations in favor of the Palestinians.
Only a complete fool is incapable of seeing right away that the anti-Israel propaganda and the undermining of Israel’s sovereignty are actually “a deep reflection” of anti-Zionism and a denial of democracy. There is nothing in the right-wing funds that is even similar to such subversive activity.
I do agree with Gitzin on two things: “It’s time to stop this hypocrisy,” and someone here definitely has to undergo a deep and painful “thorough examination.”
Ran Baratz is the founding editor of the Mida website and a former media advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
