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NGO Monitor is a project with the stated aim of monitoring non-governmental organizations operating in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. It is a program of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, headed by Ambassador Dore Gold (advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon); it was formerly a joint project with B'nai Brith International.[1]
NGO Monitor describes its goal as "end[ing] the practice used by certain self-declared 'humanitarian NGOs' of exploiting the label 'universal human rights values' to promote politically and ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas."
NGO Monitor has criticized several international human rights organisations, including Christian Aid for its alleged "extensive involvement in anti-Israel propaganda campaigns" [2] and Human Rights Watch whose reports it found to be "systematically and exceedingly biased" [3].
It has also accused the Ford Foundation of funding NGOs, such as the Palestinian human rights organization Al Mezan Center, allegedly involved in "blatantly political anti-Israel activities". [4] Subsequent to this criticism, the Ford Foundation modified its policies regarding funding of NGOs.[5]
Describing it as a "friend of Israel", the Jewish Watch Dog site calls it "a branch of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs that was founded to promote accountability, and advance a vigorous discussion on the reports and activities of humanitarian NGOs in the framework of the Arab-Israeli conflict."[6] David Bedein of David Horowitz' magazine FrontPageMag.comFrontPageMag. com also known as Front Page Magazine is a neoconservative online journal edited by David Horowitz. The journal is the main mass media tool of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a non-profit organization established by Horowitz and describes it as a "watchdog organization".[7]
Critics dismiss NGO Monitor as politically motivated and biased. At Political Research AssociatesPolitical Research Associates (PRA) is a American research group which studies the U. political right wing. It was founded in 1981 and is located in Somerville, Massachusetts. External link ., Jean Hardisty and Elizabeth Furdon describe it as a "conservative NGO watchdog group, NGO Monitor, which focuses on perceived threats to Israeli interests", adding that "The ideological slant of NGO Monitor's work is unabashedly pro-Israeli. It does not claim to be a politically neutral examination of NGO activities and practices."[8] At the US-based Al Jazeerah Information Center, an editorial by Mohammed Salah Al-Attar (translated from ArabicArabic is a Semitic language, fairly closely related to, for instance, the Hebrew language and the Aramaic language, spoken throughout the Arab world and widely known outside it. It has been a literary language for over 1500 years, and is the liturgical l by Nida Younis) states: "The stands of the Israeli NGO’s monitor springs from the overwhelming well-known stands of the Israeli official and political parties on different topics: the relation with the Palestinian people and its national aspirations and existence in its home land; and the peace issues in the country and worldwide. On these bases, the monitor establishes controversies and contradictory concepts which are characterized by suggesting a mixture of doubts on the UN NGO’s and the human organizations. Furthermore, it exploits the accusation of anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism alternatively antisemitism is hostility towards Jews. It ranges from ad hoc antagonism towards Jews on an individual level to the institutionalized prejudice and persecution once prevalent in European societies, of which the highly explicit, opposition to Israel and the Jewish people and deceptive systematic illusions to falsify stands. In addition, it does not mirror facts on the ground. Therefore, the Palestinian side seems to hold the responsibility for the continuous violations and war crimeA war crime is a punishable offense, under international law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. Every violation of the law of war is a war crime. War crimes include violations of established protections of ths which are actually committed by the Israeli occupation ." [http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2004%20opinions/Jan/9o/The%20Israeli%20NGO's%20Monitor%20Aims,%20purposes%20and%20mixture%20of%20claims,%20deformation%20of%20facts%20and%20illusions%20By%20Mohammed%20Salah%20Al-Attar.htm] (Cannot format link)