[Jerusalem Post] Etgar Lefkovits - The Swedish government is funding radical NGOs which, under the guise of human rights and humanitarian aid, are exacerbating the Middle East conflict, the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor said Wednesday. Sweden has just assumed the rotating presidency of the EU. Over $13 million was distributed in 2008 to Diakonia, Sweden's largest humanitarian NGO, which distributes this money to some of the most radical NGOs in the region, including an organization which has compared Israeli military and political figures to Nazis, and avers that President Shimon Peres is an "enemy" of "human rights and of peace" and that working with the Peres Center for Peace is "morally disgusting." Another group that received funding from Diakonia is a leader in the anti-Israel church divestment campaign, whose director regularly employs anti-Semitic themes. "If Sweden wishes to be viewed as a fair and effective president of the European Union, this very damaging NGO funding must be addressed," said Gerald Steinberg, executive director of NGO Monitor.
2009-07-02 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive