[NGO Monitor] The European Union has decided not to renew its funding of the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). The organization's director Jeff Halper, who played a leading role in the "Free Gaza" voyage, announced: "We have just heard that our request for re-funding has been rejected." For several years, despite its extreme anti-Israel agenda, ICAHD has been a recipient of major EU funding under the Partnerships for Peace framework. As NGO Monitor demonstrated, an EU grant of 473,000 euros in 2005 constituted the majority of ICAHD's annual budget. ICAHD routinely refers to Israel as an "apartheid" state, while its director promotes a one-state solution, which would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state. NGO Monitor's executive director, Prof. Gerald Steinberg, noted: "ICAHD's facade has finally been acknowledged, and the European Commission has acted appropriately in ending further funding. In reality, ICAHD does nothing to advance coexistence and instead promotes extreme views which fuel the conflict."
2008-09-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive