'Blood Libels and BDS' Exposes 'Persistent Double Standards'

"Non-governmental organizations claiming to promote human rights use antisemitic themes and images" to promote agendas, claims new report.

By Arutz Sheva staff

First Publish: 5/28/2013, 5:36 PM

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The Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor released today a report titled "Blood Libels and BDS" detailing the antisemitic rhetoric and activity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which will be presented to the participants of the Global Forum in Jerusalem later this week.

"A network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claiming to promote human rights and humanitarian agendas in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict often use antisemitic themes and images," the report charges. "Human rights NGOs also repeatedly fail to condemn antisemitism and incitement against Jews."

The NGO Monitor provides detailed examples of both classical antisemitism, including blood libels and theological attacks on Judaism, and "new antisemitism," where hatred of Jews is manifested in demonization of and double standards on Israel. This new antisemitism is evidenced in the strategy of NGO political campaigns against Israel adopted at the NGO Forum of the 2001 Durban Conference, such as the boycotts, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDSM) and legal attacks ("lawfare").

Some NGOs claim that they are "anti-Zionist" or "critics of Israel," but not antisemitic. In contrast, the NGO Monitor analysis provides many examples of NGO activities that clearly violate the European Union and U.S. State Department definitions of antisemitism.

Despite this extensive evidence however, governments continue to fund these groups, the report finds.

"The ongoing government funding for NGOs that engage in racist activities and incitement highlights the persistent double standards" said Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor. "Hatred of Jews is tolerated in a way that would be unthinkable for other racial, ethic, or religious groups; and, Jewish victims are denied the right to define what constitutes discrimination against them."

Tags: NGO ,NGO Monitor ,BDS ,blood libels