'Dutch "research" group covers for Israeli crimes, violationsStan van Houcke,
The Electronic Intifada, 5 November 2007
Doron Livnat is co-owner of Riwal, a Dutch company involved in the illegal construction of the separation Wall in occupied Palestinian territory. In 2004 the Wall was confirmed by the International Court of Justice as being in violation of international law. Livnat is also a member of the board of the Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), a pro-Zionist political lobby group based in Amsterdam.CIDI does not seem to have a problem with the judgment of the International Court of Justice, nor Livnat's company's involvement in this illegal activity. And yet CIDI still has the audacity to condemn United Civilians for Peace (UCP), a broad-based Dutch human rights platform. In a recent "research" report containing wild allegations, CIDI shamelessly attempted to smear the organization for daring to call for dialogue and to present a perspective critical of Israel, calling for an end to its subsidy.As Haaretz itself misleadingly reported on 26 October 2007:
The Dutch government is funding an anti-Israeli organization whose speakers advocate Iran's right to possess nuclear weapons, a Hague-based pro-Zionist lobby group stated Thursday in a report that it sent to the Netherlands foreign ministry. The scathing report that the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) prepared of United Civilians for Peace (UCP) was written by Yonatan Bar-On, a Dutch-born historian from the Haifa area. After reading the report, parliament member Hans van Baalen from the second largest opposition party, the VVD, reportedly wrote Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen a letter demanding the government cease funding for the organization. According to Bar-On's report, the government gives UCP 500,000 euros annually."UCP is one-sided and biased," Bar-On told Haaretz. "By saying that the Netherlands should engage in dialogue 'with all parties,' it is calling for speaking to Hamas, which runs contrary to the Hague's foreign policy. And that would have been fine, if it weren't for the fact that the Dutch government is paying for this group's actions." Bar-On said UCP had confirmed to him that it receives half a million euros per annum from the government. [1]What the Haaretz article did not mention is that UCP had already reacted to CIDI'S report the day before:
In a recent report by the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), United Civilians for Peace (UCP) were accused of being a one-sided political group against Israel, polarizing the public debate. UCP wishes to make clear that the accusations contained in this report are false, based on wrong and misleading information. ... UCP recognizes the basic rights of both people and calls upon a solution that is consistent with international law. Only a solution on the basis of international law can lead to peace, respect for human rights and sustainable development. [2]At least Haaretz got something right, referring to CIDI as a "pro-Zionist lobby group," something that is never referred to by the Dutch newspapers.In light of its overtly political role, it is remarkable that CIDI can get away with calling itself an "information and documentation center" and that this Zionist lobby group can be considered by the commercial media in the Netherlands as an independent source of information.Particularly notable by this Zionist lobby group is that a call for dialogue (with the democratically-elected party Hamas) is considered to be criminal. CIDI's condemnation of UCP's call for a dialogue amongst all parties, while simultaneously condoning Israel's ongoing and illegal theft and annexation of Palestinian land exposes even more hypocrisy. In the Netherlands, as elsewhere in Europe, a call for dialogue amongst all parties in conflict would ordinarily be considered to be a normal phenomenon. In the case of Israel, however, it's somehow different. Indeed, CIDI considers such a call to be "inflammatory."'
The Dutch government is funding an anti-Israeli organization whose speakers advocate Iran's right to possess nuclear weapons, a Hague-based pro-Zionist lobby group stated Thursday in a report that it sent to the Netherlands foreign ministry. The scathing report that the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) prepared of United Civilians for Peace (UCP) was written by Yonatan Bar-On, a Dutch-born historian from the Haifa area. After reading the report, parliament member Hans van Baalen from the second largest opposition party, the VVD, reportedly wrote Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen a letter demanding the government cease funding for the organization. According to Bar-On's report, the government gives UCP 500,000 euros annually."UCP is one-sided and biased," Bar-On told Haaretz. "By saying that the Netherlands should engage in dialogue 'with all parties,' it is calling for speaking to Hamas, which runs contrary to the Hague's foreign policy. And that would have been fine, if it weren't for the fact that the Dutch government is paying for this group's actions." Bar-On said UCP had confirmed to him that it receives half a million euros per annum from the government. [1]What the Haaretz article did not mention is that UCP had already reacted to CIDI'S report the day before:
In a recent report by the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), United Civilians for Peace (UCP) were accused of being a one-sided political group against Israel, polarizing the public debate. UCP wishes to make clear that the accusations contained in this report are false, based on wrong and misleading information. ... UCP recognizes the basic rights of both people and calls upon a solution that is consistent with international law. Only a solution on the basis of international law can lead to peace, respect for human rights and sustainable development. [2]At least Haaretz got something right, referring to CIDI as a "pro-Zionist lobby group," something that is never referred to by the Dutch newspapers.In light of its overtly political role, it is remarkable that CIDI can get away with calling itself an "information and documentation center" and that this Zionist lobby group can be considered by the commercial media in the Netherlands as an independent source of information.Particularly notable by this Zionist lobby group is that a call for dialogue (with the democratically-elected party Hamas) is considered to be criminal. CIDI's condemnation of UCP's call for a dialogue amongst all parties, while simultaneously condoning Israel's ongoing and illegal theft and annexation of Palestinian land exposes even more hypocrisy. In the Netherlands, as elsewhere in Europe, a call for dialogue amongst all parties in conflict would ordinarily be considered to be a normal phenomenon. In the case of Israel, however, it's somehow different. Indeed, CIDI considers such a call to be "inflammatory."'
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