The United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian
territories (OCHA-oPt) acts as one of the primary coordinators of NGO funding
and activity in the Arab-Israeli conflict, NGO Monitor reported Thursday,
adding that these NGOs are highly active in promoting international BDS and
“lawfare” campaigns, and some even engage in blatantly anti-Semitic activities.
Based on the resources and impact of its
status as a UN agency, OCHA amplifies their politicized and distorted claims by
publishing numerous reports, fact-sheets, and informational databases that
parrot NGO allegations. The NGO sources lack the credible research methodology
and necessary military and legal expertise to draw credible conclusions. These
claims are then repeated by journalists and diplomats, feature prominently in
official UN reports, such as the discredited 2009 Goldstone report and the
Commission of the Inquiry into the 2014 Gaza War, an provide fuel in the
ongoing international delegitimization campaign against Israel.
The NGO Monitor report’s key findings are:
OCHA organizers “Thematic Clusters,” where UN
agencies, government donors, and NGOs coordinate anti-Israel campaigning on
issues including water, housing, and armed conflict.
These “Clusters” serve to amplify the claims
of NGOs that lack the necessary research methodology and military and legal
expertise to draw reliable conclusions.
During the 2014 Gaza war, the OCHA Protection
Cluster designated Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Al Mezan, and B’Tselem,
to provide “data” regarding casualty statistics. These NGOs lack credible
methodologies for analysis of casualty claims. Moreover, in producing and
publishing these casualty statistics, the NGOs in OCHA’s “Protection Cluster”
as well as OCHA itself are largely dependent on the Palestinian Ministry of
Health in Gaza, which is under the control of Hamas and thus not reliable.
OCHA also publishes numerous reports,
factsheets, and informational databases, parroting the false and distorted
claims of these NGOs, thereby seeking to give credence and credibility to
highly misleading accusations.
These allegations are then repeated by
journalists and diplomats, feature prominently in official UN reports, such as
the discredited 2009 Goldstone report and the Commission of the Inquiry into
the 2014 Gaza War, and provide fuel in the ongoing international
delegitimization campaign against Israel.
Furthermore, OCHA rarely, if ever, cites
relevant Israeli government information, including detailed statistics
published by the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
(COGAT), the Israel Defense Forces, or the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
OCHA regularly places sole blame for the
continuation of the conflict on Israel, alleging that the “situation is
characterized by a protracted occupation,” “the systematic denial of
Palestinian rights,” and a “lack of respect for international law, and a lack
of accountability for violations.”
As part of its agenda, OCHA publishes weekly
reports on “Protection of Civilians,” monthly “Humanitarian Bulletins,” fact
sheets, case studies, and various other publications that promote a narrative
based solely on Palestinian victimization and Israeli aggression, while
minimizing Palestinian terror, rejectionism, incitement, and legitimate Israeli
national security concerns.
These publications often repeat the
unverified and unreliable claims of political advocacy NGOs, as well as
information provided by the PLO and Hamas. OCHA’s claims are subsequently
referenced, cited, and quoted at an extremely high volume by international
media and government officials, as well as in official UN documents, including
60 references in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the 2014 Gaza War.
OCHA’s website highlights a number of biased
videos reflecting the Palestinian narrative, including “How long does it take
to demolish a house?,” “Gaza: Only Rubble Where Homes Once Stood,” and “Walled
Horizons.” These videos show scenes of destruction and despair, while
completely omitting Palestinian terror, including rocket attacks against
Israeli population centers and tunnels running beneath the border into Israel.
The videos are devoid of all context and are aimed solely at demonizing Israel.
Similarly, OCHA repeatedly accuses Israel of
maintaining a “blockade” on Gaza, causing an “acute water and energy crisis,”
as well as other such allegations that distort the situation in Gaza.
OCHA’s politicization and bias appears to go
beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict. For example, on December 29, 2015, it
published a “2016 Syrian Arab Republic Humanitarian Response Plan.” According
to media reports, after consulting the Syrian government, OCHA “altered dozens
of passages and omitted pertinent information to paint the government of Bashar
al-Assad in a more favorable light.”
