World Jewish News

Swiss Foreign Ministry confirms suspension of funding mechanism of Palestinian NGO because of its ties with terrorism

The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed a press report that a 4-country joint mechanism has decided to suspend funding of a Palestinian NGO because of its ties with terrorism.

The Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat (the Secretariat) - a joint funding mechanism of the governments of Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands - is suspending funding to the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), a Ramallah-based NGO. The decision follows WATC's role in inaugurating a women's center in the West Bank named after Dalal Mughrabi, a terrorist who murdered 38 Israeli civilians in a 1978 terror attack.

SonntagsZeitung, the Swiss weekly which broke the story, has noted that the four countries are launching an investigation into funding to the organization. WATC received $530,000 in core funding from 2014-2016

Denmark subsequently demanded WATC return Danish funds and froze funding to the Secretariat, pending review. The Netherlands also suspended cooperation with WATC until further notice.

The decision to halt the funding comes on the heels of a resolution passed by the Swiss Council of States, the federal representation of the cantons, which directs the government to "amend the laws, ordinances and regulations" to prevent funding to NGOs "involved in racist, antisemitic or hate incitement actions."

Olga Deutsch, Director of NGO Monitor’s European Desk, commended the Secretariat's decision to review its funding to WATC.

"NGO Monitor has documented extensive Secretariat funding to groups that promote extremism and radicalization, including to WATC," she said.

The watchdog notes that the Secretariat is a primary funder of NGOs active in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Secretariat supports over 40 Israeli and Palestinian NGOs, including groups that have glorified terrorism, have alleged links to EU-designated terror groups, promote anti-Semitism, and are active in anti-peace BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) and lawfare campaigns against Israel.

EJP