Israeli leftist organizations and European associations have been conducting a delegitimization campaign against Israel for years - and receiving millions in funding • Now it turns out: The grant agreements include explicit clauses that require the legitimacy of the High Court - the argument used by the Hague Tribunal to justify its authority to intervene

• Photos: Gideon Markovich and Getty Images

Statement by the International Criminal Court in The Hague Pato on the basis that it intends to consider an IDF officer's prosecution of war crimes is based on two assumptions: a. Israel commits war crimes; B. It is impossible to trust the Israeli judicial system to deal with this issue.

These two assumptions adopted by her are the result of an extensive international campaign run by a network of organizations and associations in Israel (led by B'Tselem) and the Palestinian Authority, which are funded through donations from European countries.

For example, in B'Tselem's grant agreement with the Dutch government for a total of 250,000 euros, a section dealing with "in the Supreme Court and community dispossession", which describes activities planned "for the second half of 2018", under which B'Tselem "will produce a report on the role of Biham" Q supreme in dispossessing Palestinian communities. "

As stated there, "B'Tselem refers to the Supreme Court as the central mechanism that permits the ongoing occupation and human rights violations by legitimately legitimizing Israel's policy."

B'Tselem received a grant of NIS 87,000 from the Swedish Deacons in 2019 for "Examining the Judgments of the Courts on Infringement of Palestinians" and in 2018 received NIS 70,000 for the "High Court ruling on demolitions".

An NGO MONITOR study shows that in some cases, the sponsoring countries state that the funding is specifically for action against the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Such a major organization is Adamir, who recently became famous for the involvement of two of his employees in the murder of Rene Sherab. In 2018, the organization received between $ 120 and $ 150,000 from the Swiss government, which included, among other things, a commitment to "continue handling the ICC and filing a new report."

Another important organization in the effort is, for example, Al-Damir operating in Gaza. The organization received a € 450,000 threshold from the EU for 2016-2019, as well as a Swiss Franc 3.9 million grant from the Swiss government for 2019-2018. In the financing contract with the Swiss government, Al-Damir is asked to "submit information and reports to the International Criminal Court on human rights violations committed by Israeli occupation forces".

"Tried to hurt Israel"

Another such organization is the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), which has received the following grants: 270,000 Swiss francs from the Swiss government in 2018, 340,000 euros from the German government in 2017, and 70,000 euros from the government of Ireland in 2017. The Swiss Government's financing contract states that the organization must transmit information to the International Criminal Court's prosecutor's office. In addition, it has been determined that the success of the organization will be measured according to "the amount of people who are able to access international justice mechanisms through the organization's activities."

Al-Mezan, which worked in 2009 to obtain a British arrest warrant against former prime minister Ehud Barak, received a € 450,000 grant from the EU for 2020-2017, and a € 200,000 grant from the Dutch government in 2018.

Furthermore, from 2014-2017, the Human Rights and International Law Administration, which was a joint funding mechanism for the governments of Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands, transferred millions of dollars to these organizations as part of an emergency fund for international legal activities, including the Hague Tribunal.

The "complementary principle" states that the Tribunal has no authority to hear a state with a functioning judiciary, and it is the one that prevents Israel from being exposed to claims in The Hague. Monitoring B'Tselem's activities shows that the organization is constantly validating this point: For example, last February, in one of many publications, B'Tselem published a tens-page report validating the Israeli court's legitimacy. H. "The responsibility of Supreme Court justices to demolish and dispossess Palestinian homes."

Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of the NGO MONITOR Research Institute, said: "Some organizations have tried to undermine the independence of the Israeli judiciary in order to render it ineffective to the international community. Ongoing against Israel. "

B'Tselem's response

"Indeed, as you mentioned in your question, the Israeli judicial system is one of the mechanisms of the occupation. In contrast, if the Israeli judicial system had played its role in the service of justice and the protection of human rights - rather than being a central mechanism in the occupation training - the reality here may have been quite different.

"Contrary to the tone of your question, our efforts are not to 'attack' but to reveal the truth, as the facts and data we have been publishing have been firmly underpinning for many years. Elijah Mandelblit, especially in his hat as a former commissioner, certainly understands this well.

"Israelis will do well if they ask themselves who better to interpret international law. For example, B'Tselem called on soldiers not to obey the unlawful orders to shoot live fire at Palestinian protesters in Gaza. In response, government ministers called to launch an anti-B'Tselem investigation while opening fire - the same Clearly unlawful orders - repeated week after week, at the shocking bloodshed of hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands injured in Gaza, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor now states that this matter could be investigated by her. Already in the beginning?

"B'Tselem reiterates that the responsibility for violating international law and committing war crimes by Israel is first and foremost of the senior political and military echelons. Any attempt to roll this responsibility down by cowardly ministers is an attempt to distract and evade responsibility.

"Finally, legal advice at eye level: Those who do not want to prosecute war crimes should avoid such crimes. Do not move a population of the occupying state into occupied territory, do not bomb houses on their residents, do not shoot unarmed protesters, do not demolish homes and deport residents. Don't commit crimes. Please. "