Late last year, it was revealed the Dutch government was pouring millions into anti-Israel NGOs, including the Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO), which finances the Israel-hating Electronic Intifada propagandist website. But after months of debate, it appears the Dutch government may be inching toward defunding these organizations, according to a transcript of a Dutch parliament panel obtained by the Jerusalem Post:
According to the transcript, leading Dutch humanitarian relief organizations defended boycott, divestment and sanctions actions against Israel, prompting Johan Driesen, from the Party for Freedom (PVV), to say, “It was the first time I sat down to talk with the directors of the aid groups and I found what they said not only surprising, but disgusting, and I think the Dutch government should cut funding to organizations promoting this agenda.”
It is encouraging to see Dutch lawmakers are actually taking this problem seriously. According to the Jerusalem Post, the ICCO has already seen its budget slashed by $55 million euros this year, though it’s still unclear whether this reduction was due to the group’s involvement in the anti-Israel delegitimization movement.
Anti-Semitism is punishable by law in the Netherlands, and the Electronic Intifada has arguably crossed the line from legitimate criticism of Israel to targeted demonization of the Jewish state. If Electronic Intifada wants to continue to publish Holocaust denying screeds, then it has the right to do so on its own dime. But it sounds like Dutch lawmakers are understandably becoming reluctant to sanction this propaganda with taxpayer money.
