The eye of the beholder

Ocean Guy links to this important article in The Forward about the history of The Ford Foundation's funding for anti-Israel, anti-Zionist and fundamentally anti-Semitic organizations and programs. As alarming as this article is, it's only the tip of the iceberg.

Here's another Forward article that describes how the Ford Foundation is attempting to create an illusion of "balance" by directing its support to the very left wing New Israel Fund, which makes a point of supporting groups largely devoted to undermining Israeli government policies and promoting "palestinian rights" at the expense of Israeli security, such as Rabbis for Human Rights and Adala. But there's still more.

This article describes some of more unsavory destinations that Ford Foundation funds quickly reach.

The overwhelming majority of Ford’s monies for the Middle East are granted to pro-Palestinian and Islamic rights groups.

The list extends for pages. For example, last year, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza received $100,000 for what Ford databases and reports describe as “community-based advocacy work on economic, social and cultural rights in Gaza.”

The Al Mezan Center works closely with the International Solidarity Movement, which stages civil disobedience actions to obstruct Israeli security forces operating in the territories. The center also operates a Web site, at www.mezan.org, that seeks to document alleged Israeli atrocities and violations of international law, and that also denounces Israel’s war against the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas.

A recent typical Al Mezan Center news release began, “The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have blatantly escalated their aggression against Palestinian civilians in the OPT during the last week.”

Another question is whether and to what extent these funds are ultimately finding their way into the pockets of terrorists. The first Forward article addresses this issue in some detail.

At the Ford Foundation, little is made public other than a one-sentence description of a grant published in its annual reports, Web databases and IRS filings. Mounds of documents relating to the original grant, activity reports, monitoring and audits are all held secret for 10 years after the grant concludes. For example, in the case of LAW those files would not become available for public inspection until 2015 — and even then only after a cumbersome, academic-style review of any request.

In his written statement, Wilde said Ford had "no reason to believe that Ford Foundation grant funds have been used to benefit terrorist organizations."

But, as the article notes, the Ford Foundation does not require its grantees to sign an agreement, as now demanded by USAID of American tax-exempt charities that fund Palestinian NGOs, "pledging that no funds have made or will make their way to organizations that 'advocate or support terrorist activities.' "

A Ford Foundation spokesman sums up his organization's attitude succinctly:

Quipped one senior Ford official: “Anti-Zionism is in the eye of the beholder.”

Shabbat Shalom.
Chag Sameach.