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This week’s resolution also came two months after a violent attack in Amsterdam against visiting Israeli soccer fans by a mob of rioters, many of them Muslim.
By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner
The Dutch Parliament passed a resolution on Tuesday to make funding for Palestinian NGOs depend on their recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
The Dutch House of Representatives passed a resolution by a margin of 70-67 requiring greater transparency from NGOs, including detailed information about board members and funded projects, while ensuring that subsidized organizations align with the Netherlands’ foreign policy, including recognition of the state of Israel.
The motion also addresses terror ties, citing the Netherlands’ decision to halt subsidies to the Ramallah-based Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC) following a terror attack by employees with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist organization.
Last year, Dutch lawmakers discovered that the previous government had continued funding a terror-linked NGO, despite knowing they had subsidized the salaries of two Palestinians convicted in the 2019 murder of a 17-year-old Israeli girl.
These two Palestinians were members of the PFLP, while also being employed by the UAWC, which has received over 20 million euros in funding from the Dutch government over the past decade.
In 2020, the government suspended funding to the UAWC pending an investigation into the 2019 bombing.
This week’s resolution also came two months after a violent attack in Amsterdam against visiting Israeli soccer fans by a mob of rioters, many of them Muslim.
Olga Deutsch, vice president of NGO Monitor, an independent Jerusalem-based research organization, explained that the lack of vetting and oversight mechanisms has allowed billions of euros to be diverted to antisemitic, anti-Israel, and terror-affiliated organizations.
“The need to change these practices became even more salient following the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023,” she told the Algemeiner.
Deutsch pointed out that the Dutch government supported numerous organizations that misused aid funds, with a large portion being directed toward political warfare against Israel and the global Jewish community.
This “endangers the safety of global Jewish communities … as it radicalizes discourse, spreads fear, and promotes narratives that translate into attacks against Jews,” she added.
Last year, NGO Monitor presented a report to the Dutch Parliament warning that foreign aid to Palestinian organizations was being misused for terrorism and radicalism.
NGO Monitor revealed that from 2021 to 2027, Dutch government grantees included NGOs involved in anti-Israel campaigns.
These included Al Mezan, which engages in legal action against Israel and has ties to PFLP and Hamas; the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), which collaborates with terror groups such as Hamas, PFLP, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ); and Oxfam-Novib, which, along with other organizations, sued the Netherlands in 2023 to stop arms exports to Israel.
Deutsch emphasized that the latest resolution is crucial as global discussions unfold about Gaza’s future post-ceasefire, urging the international community to rethink and restructure aid distribution.
“The donor community must ensure that aid is not diverted to Hamas and other terror organizations, as was the case before Oct. 7,” she said.
During this legislative session, the Dutch Parliament also adopted a motion urging the government to support Gaza reconstruction plans and fundraising efforts.
However, lawmakers rejected several proposals related to Israel and the Palestinians, including one to tighten labeling and tariff enforcement on Israeli settlements.
They also denied motions to link Dutch aid for Gaza’s reconstruction to Dutch companies and restrict it to civilian infrastructure, as well as to provide January funding to UNRWA, the controversial UN agency for Palestinian refugees that has come under fire for several links to Hamas.
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