Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store censured
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Wednesday for his
sharp criticism of NGOs, telling
The Jerusalem Post
it was "dangerous" to link these organizations to
terrorism.
In the harshest comments to date from a leading
European statesmen regarding the establishment of a
parliamentary committee to investigate funding of
the NGOs, Store said, "When leading politicians go
out and compare and link NGOs to terror, I think it
is very dangerous. These messages have enormous
impact and create suspicion, mutual suspicion, and a
climate that democracy should not have. I think it
is a worrying sign." Lieberman on Sunday charged
leftist NGOs with "aiding terror groups." Store, on
a two day visit, told the
Post he was
"very concerned" about the recent Knesset action on
the NGOs.
"Israel is the democracy in this region," he said. "A
vibrant civil society, with organizations that say
things which we don't like as governments, is part
of democracy, it is a test of a strong democracy."
Norway is significant donor to some 18 NGOs
operating in Israel and the PA – such as the
Palestinian Central Bureau for Statistics, the
Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's
Rights, and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee --
and the issue came up during a meeting Lieberman and
Store held in Jerusalem Tuesday evening.
Store asked Lieberman about the Knesset decision to
set up a parliamentary inquiry into left wing NGOs,
with Lieberman replying that the aim was for greater
transparency regarding where the money was
originating. He told Store it was absurd that Saudi
Arabia, not exactly a beacon on human rights, would
be funding human rights organizations in Israel.
Lieberman, according to his office, told Store that
in a democratic country it was important for NGOs to
operate and that they should be encouraged. But he
said it was also the right of democracies to protect
themselves, and not let radical groups use the cover
of charity work to spread hatred and terror. Spanish
ambassador Alvar Iranzo, whose country is another
major contributor to the NGOs, told the
Post that
while he understood that on one hand this was
naturally a domestic issue subject to internal
legislation, the policy of the EU and most member
states was to subsidize civil society in Israel, the
PA and other countries promoting the values of peace
in the region.
Iranzo said that the EU would "not be too happy" if
Israel made "things more difficult." Another senior
EU diplomatic official said the issue would likely
be raised in Brussels next month at the annual
EU-Israel Association meeting.
Store is currently in the country as part of a
regional trip that is also taking him to Jordan, the
Palestinian Authority and Syria. In addition to
meeting Lieberman on Tuesday evening, he met
Wednesday with Prime Minster
Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister
Ehud Barak, and Opposition head Tzip Livni.
Lieberman, meanwhile, travelled on Wednesday to
Greece, another sign of the blossoming ties between
Greece and Israel. He met with his Greek counterpart
Dimitris Droutsas, who was here in October, and will
meet during his three day visit with Prime Minister
George Papandreou, Defense Minister Evangelos
Venizelos and Minister of State for Investment Haris
Pamboukis.
On the eve of this visit, Papandreou phoned
Netanyahu and – according to Netanyahu's office –
the two agreed to set up a governmental advisory
body that they will head to coordinate closer
cooperation between the two countries. The first
meeting of this body is scheduled in the coming
months.
In other diplomatic developments, National Security
Advisor Uzi Arad met in Moscow Wednesday with his
Russian counterpart, General Nikolai Patrushev. A
statement form the PMO said that the meeting
reflected the close contacts between the two
countries, and had added significance in light of
the work sanctions at the Foreign Ministry in
Jerusalem that led to the cancellation of Russian
President
Dmitry Medvedev's visit here next week.