Love of the Land: Lawfare Attack vs. NGO Monitor Thrown Out of Court

Lawfare Attack vs. NGO Monitor Thrown Out of Court

NGO Monitor
07 March '10

(Thumbs up! Another one for the good guys.)

On March 1, 2010, the Nazareth District Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by NIF- and European- funded NGO Mossawa against NGO Monitor for alleged defamation.

NGO “Lawfare” is a central part of the Durban strategy of demonization, and consists of filing frivolous lawsuits around the world to harass Israeli officials and those doing business with Israel. Lawfare, as stated on the BDS (boycotts, divestment and sanctions) movement website, also includes efforts to “remove the charity status and tax exemptions from, the Zionist organizations worldwide,...and dealing with them legally as racist, colonial institutions,” as well as filing libel allegations to silence those who seek to expose this strategy. As NGO Monitor has shown, most of the lawfare cases are initiated by Israeli and Palestinian NGOs, many of which receive funding from European governments, the European Union, and in some cases the New Israel Fund and the Ford Foundation.

NGO Monitor has been the target of a number of these “lawfare” attacks, designed to prevent public debate by silencing our systematic research on the role and funding for non-governmental organizations leading the political warfare against Israel.

In 2008, Mossawa filed a 13-page complaint in a Nazareth court claiming it was “libeled” by NGO Monitor’s research detailing Mossawa’s activities and funding sources. The March 1, 2010 ruling by Judge Irit Hod threw out Mossawa’s case, rebuked the organization for failing to comply with court orders, and fined it NIS 2,500.

Love of the Land: Lawfare Attack vs. NGO Monitor Thrown Out of Court