Germany cuts off funding to 2 Israel human rights organisations over criticism of Israeli crimes in Gaza

Germany’s government has cut off funding for two Israeli human rights organisations over their criticism of Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip and its war crimes in the Territory, a report has revealed.

According to the  German public broadcaster, Deutche Welle (DW), Berlin cut funding for the organisations, Zochrot and New Profile, since Hamas’s attacks into Israeli-held territory on 7 October 2023, essentially ending their projects and operational capacity by the end of that year.

Zochrot itself lost almost a quarter of its budget – approximately $103,000 – due to the funding cut, according to its director, Rachel Beitarie, who stated that the move “definitely hurts us but will not stop us from continuing our work”.

She revealed that she had held discussions with German officials prior to the cuts, but that they reiterated the oft-repeated German government position that support for Israel is essential due to apparent historical responsibility.

New Profile, a volunteer-based group that supports conscientious objectors of the Israeli military, also revealed that Berlin’s decision cost them almost half of their funding, with its treasurer, Sergeiy Sandler, saying that “the timing of this funding cut was designed to cause maximum harm to our work.”

The revelation of the German government’s move to cut funding to such organisations – including six Palestinian groups for the same reasons – over their criticism of Israeli occupation forces’ ongoing crimes comes shortly after Germany’s parliament passed a resolution in November last year which effectively linked public donations to a controversial definition of anti-Semitism which asserts that expressions such as “comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis” or that “claiming Israel’s existence is a racist endeavour” constitute anti-Semitism.

Desperate to appease Israel, Germany goes out of its way