The European Union has canceled a grant to a Palestinian non-profit organization after it refused to sign an anti-terrorism clause obliging it to guarantee that none of the funds would be transferred to members of terrorist organizations.
The Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residence and Refugee Rights has obtained more than $1.9 million for a project called "Mobilizing for Justice in Jerusalem," which aims to expose alleged Israeli human rights violations and "international crimes" in the holy city.
The organization, however, refused to sign article 1.5 of Annex II of the "General conditions applicable to grant contracts awarded by the European Union for external actions," declaring in a press release that the stipulation "criminalizes the Palestinian struggle against oppression and requires the recipient organization to perform ‘screening’ procedures which amount to policing its own people."
“The inclusion of this article to contracts with Palestinian organizations contradicts the national role of Palestinian civil society institutions in the struggle for freedom from Israeli colonialism and apartheid,” Badil’s statement reads.
Olga Deutsch, vice-president of the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, said that her group applauds "the EU for its firmness in the application of its anti-terrorist clause and its resistance to pressure."
"There is no doubt that radical groups like Badil, who promote anti-Semitism and the rejection of Israel, will never commit to fighting terrorism," she concluded.