Sources told Politico that groups that may be labeled as anti-Semitic include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
The U.S. State Department is considering designating several international NGOs that have criticized Israel as anti-Semitic and asking governments around the world to stop supporting their activities, according to a report Wednesday from news site Politico.
Sources told Politico that groups that may be labeled as anti-Semitic include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam.
The announcement may come as soon as this week, in the form of a report by Elan Carr, U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is reportedly leading the effort as part of an alleged strategy to build goodwill among pro-Israel voters before a future presidential run.
Last year, Amnesty International released a report asking Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor to stop listing accommodations and tourist activities in Judea and Samaria.
Amnesty International said the sites were profiting from “war crimes.”
“They are doing so [listing Judea and Samaria accommodations] despite knowing that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], including East Jerusalem, is governed by international humanitarian law under which Israeli settlements are deemed illegal,” said the report.
“In doing business with settlements, all four companies are contributing to, and profiting from, the maintenance, development and expansion of illegal settlements, which amount to war crimes under international criminal law.”
Amnesty International USA’s interim executive director Bob Goodfellow told Politico that allegations of the organization’s anti-Semitism were “baseless.”
“AIUSA is deeply committed to fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hate worldwide, and will continue to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied,” he said in a statement.
“We vigorously contest any allegation of anti-Semitism and look forward to addressing the State Department’s attacks in full.”
Eric Goldstein, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division, told Politico, “We fight discrimination in all forms, including anti-Semitism.”
“Criticizing government policy is not the same as attacking a specific group of people. For example, our critiques of U.S. government policy do not make us anti-American.“
Oxfam America’s global lead Noah Gottschalk told Politico the charges of anti-Semitism are “offensive.”
“Oxfam does not support BDS or call for the boycott of Israel or any other country,” he said.
“Oxfam and our Israeli and Palestinian partners have worked on the ground for decades to promote human rights and provide lifesaving support for Israeli and Palestinian communities.”
“We stand by our long history of work protecting the lives, human rights, and futures of all Israelis and Palestinians.”