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Denmark cancels aid to NGO,
demands funding be returned
following PMW
story on its terror glorification
- Danish Foreign Minister: "I am outraged that the [Palestinian NGO]
WATC, which claims to work for human rights, has not only glorified a terrorist
but also abused the trust of a generous people like the Danish... Therefore, we
will now also demand that the WATC return the Danish
aid"
- PA Foreign Ministry criticizes
UN for condemning the name of the center and
calls on the UN "to stop expressing the surprising and
unacceptable positions and statements that the UN Secretary-General's office
made... on the pretext that it bears the name of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi... These
[UN] responses chose to adopt the Israeli narrative and
terminology"
- Head of village council repeats name won't
be changed, they'd rather return the money than give in to "conditional
funding"
Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques
Zilberdik
Following Norway, Denmark has likewise
canceled funding to a Palestinian NGO and demanded its money be returned, after
Palestinian Media Watch exposed that the NGO Women's
Technical Affairs Committee (WATC) named a youth and women's center in the town of
Burqa after terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi who
led who led a bus hijacking and murder of 37 civilians, including 12
children in 1978.
Danish Foreign Minister Anders
Samuelsen expressed his indignation over the glorification of
murderer Dalal Mughrabi and demands Danish funding, which has been given to WATC
in general, be returned:
"I am outraged that
the WATC, which claims to work for human rights, has not only glorified a
terrorist but also abused the trust of a generous people like the Danish. It is
completely unacceptable and I can't distance myself strongly enough from it.
Denmark and Danish tax kroner must under no circumstances be used for anything
that glorifies or promotes terrorists in any way. Therefore, we will now also
demand that the WATC return the Danish aid."
[Danish Ministry
of Foreign Affairs website, June 2, 2017]
The press release from the Danish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the ministry has ended all
cooperation with the center because it "withheld crucial information" about the
naming of the women's center "after a female Palestinian
terrorist."
Denmark's decision follows similar condemnation by UN Secretary General António Guterres and
Norway's Foreign Minister Børge Brende.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs meanwhile said that the UN's criticism of its terror glorification was
adopting "the Israeli narrative and terminology" and therefore was an example of
"troubling signals of changes that have been taking place recently in the
functioning and language of the UN. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on
the UN":
"to stop expressing
the surprising and unacceptable positions and statements that UN
Secretary-General [António Guterres'] office made regarding the women's center
in the village of Burqa, in the Nablus district, on the pretext that it bears
the name of Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led
murder of 37, 12 of them children)... These [UN] responses chose to adopt the
Israeli narrative and terminology... and in an unprecedented manner publishes
extremely strange and severe notices, and gives troubling signals of changes
that have been taking place recently in the functioning and language of the UN.
The State of Palestine will track the issue in the most serious and responsible
manner."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, June 1, 2017]
Following the official PA position and
ignoring the loss of funding, the head of the village council, which named the
center, is adamant about keeping the name. Chairman Sami Daghlas stressed that
they would rather return the funding than change the name:
"If we are forced to
choose between the aid and a name, we will return the aid to them, and we will
not agree to conditional funding, because this type of funding kills the
institutions... If we were to agree today to change the name [of the Dalal
Mughrabi Center], that would whet their (i.e., funding countries) appetite for
additional extortion, and tomorrow they will interfere in our names and change
the names of our cities and villages to biblical names."
[The Palestinian Information Center,
independent Palestinian news website, June 3, 2017]
The council chairman explained that the
name was chosen to honor the terrorist:
"The choice of this
name was meant to honor young Martyr Dalal Mughrabi, who resisted the occupation
and hoped for the freedom and independence of her people... We, as Palestinians,
are always proud of those who sacrificed for their homeland, whether they are
Martyrs, prisoners, expelled, or wounded."
[Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London
newspaper, May 29, 2017]
Fatah's youth movement Shabiba "saluted
with honor and pride those responsible for the Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Center,"
and "condemned the position of the government of Norway and the UN against the
women's center named after Martyr Dalal Mughrabi," stating that the funding stop
is a "hostile position towards our people... [and] part of the outrageous siding
with the occupation." [Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 1,
2017]
Implying that Norway knew all along
about the naming of the center after the terrorist, Ghassan Daghlas, who is
Director of the Settlements Issue in the Northern West Bank for the PA, said
that:
"The center, which
was established several months ago with $10,000 of Norwegian aid, did not
encounter any problems when it was named after Dalal Mughrabi, and there was
also no protest by the Norwegians regarding this."
[Donia Al-Watan, independent
Palestinian news agency, May 30, 2017]
Village council head Sami Daghlas has
stated that the council has not received any formal request from Norway to
remove the logo of the Norwegian Representation, nor a request for the
funding:
"We have heard that
the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded to remove its logo from
the center and return the money that they gave. However, until now neither the
[village] council nor the center have received anything official on this
matter."
He further marginalized Norway's aid to
the center, saying that the aid Norway provided was "a few thousand" (dollars
apparently -Ed.), "which was spent on renovating and equipping the [center's]
building." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 31,
2017]
The following are longer
excerpts of the reports mentioned above:
Headline: "Dalal
Mughrabi: A self-sacrificing fighter who causes the occupation to lose sleep and
exposes the UN's double standards"
"Chairman of the
Burqa Village Council Sami Daghlas... explained to a reporter from [the
independent Palestinian news website] The Palestinian Information Center that...
the position of the Palestinian [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs - which noted
the [Dalal Mughrabi] Center (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them
children) in its statement - is not enough, and that it is necessary to carry
out an active diplomatic operation and make contact with the Norwegians and
invite them to visit the center so as to get to know the truth from up
close.
He emphasized that
the village residents adhere to this name, and added: 'If we are forced to
choose between the aid and a name, we will return the aid to them, and we will
not agree to conditional funding, because this type of funding kills the
institutions in a sense.'
He added: 'If we
were to agree today to change the name [of the Dalal Mughrabi Center], that
would whet their appetite for additional extortion, and tomorrow they will
interfere in our names and change the names of our cities and villages to
biblical names.'"
[The Palestinian Information Center,
independent Palestinian news website, June 3, 2017]
"The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs called on the UN "to stop expressing the surprising and
unacceptable positions and statements that UN Secretary-General [António
Guterres'] office made regarding the women's center in the village of Burqa, in
the Nablus district, on the pretext that it bears the name of Martyr
(Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of
them children)... These [UN] responses chose to adopt the Israeli narrative and
terminology... and in an unprecedented manner publishes extremely strange and
severe notices, and gives troubling signals of changes that have been taking
place recently in the functioning and language of the UN. The State of Palestine
will track the issue in the most serious and responsible manner.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, June 1, 2017]
The article refers to a statement issued on May 28, 2017, by Stéphane
Dujarric, spokesman of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which reads: "The
United Nations disassociated itself from the [Dalal Mughrabi] Centre once it
learned the offensive name chosen for it and will take measures to ensure that
such incidents do not take place in the future. The glorification of terrorism,
or the perpetrators of heinous terrorist acts, is unacceptable under any
circumstances. The UN has repeatedly called for an end to incitement to violence
and hatred as they present one of the obstacles to peace. The United Nations
support to this community ended last year and it has asked for the logo of UN
Women to be removed immediately. Furthermore, the inauguration of the Centre
took place after the UN's association with it."
Headline: "Fatah's
Shabiba condemns the position of the UN and the government of Norway regarding
the institution named after Dalal Mughrabi"
"The Fatah Shabiba
[youth] movement in the West Bank condemned the position of the government of
Norway and the UN against the women's center named after Martyr
(Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of
them children) in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, that determines
that the funding and support must be stopped, on the pretext that the center
encourages violence, incitement, and terror.
Fatah's Shabiba
noted yesterday [May 31, 2017] in a statement that it would be more befitting if
the UN - whose envoy Count [Folke] Bernadotte was murdered in 1948 by the
Zionist Stern Gang - would check the public streets, squares, and parks in the
occupation entity that are named after hundreds of war criminals, terrorists,
and people involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity [and] civilians -
children, women, and elderly - in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and other
states.
Fatah's Shabiba also
condemned the position of Norway's government, which is led at the moment by the
extremist right, and noted that this hostile position towards our people and its
social institutions is part of the outrageous siding with the occupation. It
proudly saluted the Norwegian people and our friends from the various
progressive parties and institutions in Norway, who have always proved that they
stand by truth, justice, and freedom.
Fatah's Shabiba
saluted with honor and pride those responsible for the Martyr Dalal Mughrabi
Center in Burqa, and emphasized its pride in the services it provides to young
people and the educational programs it holds to raise awareness. It called on
the national institutions providing sponsorship and the patriotic and dedicated
wealthy Palestinians to support the center and provide all that it needs to
continue providing its services. This is so that its activities will not be
stopped for financial reasons, which would constitute a severe precedent in
Palestinian society and submission to the programs of the occupation government
and its media, which is a partner to the occupation and the crimes against our
people.
Fatah's Shabiba
ended its statement by emphasizing its constant pride in the Martyrs of
Palestine, in the Martyrs of the Arab and Islamic nation, and in all of the free
people in the world who have paid with their lives for freedom, justice, and
independence. It proudly saluted the prisoners, wounded, and exiled, and all of
our people's fighters who have paved the path to freedom and independence for
our people. It also emphasized that our people's Martyrs are fighters for
freedom and justice, and against racism and occupation, and that they are waving
flags that point toward Jerusalem, the capital."
[Official PA daily, Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, June 1, 2017]
Headline: "Daghlas:
The Israeli campaign against the Dalal Mughrabi Center is meant to disrupt the
relations with the European Union"
"Director of the
settlements issue in the northern West Bank [for the PA] Ghassan Daghlas said
that the Israeli campaign against the Dalal Mughrabi Center (i.e., terrorist who
led murder of 37, 12 of them children) in the village of Burqa, west of Nablus,
is meant to disrupt the relations between the European Union and the
PA.
Daghlas explained in
an interview with [the official PA] radio station The Voice of Palestine this
morning [May 30, 2017] that the center, which was established several months ago
with $10,000 of Norwegian aid, did not encounter any problems when it was named
after Dalal Mughrabi, and there was also no protest by the Norwegians regarding
this."
[Donia Al-Watan, independent
Palestinian news agency, May 30, 2017]
Headline: "New
Israeli incitement: The stopping of Norwegian aid to a center in
Burqa"
"Israel is
continuing the ongoing and varied actions of incitement against everything
related to the Palestinians on the political, social, economic, and cultural
level.
Recently the
occupation state carried out incitement which led to the stopping of the
financial aid from the government of Norway to the Dalal Mughrabi Center (i.e.,
terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children) in the village of Burqa,
west of Nablus, just because it bears the name of fighter Dalal
Mughrabi.
Chairman of the
Burqa Village Council Sami Daghlas said: 'It appears that the Israeli Ministry
of Foreign Affairs exerted pressure on Norway behind the scenes so that it would
stop its aid to the center.'
He added: 'We have
heard that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded to remove its
logo from the center and return the money that they gave. However, until now
neither the [village] council nor the center have received anything official on
this matter.' He noted that the aid that Norway provided was a few thousand
(dollars apparently -Ed.), which was spent on renovating and equipping the
[center's] building, and that it was a single payment and no aid was provided to
projects related to the center.
The Dalal Mughrabi
Center was established four months ago and opened three weeks ago (on May 15,
2017 -Ed.). It is a community center for youth that was established in a
partnership between the [village] council, the Women's Technical Affairs
Committee (WATC), and the central elections committee, and with the aid of
female members of the village council and municipality. The goal of the center
is to encourage initiatives and to empower and encourage women so that they will
be active in their society and participate in communal activity.
The name was
proposed by the village residents in light of Martyr (Shahida) Dalal
Mughrabi's sacrifice for her cause.
Daghlas noted that
'There are concerns in Burqa that the occupation's soldiers will raid the
center, take control of its contents, destroy it, and close it, and all of the
talk regarding the center is incitement fabricated by Israel.'
The Israeli Ministry
of Foreign Affairs also took advantage of Norway's position in order to incite
against the PA, and called on the international community to act like
[Norway]."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, May 31, 2017]
Headline: "Israeli
satisfaction over Norway's protest against naming a Palestinian center after
Dalal Mughrabi"
"Chairman of the
Burqa Local Council Sami Daghlas responded to the matter [of Norway's protest]
by saying that the center was established four months ago in cooperation between
the Burqa village council and the Women's Technical Affairs Committee (WATC) as
an initiative of young women to support female members of the village and city
councils. He noted that this center includes a group of 60 young men and women
who hold volunteer and philanthropic activities [in order to] raise the
awareness of young men and women regarding their rights and encourage their
participation in public life.
He said that the
choice of this name was meant to honor young Martyr (Shahida) Dalal
Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children), who
resisted the occupation and hoped for the freedom and independence of her
people. He added: 'We, as Palestinians, are always proud of those who sacrificed
for their homeland, whether they are Martyrs, prisoners, expelled, or wounded.'
He also emphasized that considering the symbols of the Palestinian people and
its leaders as terrorists is nothing but submission to the Israeli dictates and
pressures. Daghlas called on 'our Norwegian friends to focus on the most
important thing and understand what these young people are giving to their
society, to honor our sensitivities as a people that has sacrificed hundreds of
thousands of Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and to support our liberation
struggle against the occupation, which terrorizes us and kills our children and
young people in cold blood every day.'"
[Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London
newspaper, May 29, 2017]
Headline: "The
Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network rejects the position of
Norway regarding the Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Center in Burqa"
"The Palestinian
Non-Governmental Organizations Network yesterday [May 31, 2017] expressed its
absolute opposition to the position of Norway, which demanded to remove the name
of Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of
37, 12 of them children) and return the funding that it transferred for the
benefit of a local center that was established in the town of Burqa, in the
Nablus district of the northern West Bank...
It emphasized that
the principles of international and humanitarian aid determine that any project
that is carried out belongs to the Palestinian people, because the
responsibility for the continuation of its activity and management is a social
responsibility, and that it is the right of the government of Norway to ask to
remove its logo from the center, although it has no right to ask for the money
back that was invested in it according to the agreement on the matter.
The network said in
its statement that [Norway's] position constitutes capitulation to the Israeli
extortion and the pressures exerted by institutions supporting the
occupation...
The network demanded
that the government of Norway take back this strange request, which is based on
adopting a one-sided narrative in advance, and ignoring the Palestinian
narrative without relying on facts.
The network
explained that the center was renovated with the aid of the Women's Technical
Affairs Committee (WATC) and in cooperation with the elections committee, to
encourage women to participate in the municipal elections... and that the
Norwegian donation did not exceed a one-time payment of $10,000 for the purpose
of furnishing the center, while the remaining expenses were covered by the local
society."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, June 1, 2017]
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