A front-page article with the byline of veteran New York Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof is the latest poisonous example of what I call the NGO “halo effect.”
Headlined “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” the article consists of supposedly eyewitness testimonies provided by security prisoners (suspected or convicted terrorists) mixed with quotes from “reports” or statements from politicized and far from reliable NGOs, as well as a United Nations committee that recycles their accusations.
False accusations from powerful non-governmental organizations that use human rights to demonize Israel have a history of being amplified by allies, including anti-Israel UN officials, academics, politicians, and journalists on major media platforms.
In the 25 years since the UN held an anti-racism conference in Durban, South Africa, that was turned into an antisemitic NGO horror show, this alliance has promoted non-stop blood libels and false accusations of apartheid, genocide, war crimes, and now – “sexual violence.”
As explained by the halo effect, journalists often automatically embrace NGO accusations at face value, and do not bother to verify the evidence, such as it is, presented by the organizations.
NGO leaders and activists are typically portrayed as altruistic idealists, and unbiased – attributes which are, in most cases, long gone, as these organizations have become major political actors.
The central group that Kristof quotes calls itself the Euro-Med...
A front-page article with the byline of veteran New York Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof is the latest poisonous example of what I call the NGO “halo effect.” Headlined “The Silence That Mee...