The Truth about KAIROS....
What a great decision by the Canadian government to de-fund Kairos....
In November 2009, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) denied KAIROS’ application for a $7 million/four-year grant. This resulted in scrutiny of the organization’s advocacy, including its politicized involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In response, media statements from KAIROS and its supporters have claimed that there is no evidence that the organization was active in anti-Israel campaigns, such as BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions). This information is inconsistent with information published by KAIROS:1. On January 7, 2008, KAIROS published a “strategy paper” entitled “Economic Advocacy Measures: Options for KAIROS Members for the Promotion of Peace in Palestine and Israel.” This document endorses divestment from Israel, explicitly promoting the campaign in the U.S. Presbyterian Church and led by the radical Palestinian NGO known as Sabeel. The text also describes KAIROS’ plans to coordinate these activities among its member churches.
2. KAIROS’ “Resources for education and action” webpage (accessed Dec. 30, 2009) includes material from “KAIROS partner” Sabeel: (a) a call for anti-Israel divestment, and (b) a statement describing Zionism as an “ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism.”
3. Although the KAIROS’ press release (Dec. 18, 2009) asserts that “KAIROS took a public position opposing sanctions and a boycott of Israel,” there is no reference to divestment. Indeed, as seen above, KAIROS is very active in this element of political advocacy.
4. Sometime after Dec. 8, 2009 (when NGO Monitor reviewed the website) KAIROS added a disclaimer to its resources page (accessed Dec. 22, 2009): “Note that some of these resources are not written by KAIROS and do not necessarily reflect KAIROS policy.” (Version without disclaimer can be seen on the Oct. 15 cache of this page.)
posted by GayandRight @ 10:00 PM
4 Comments:
So true! I visited the Karios site after the issue of de-funding came up and I was shocked at the kinds of things they have been doing -- and their expectation that the government would continue to fund them. I don't care which side of the political spectrum one is on, the government should not be funding lobby groups.
Whoever approved their funding in the first place should be fired.
Fascist 'progressives' can fund their hatreds themselves.
This is straight from NGO Monitor.
Other organisations NGO Monitor criticizes: Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, World Vision Canada, Oxfam Canada, etc, etc. NGO Monitor is a joke.
1)KAIROS has repeatedly been attacked for supporting a boycott, and this has repeatedly been denied by KAIROS. Its position has been constant, was arrived at consensually by all the major Canadian Churches, and never supported a boycott. Divestment is a much more subtle process, and it is irresponsible to assert that anyone deliberating on divestment is 'anti-semitic'.
2) the accusation that KAIROS describes Zionism as an "ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism" is repeated over and over by NGO Monitor, most recently in Embassy magazine. This is also completely false. NGO Monitor is referring to a press release linked to from KAIROS' Resources and Actions page by Sabeel called 'Challenging Christian Zionism'.
First off, the quote is from Sabeel, not KAIROS; second, they're talking about *Christian Zionism*, not *Zionism*. If you don't know the difference you need to do a whole lot of research, and quit yapping until you've done it. The second wants a Jewish state, the first wants a Jewish state as a precursor to Armageddon where everyone who ain't Christian gets fried (including Jews who haven't converted). Calling it an "ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism" is sweet talkin'.
3) There is a big difference between boycotting and divestment.
Here's their policy, set out long before Jason Kenney's inflammatory statements (he seems to have his tail between his legs now):
http://kairoscanada.org/fileadmin/fe/files/PDF/HRTrade/Pal-Isr/Paper_EconomicAdvocacyMeasures_Jan08.pdf
4) What a surprise that a disclaimer was added (there were already disclaimers on other projects). When Bozos like NGO Monitor can't tell the difference between KAIROS policy and a Sabeel Press Release, nor the difference between Christian Zionism and Zionism, and then go publicising their ignorance to everyone who will listen, then I guess an organization needs to start making things a little more obvious.
Embassy Magazine, Canada's renowned foreign affairs magazine, gives NGO Monitor a spankin':
Embassy Magazine, jan 20:
'Calling out NGO Monitor'
(Embassy magazine's editorial slams NGO Monitor, Kenney + Harper)
http://embassymag.ca/page/view/edit-01-20-2010
'The truth about KAIROS, NGO Monitor'
(KAIROS' exec direc washes Steinberg and NGO Monitor's mouth out with soap)
http://embassymag.ca/page/view/corkery-01-20-2010
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