{"id":50008,"date":"2024-03-04T13:36:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T13:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=50008"},"modified":"2024-03-06T17:21:13","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T17:21:13","slug":"germany-uses-funding-to-pressure-climate-groups-on-israel-gaza-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2024\/03\/04\/germany-uses-funding-to-pressure-climate-groups-on-israel-gaza-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany uses funding to pressure climate groups on Israel-Gaza war"},"content":{"rendered":"

The German government has used its financial power over climate activists in the Global South to try to stop them publicly criticising Israel’s attacks on Gaza in recent months, according to sources interviewed by Climate Home.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many climate and development organisations based in developing countries rely directly or indirectly for funding on the German government, which is among Israel’s strongest political supporters.<\/p>\n

The Gaza war began when Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing and abducting hundreds of people and drawing an Israeli offensive in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, which has led to more than 30,000 Palestinian deaths and a worsening humanitarian crisis.<\/div>\n

Three sources Climate Home spoke to said that, after criticising Israel’s actions for humanitarian reasons, they were either pressured by their German-funded employers to resign, had contracts put on hold, or were warned they would lose funding if they made further comments on the issue.<\/p>\n

Tensions between German and international climate campaigners were evident at December’s Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, with several German campaign groups distancing themselves from criticism of Israel by Climate Action Network International. One accused the civil-society umbrella group of antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Funding threat<\/h3>\n

Twelve climate activists – all of whom asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the subject – told Climate Home many climate organisations fear that speaking out about Israel\u2019s military actions in Gaza will cost them German funding.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The German development ministry BMZ says<\/a> on its website that it checks whether organisations it funds have been involved in “statements or actions” that “make it undesirable to provide support to that organisation”.<\/p>\n

As examples, it lists incitement to hatred and violence, denial of Israel’s right to exist, antisemitism and support for the global movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. It urges partner organisations to “sanction” staff who “violate these principles”.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the German state development organisation GIZ told Climate Home the organisations it funds are “bound to comply” with its principles on non-discrimination.<\/p>\n

The spokesperson added that, in line with the German government and parliament, GIZ uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition<\/a> of antisemitism.<\/p>\n

The IHRA provides examples of what it considers antisemitic, which include arguing that the state of Israel is a racist endeavour or comparing Israeli policy to the Nazis.<\/p>\n

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One consultant to climate campaign groups told Climate Home they had an individual contract with a German foundation postponed after accusing Israel of genocide on social media. \u201cIt was going to be my main source of income,\u201d they said, \u201cI\u2019m financially screwed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An activist from the Global South said their organisation’s German funder had told them not to criticise Israel. To keep the money, the organisation heeded this warning but “the relationship with the funder has become extremely tense”, the activist added.<\/p>\n

“I completely get feeling guilt as Germans for an atrocity that occurred, but that should not trickle down into activist organisations and NGOs and civil society organisations trying to make a change on the ground,” they said.<\/p>\n

Difficult position<\/h3>\n

Another activist from the Global South told Climate Home the German-funded climate and feminist campaign group they work for had issued guidelines advising staff on how to talk about the Israel-Gaza conflict.<\/p>\n

The activist resigned after declining to follow the guidelines. “I’m not going to allow anyone to censor me,” they told Climate Home, adding they were now unemployed and their mental health had suffered.<\/p>\n

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Another foreign employee of a German climate campaign group told Climate Home their bosses were \u201cpretty pro-Israel\u201d, while many of the organisation’s staff were not. <\/span><\/p>\n

But even the group’s leadership is in a \u201cvery difficult position\u201d, they said, because the German government funds the organisation and has discussed removing funding from groups that support the Palestinian cause or work with others that do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cancellations<\/h3>\n

Climate scientist Julia Steinberger, who specialises in ecological economics and is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, told Climate Home she was<\/span> uninvited<\/span><\/a> from an event in Austria after she said she would speak about Israel\u2019s \u201cgenocide\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another climate scientist, based in Germany, told Climate Home they had been warned by colleagues that support for Palestine would \u201ccancel\u201d them in Germany.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not just climate activists who are running into problems over expressing their opinions on the Israel-Gaza conflict. In December, the chair of an Egyptian women’s rights charity<\/span> told Egyptian news website Mada Masr<\/span><\/a> that the German government had cut funding after she signed an open letter calling for an end to the war and support for the global boycott movement against Israel. <\/span><\/p>\n

Asked about<\/span> the case, the German embassy cited the government’s funding criteria that recipient organisations cannot call for boycotts against Israel. In 2019, the German parliament – with support from the Green Party – passed a non-binding motion<\/a> calling for German funding to be cut to groups that support such boycotts.<\/p>\n

Another NGO, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, ended its cooperation with the German government over the defunding of the feminist group and organised\u00a0a petition<\/a>, signed by nearly 1,000 people, calling for a boycott of the German-Egyptian cultural week.<\/p>\n

Greta’s German critics<\/h3>\n

In Germany, support for Israel is more widespread<\/a> than in most of the rest of Europe and goes beyond the far right to include liberals and leftists, who comprise much of the climate movement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n