Denmark to break off co-operation with Palestinian NGO

A women’s centre in the West Bank has become a political hot potato for Denmark

Stephen Gadd

Jun 6, 2017

Information has reached the Foreign Ministry that a women’s centre in Burqa has been named after a female terrorist and that the organisation behind it, WATC, has published an article promoting her as a role model.

WATC is one of 24 Israeli and Palestinian organisations working for human rights that has been in the ministry’s spotlight. It receives money from a donor secretariat in Palestine that Denmark set up with Sweden, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

An abuse of trust
“I’m appalled that WATC, which claims to work for human rights, has not only glorified a terrorist but also abused the trust of a generous people such as the Danes. It is totally unacceptable,” said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

“Danish taxes must under no circumstances be used to promote terrorism, and that’s why we will now insist that WATC pays the Danish aid money back.”

Firm and decisive action
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry has decided not to pay any money through the donor secretariat until there has been a thorough investigation of all the organisations involved.

“There must not be any suspicion that Danish aid is used for anything but peaceable and edifying purposes. That’s what Danish taxpayers have a right to, and that is why we’re taking firm and quick action,” added Samuelsen.

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