Israeli and US media attack centrist MIFTAH as ’radical’ group in effort to discredit Omar and Tlaib
Yumna Patel on August 21, 2019
▻https://mondoweiss.net/2019/08/israeli-centrist-discredit
Israel and its supporters have set their sights on a new target in part of a concerted effort to discredit US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib and their planned delegation to Palestine, after the decision to bar them entry to the country sparked nationwide outrage.
The newest focus of the right-wing media is MIFTAH, the Ramallah-based NGO that was sponsoring the planned delegation, as it has done in the past with US congressional delegations that visited the occupied West Bank.
Founded by PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) is largely regarded as a mainstream, “centrist” group in Palestine.
The group’s activities focus primarily on female empowerment and self-sustainability projects, with a mission that “seeks to promote the principles of democracy and good governance within various components of Palestinian society” and “seeks to engage local and international public opinion and official circles on the Palestinian cause.”
In the wake of the backlash facing Netanyahu and his government for denying the congresswomen, the premiere released a statement alleging that the congresswomen had ulterior motives, referencing MIFTAH as “an avid supporter” of BDS.