Activists belonging to the Netherlands branch of Extinction Rebellion (XR-Netherlands) protested against Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Hague on Monday.
The protestors, 19 of whom were arrested, “occupied” the entrance to the International Criminal Court at the Hague, holding a Palestinian flag and a banner adorning the Extinction Rebellion logo and the words, “Netanyahu is a war criminal,” according to the group’s profile on X, formerly Twitter. XR-Netherlands, ostensibly an environmental activism group, is a grantee of the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a U.S. based nonprofit that uses funding from a host of wealthy American liberals and left-of-center organizations, including one established by wealthy American oil heiress Aileen Getty, to bankroll confrontational eco-activism groups across the world.
The organization “demands that the [International Criminal Court] prosecute Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and Israel’s apartheid regime,” XR-Netherlands said of the protest in a post on X. It is unclear how the Israel-Hamas war directly pertains to XR-Netherlands’ mission as an environmental organization. (RELATED: Green Groups That Have Backed Palestinians Offer Justifications, Silence After Hamas Attacks)
19 mensen gearresteerd, direct voorgeleid en in vrijheid gesteld. De actie gaat voor de deur nog even door, de eis blijft staan: Justice Now, een actiegroep van XR, eist dat het ICC, premier Benjamin Netanyahu gaat vervolgen voor oorlogsmisdaden en het apartheidsregime van Israël pic.twitter.com/7hHZA9HeLg
— Extinction Rebellion Nederland (@NLRebellion) October 23, 2023
One of CEF’s key donors is the Aileen Getty Foundation, which seeks to “infuse all [it does] with love, acceptance and compassion” and funds a host of other left-of-center advocacy campaigns and organizations, according to CEF’s website. Other prominent CEF donors include Hollywood writer Adam McKay, “Succession” star Jeremy Strong and Hillary Clinton’s Onward Together organization, according to CEF’s 2022 annual report.
XR-Netherlands joins a growing chorus of voices on the political left sharply criticizing Israel for retaliating against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the terrorist organization launched a brutal attack against Israel on Oct. 7. Jihadists murdered at least 1,400 people, raped women, beheaded toddlers and kidnapped more than 200 people to hold as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Several left-wing activist organizations have come under scrutiny for their anti-Israel advocacy in the weeks following the Hamas attacks despite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict falling outside of their organizational purviews. Groups associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement expressed their solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause after the attacks, the Democratic Socialists of America organized a pro-Hamas rally.
On college campuses, numerous chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine held similar demonstrations and many social justice organizations signed open letters excusing the actions of Hamas or denigrating Israel for its decision to strike back at the terrorist organization.
XR-Netherlands, the Aileen Getty Foundation and CEF all did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
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