Last week, an obscure
UN body called the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations decided to “defer” the application from the Badil Resource Center, a Palestinian organization working for Palestinian refugee rights based in Bethlehem. Badil was asking for “consultative status” that would allow it to make statements at official
UN gatherings. The committee was supposed to decide if Badil’s work was consistent with the purposes of the
UN. Germany demanded that Badil provide a copy of every statement it has ever made on terrorism. The
US demanded to hear Badil’s position on the land issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then the
US asked if Badil had anything to do with the International Solidarity Movement.
