Talk:Next Century Foundation
Unsourced:
Critical Assessment
After the beginning of the first intifada (late 1980s) many "dialog" or "rapprochement" groups were formed, ostensibly to promote understanding and dialog. In reality, most of these efforts were elite talking shops with virtually no tangible effects. Zionist groups exploited such organizations to neuter criticism of Israel and to waste time and effort in endless "dialog", i.e., "see it my way". NCP falls into this "dialog" category, but the difference is that it mostly fostered elite interactions. While originally the idea driving NCP might have been a laudable one, i.e., dialog between Israelis and Palestinians, the organization quickly became a talking shop for Israeli government officials, neocons, British Zionists, Arab neocons, "moderate" religious authorities, and British Foreign Office officials. Today NCP pontificates on all "conflicts" in the Middle East, provides a platform for an endless stream of Israeli government officials, Israeli academics, and neocons. The media prizes favor most of the establishment journalists because the nominating panel is made up of Israelis, Arabs, Westerners, and the "Patrons". Some of the members of the nominating panel:
- Adel Darwish, an Egyptian neocon who runs Just Journalism, a flak website.
- Abigail Fielding-Smith of IB Tauris Books – a publisher of mostly establishment books on the Middle East.
- June Jacobs, The International Council of Jewish Women
- Rafik Halabi, Israeli journalist
- Turi Munthe from RUSI (the principal British military think tank)
At one of their conferences a panel "Scenarios and Policy Options for the Palestinians" was held. All the discussants were Israelis, including far-rightwing politicians like Ephraim Sneh.
