Children Throughout Norway to Collect Millions Against Israel

Children in Norway are being sent door-to-door to collect millions for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, as part and parcel of the country’s “Operation Day’s Work” annual event.

The money will go to “support Palestinian youth,” according to one Norwegian newspaper.

Helping mobilize protests against Israel — this is what Norway has become?

Israel National News has more:

School children throughout Norway will be sent out via “Operation Day’s Work” to collect millions for BDS NGO KFUK-KFUM Global (“Y Global”) to help mobilize protests against Israel.

Norwegian newspaper the Aftenposten reported that revenues from this year’s Operation Day’s Work, which will take place on November 1, “will go to support Palestinian youth”.

Operation Day’s Work is the students’ annual solidarity campaign where youth throughout the country work one day and earn income for different projects.

Representatives from schools across the country voted for the project under the Elevtinget, the Student Organization’s National Assembly or “Pupil’s Parliament”. It is the second largest country meeting in Norway, after the National Organization in Norway trade union association. At the meeting students from all over Norway meet to discuss “how Norwegian schools can be the best possible”.

The NGO’s application to the Student Organization’s National Assembly to be chosen for Operation Day’s Work states the project’s purpose to be “empowering youth for sustainable peace in Palestine.” It includes a detailed budget for disbursal of monies to projects like “Palestine, East Jerusalem, Gaza YWCA” costing 16,080,000 kroner, and various “evaluation”, “administration”, and “follow-up” items totaling a budget of 19,000,000 kroner.

“The entire program is based on a series of educational and awareness raising trainings and campaigns for the targeted youth.” The application states the program’s overall theme is “gender and human rights”, with extra emphasis on “transformation from passive subjects to active citizens and ending the occupation through promoting a just peace in Israel and Palestine.”

Another stated area of Y Global’s special emphasis is “challenging gender roles through transformative masculinity,” linking feminist agendas to subverting Israel by placing “a strong focus on liberation from oppression, especially for girls and young women”.

The program targets 10,900 youth (male and female) between 13-19 years old. “These youth will be both Muslims and Christians. The youth will be participants in the YMCA or YWCA, school students, members of scout groups and other youth groups. They will be from various districts of West Bank [sic], including East Jerusalem, and Gaza communities living in cities, villages, and refugee camps. In addition, some youth will also receive additional training and become trainers for others. These trainers are anticipated to reach even a higher number of youth.”

“When we mobilize youth to work for just peace in Palestine, there will always be some risk involved. However, the program will have a strong focus on minimising these risks, especially as we are dealing with youngsters. For example, we will ensure that political events happen is safe spaces where we do not risk confrontation with the Israeli military or settlers. Our local partners have a long experience in organising protest activities, such as vigils and demonstrations, in a safe way. The training will also include how to plan activities in a way that ensures their safety. This includes training in assessing risk, different creative non-violent resistance methods and how to act if they do end up in a dangerous situation. This allows them to be engaged and make a difference without the need to be in direct conflict with the Israelis.”

Y Global’s English website states it “is an independent development and solidarity organisation owned by the Norwegian YWCA-YMCA and the Norwegian YWCA-YMCA scouts. We work towards giving human new facilities and build strong democratic communities [sic].”

The Norwegian-language website provides more detail:

“Fair Peace: Since 2000, around 700 Palestinian children (12-18 years) have been arrested every year on the West Bank. They have been arrested and interrogated by the Israeli military, police, or security officers and been tried in Israeli military court.

“Official Palestinian statistics show that throughout 2012, Israel arrested nearly 900 Palestinian children, while in 2016 more than 1,300 children were arrested. This shows a large increase in the number of arrests of Palestinian children over the last 5 years.

“Through the rehabilitation program, East Jerusalem YMCA has helped 377 of the children arrested last year, as well as 223 of their parents, in 2016. These children have been helped to integrate back into their local communities. The target group in the rehabilitation program is children and adolescents suffering from physical and mental disorders as a result of political violence and torture associated with arrests and imprisonment. Some of the specific services given to these young people are psychosocial counseling (both in groups and individually), family therapy, academic rehabilitation, projects that help young people become self-employed, sports and leadership training.”

On a Facebook post, Y Global announced winning Operation Day’s Work: “Kfuk-Kfum Global and our good Palestinian partners have been awarded this year’s Operasjon Dagsverk project! Thank you to amazing youth at Elevtinget for trust, appeals and support!

“Together with Norwegian and Palestinian youth we will the next few years work even harder for fair peace in both Israel and Palestine! We look forward and hope you will be with us!”

“Norwegian students have spoken and we know what engages us! @avmedforungdom OD 2018 and @KFUKKFUMGlobal will work with youth for peace.”