...In 2004 NGO Monitor noted that out of 21 Palestinian environmental NGOs listed by PENGON, an online network of Palestinian Environmental NGOs, only 2 were actually involved in environmental matters: the Wildlife Palestine Society and the Roads and Environmental Safety Centre - and even these two were using the environmental platform to attack or undermine Israel. In the last year, PENGON and its leading body, the Applied Research Institute (ARIJ) in Bethlehem, have persisted in pursuing a political platform, focusing resources on campaigns against the "apartheid wall" and settlement activity.

On September 2, 2004, ARIJ published a story on its partner website for "Monitoring Israeli Colonization Activities in the Palestinian Territories" entitled "Ecocide in Tequ'a Town". It claimed that the IDF had "burned considerable areas of cropped lands and forbid Palestinian farmers to reach their lands using dogs" and then "randomly dispensed flyers on the farmers' lands informing of the Army's intention to clear all trees (mostly olive) existing along the Israeli bypass roads". In fact, a visit to the area demonstrates that no trees have been uprooted from the area around Tekoa, despite their use as a cover for terrorists to shoot at the road.

Similarly, ARIJ's monthly reports include tables which summarize figures in such categories as "uprooted trees", land threatened, land confiscated etc. In the two reports for February and March 2005, in nearly half of the 12 categories featured in each of the tables, there is some incongruity between the text and final numbers. For example, in the Qalqiliya area in the March report, 645 allegedly uprooted trees are mentioned in the summary, while in the detailed text, three separate events are described: a) 45 uprooted trees, b) uprooted olives (with no number) and c) tens of uprooted trees… No explanation is given as to how the figures can add up to 645. For the Hebron district, 30 trees are mentioned concerning one event, and "hundreds of olive trees were uprooted west of Surif town" in a second event. In the summary table however, we find just 30 under "uprooted trees in Hebron" (see report). These unreliable and often false reports are funded by the European Union and often cited by other Palestinian environmental NGOs...

...Furthermore, donors seem blind to the hidden agendas of the groups they are supporting. These NGOs exploit the veil of legitimacy awarded environmental organizations to propagate false reports and open political campaigns against Israel. Yet the foundations that help support these activities appear oblivious to this practice and the damage that results.