David Bedein (born August 31, 1950) is an MSW, a community organizer by profession, a writer, and an investigative journalist.[1] In 1987, Bedein established the Israel Resource News Agency,[2] with offices at the Beit Agron Int'l Press Center in Jerusalem. He serves as Director of The Center for Near East Policy Research.
Bedein was active in the Israeli peace movement for over for 17 years.[5]
In the 1980s, Bedein went to Ethiopia as part of a delegation to investigate the impact of the famine on the Ethiopian Jewish community.[6]
The UNRWA Reform Initiative (U.R.I.)[7] was launched by The Center for Near East Policy Research, which has been conducting news investigations and producing films since 1987. Their current project focuses on policy change at UNRWA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.[8]
Under the direction of David Bedein, the Center for Near East Policy Research and www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com have produced a number of investigative video productions. In July 2013, they released a film titled "Camp Jihad" allegedly showing activities and interviews in which UNRWA promotes anti-Semitism and incitement to violence in its 'summer camps'. This was not the first time he dealt with this topic.[citation needed] UNRWA released an official rejection of these claims,[10] claiming the summer camp shown, and the people involved are not affiliated with UNRWA. In a November 2013 meeting between US Secretary of State, John Kerry and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, parts of this film were shown.[11]
Bedein has been involved in the UNRWA Reform Initiative,[12] which involves requests of donor nations to make reasonable reforms of UNRWA. Bedein's legal counsel articulated these requested reforms in a letter to the British government's Department for International Development (DFID), which assists UNRWA.[citation needed] In March 2014, Bedein participated in an informal panel at the British House of Commons with experts on UNRWA education.[13]
Since the publication of his book, Bedein has discovered several new alleged findings concerning UNRWA, which were published by the two organisations he has founded, under the titles Islamic groups that fund UNRWA,[14]Palestinian Authority Allegation: "Jews killed Christ" in the Palestinian Authority Christian Education Textbooks Used in UNRWA Schools in the West Bank, Jerusalem & Gaza,[15] and The U.N.'s Child Death Cult Education.[16]
Bedein presented his latest research to members of the Swedish Parliament on November 18, 2016.[17] He appeared on a local program entitled "Follow the Money: with Swedish journalist Tobias Petterson" [18] Following these revelations, Tobias Petterson took to the Israel National News site, Arutz 7, to express his shock over the official Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education textbooks and curriculum.[citation needed]
ABC Lawsuit
In 1988, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) filed a lawsuit in Israel for $1 million[19] against Bedein's company, Israel Resources, after Bedein showed "taped copies of the network's evening news coverage of the Arab uprising"[20] (First Intifada) at one or more events where Bedein charged a fee for entry. ABC charged that Bedein violated the copyright to the footage by showing the clips.
The New York Times provided more context in an article just following the filing of the lawsuit:
Newscasts drawn from American, Canadian and European television were shown throughout the winter months to demonstrate the disparity between foreign and Israeli coverage of the Palestinian uprising. Showing the tapes to Jerusalem audiences helped lead to outraged charges from many Israelis that the international press was being unfair to their country.Before the foreign television tapes were shown here, Israelis had seen only their own television coverage, which failed to show many of the worst cases of violence. That coverage helped many in this country form their personal impression of what was happening in the occupied territories.
When they saw the foreign television coverage, many were shocked, and they accused the foreign news organizations of being biased against Israel.[20][21]
ABC ultimately lost the case in 1992 on a technicality for not being able to prove a corporate link between ABC Inc. and ABC News in a move The Jerusalem Post called "a pity"[22] in an editorial.
Films produced by the Center for Near East Policy Research
The Center for Near East Policy Research has been investigating UNRWA for 27 years and has produced documentary films for over a decade, showing activities going on in schools and camps, with interviews from students and staff.[23]
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (August 20, 2021), אונר״א - חינוך לאלימות.mov, retrieved July 5, 2022((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (August 17, 2020), אונר"א וטרור הבלונים, retrieved July 5, 2022((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (August 18, 2020). "Balloons Only" – via Vimeo.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Research, Center for Near East Policy (February 21, 2020). "Incitement to Return - English". Israel Behind the News. Retrieved July 5, 2022. ((cite web)): |first= has generic name (help)
^Research, Center for Near East Policy (February 21, 2020). "Incitement to Return - Hebrew". Israel Behind the News. Retrieved July 5, 2022. ((cite web)): |first= has generic name (help)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (September 2, 2019), מוחמד אסאף - המחבל המזמר, retrieved July 5, 2022((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (October 27, 2018), The terror of return - 3min, retrieved July 5, 2022((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (November 27, 2018). "טרור השיבה" – via Vimeo.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^CFNEPR, המרכז לחקר מדיניות המזה"ת (March 1, 2018), The Legacy of UNRWA, retrieved July 5, 2022((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"New Israeli documentary shows 'Children's Army of Hamas'". jpost.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015. In documentary presented to the UN, Hamas appears to acknowledge that it is breaking international law by training and indoctrinating child soldiers.