The Evangelische Omroep must answer for anti-UNRWA propaganda

By broadcasting the documentary 'UNRWA Ontrafeld', the EO — according to The Rights Forum — saddled viewers with undiluted Israeli propaganda. The broadcaster should account for that decision, and the documentary is said to contain "lies and propaganda".

The Rights Forum (TRF) is an independent Dutch knowledge centre and human rights organisation advocating a just Dutch and European policy on Palestine, grounded in international law and human rights.

The documentary, broadcast by the Evangelische Omroep (EO) in December 2025 and recently repeated, was reportedly promoted by the EO as a means of "looking at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict better informed".

My conclusion: viewers were not knowingly exposed by the EO to half-truths and outright lies in order to undermine public and political support for the UN organisation. That organisation has plenty on its conscience, has never shown any self-cleansing capacity, and has failed to prevent abuses often enough.

The documentary is said to fit into the (propaganda) offensive of Israel and its lobby to destroy UNRWA, the UN organisation for Palestinian refugees. The "conspicuous absence of fundamental facts" about UNRWA and other elementary context — and here it comes: "such as the 59-year Israeli occupation of Palestine, the Colonna report and the legal anchoring of the Palestinian right of return — is a clear indication that the makers are after something very different from 'unravelling'."

Dear accusers,

Israel does not occupy Palestine. Palestine as a state does not exist and has never existed! And looking at this allegation: we have never heard you about Egypt's occupation of Gaza until the 1967 war, nor about Jordan's occupation of the West Bank until that same war! And never about the king of Jordan who no longer wants back his own compatriots (nearly 800,000, and more with their descendants, for that is largely what they are).

That the documentary would be a mix of Israeli talking points, lies, racism and the propagation of (war) crimes is of an entirely schoolboy-journalism level. The racism card and the war-crimes card are quickly played by this TRF!

Incidentally: UNRWA is indispensable and irreplaceable. For Hamas.

It is a financial lifeline for Hamas, not for the "refugees". Not "the guardian of the history and rights of the refugees".

A long-standing alternative to the UN organisation already exists: UNHCR. It has cared for real refugees for decades. Millions. Anyone can assess its work through open sources as "indispensable" and "irreplaceable" — a logical result of more than 75 years of worldwide experience.

About that, I would like to ask this TRF a few questions. How exactly do they weigh, substantively and journalistically, the "Hamas propaganda" and their Pallywood clips, and the many "doctors and journalists" who turned out to simply hold a combat role within Hamas (and Hezbollah)?

As far as I am concerned, the EO may promise to offer viewers this documentary once more, adding a clear warning: "This documentary is unwelcome to TRF because it exposes the lies and propaganda of UNRWA."

The suggestion that the documentary fits within "the Jewish world" is a mockery: there is nothing Jewish about delegitimising UNRWA and dehumanising the Palestinians. Nor about activists who give free rein to their sordid views and their distressing contempt for the international legal order and universal human rights.

If the EO wants to give room to such ideas, let it do so under its own (Christian) flag, for instance in a programme series "the Zionist world". That creates clarity and prevents justified criticism of the documentary from reflecting on the Jewish world.

I will look into this for you: the background of The Rights Forum and any financial ties with the Postcode Lottery.

Background and founding

TRF was founded on 10 December 2009 (International Human Rights Day) on the initiative of former prime minister Dries van Agt (CDA, prime minister 1977–1982). Van Agt became active for Palestinian rights later in life, among other things after a visit to the West Bank. He was honorary chairman until his death on 5 February 2024.

The organisation arose from the paradox Van Agt and his allies saw: the Netherlands as the "cradle of international law" (The Hague, Article 90 of the Constitution on the international legal order) versus what they regard as structurally looking away from Israeli violations of that law (occupation, settlements, etc.). From the start, prominent former politicians and jurists supported the organisation, including former foreign ministers Hans van den Broek and Hans van Mierlo, former minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, and legal scholars such as Liesbeth Zegveld, André Nollkaemper and Nico Schrijver.

**Mission and activities** (according to TRF itself and Wikipedia):

**Organisation** (as of around 2025/2026): a foundation with a board (chair/secretary Berber van der Woude, a former diplomat with experience in Ramallah among other places; director Gerard Jonkman), an Advisory Council (former ministers, jurists, including John Dugard and Egbert Myjer) and a small professional team (~10 staff plus freelancers) in Amsterdam.

Known institutional support: Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Legal Support Center.

In short: TRF is a Van Agt initiative aimed at Palestinian rights through law, lobbying and publicity, funded through private (and some foundation) donations. No link with the Postcode Lottery. For the most recent figures, consult the 2025 annual report on rightsforum.org or the ANBI page.

*Editorial note: this opinion piece is published as submitted by the author. Some factual points are still under editorial verification; responses and additions are welcome via bas@god.radio.*