The Israeli Occupation issued a decision on October 22 classifying six Palestinian organizations as “terrorist groups.”
The organizations included Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights, Al-Haq, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees.
The aforementioned have relied on European funding to maintain a local and regional impact, making them some of the most respected and internationally well-known institutions.
Thus, these institutions were conducting critical work in the humanitarian field including documenting Israeli human rights abuses, advocating for Palestinian’s rights on a local and international level and working with the International Criminal Court and the United Nations.
“Aggression didn’t start today,” said the organizations in a joint statement issued on Oct. 22. “Over the past few years, the occupation has targeted Palestinian institutions by confiscating their property, arresting their workers, prosecuting them by all means, and restricting their human rights and civil work.”
They added that the Israeli regime began targeting “human rights institutions that have historically worked to defend Palestinian rights […] and worked day and night to expose the crimes of the occupation.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh strongly denounced the occupation’s decision and called upon human rights organizations and the international community to condemn these measures.
“The decision constitutes a serious violation of international law, given that the targeted institutions operate in accordance with Palestinian law,” said Shtayyeh in a statement issued by his office. “They are associated with international institutions, which requires the intervention of [the latter] to condemn the Israeli measures taken.”
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz claimed that these institutions were “linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine” and that between 2014 and 2021, they received “more than 200 million euros” from several European countries.
A statement by the Israeli Ministry of Justice supported Gantz’s claim by stating that “Dozens of officials in these institutions are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”
This shameful step is the latest in the widespread and systematic campaign developed by the Israeli regime against Palestinian civil society organizations and senior human rights defenders.
Shawaan Jabarin, who heads AlHaq, stressed that the Israeli regime’s decision is a political one. It had nothing to do with security matters. Instead, it merely aimed at shutting down the organizations which had served as a constant reminder of the occupation’s aggression.
Human rights experts have called upon the international community to use its political and diplomatic tools in full range to reverse the decision.
“This is a continuation of the aggression practiced by the occupation against our people and institutions [...] in an attempt to eliminate Palestine’s civil society,” asserted the organizations affected by this decision.
These institutions have served as a voice for those who have been forced to stay silent. Protecting Palestinian organizations shall remain a top priority because of the serious role they play in upholding Palestinian rights.