Seven human rights organizations have been closed. Six of them are described as “terrorists”, without convincing the EU and France. The Palestinians denounce an attempt to muzzle.
by
The Israeli army raids took place before dawn on Thursday, August 18, in the middle of Ramallah, however supposed to be under the control of the Palestinian authority, in the West Bank, territory occupied by Israel. The soldiers searched the premises of seven large Palestinian NGOs, confiscating equipment and files. Videos show them strolling through offices, armed and helmeted, or charging printers and documents at the back of a military truck. When they left, they sealed the doors of the NGOs and hung a closure order there. During one of the searches, the soldiers smashed the lock and the window at the entrance of an Anglican church in downtown Ramallah to reach the offices of the human rights organization al-haq .
“By targeting organizations of Palestinian civil society, Israel dismantles the heart of the Palestinian social fabric,” condemned the NGO in a press release, recalling that these raids constitute a violation of international law. “It is not the Israelis or one of their decisions that have established us here and we will continue our work,” reacted, a few hours later, the director of Al-Haq, Shawan Jabarin, during a press conference.
These searches mark a new stage in the offensive launched by Israel against organizations of Palestinian civil society in October 2021. The Minister of Israeli Defense, Benny Gantz, had signed at the time an order designating six of the seven NGO searched Thursday as “terrorist organizations”. He accuses them of being linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FPLP), a movement of Palestinian resistance combining Marxism and Arab nationalism, a terrorist organization in the eyes of Israel as of the EU. Last July, nine European states, including France, rejected these accusations, saying that he wanted to continue working with these organizations.
NGO to considerable influence
al-Haq uses international law to combat military occupation and violence of Israeli colonists, and feeds Palestinian complaints with the international criminal court; Addameer defends the rights of Palestinian prisoners; the union of agricultural work committees supports farmers; Defense for Children International – Palestine focuses on minors. The Bisan Research and Development Center are also concerned or the Union of Women’s Committees.
You have 46.31% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.