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Foto: Borhan/CIHRS

The international community must condemn Israel’s terror-listing of organizations

We stand together with 190 civil society organizations in solidarity with the seven leading Palestinian civil society organizations that have been terror-listed by Israel.

Amid Israel’s escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 190 Palestinian, regional, and international organizations express our full solidarity with the designated seven leading Palestinian civil society organizations, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Health Work Committees (HWC), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC).

On the morning of 18 August 2022, the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) raided and sealed the doorways into the offices of the seven Palestinian organizations. The IOF also confiscated documents and equipment and destroyed items in the offices. On the doors of the organizations, military orders were left behind ordering the closure of the offices under Article 319 of the Emergency Regulations of 1945. This development follows the 19 October 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz designation of six leading Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist organizations under Israel’s Anti-Terrorism Law (2016), which was then extended to the West Bank on 3 November 2021 by a military order that outlawed the same organizations.

We urge the international community to unequivocally condemn Israel’s targeting of Palestinian civil society and tactics to further repress of freedom of expression. States must take all necessary action to support and protect Palestinian human rights defenders and ensure the continuation of their invaluable work.

These raids and closures represent the latest escalation in Israel’s widespread campaign aiming to silence and discredit any Palestinian individual or organization that dares to seek accountability for Israel’s grave human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The “persecution of organizations and persons, by depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms, because they oppose apartheid” is a method used by Israel, amounting to acts of apartheid prosecutable under the Rome Statute, to maintain its domination and oppression over the Palestinian people.

The organizations remain at an additional risk of closure of bank accounts, travel bans and movement restrictions, and the arrest and detention of staff members for their work. Israel’s attacks against these organizations pose an existential threat to independent Palestinian human rights organizations and civil society who work to monitor and document violations of human rights and provide basic services to the Palestinian people.

We call upon the international community to demand that Israel immediately revoke its designations of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations,” reverse the military orders designating the organizations and closing their offices and repeal its Anti-Terrorism Law (2016) as it does not meet basic human rights standards.

Moreover, we call on the international community to take effective measures to end all other actions that deny Palestinians their inalienable human rights.

Lastly, we call on the members of the international community to continue their support and increase funding to the organizations and engage with financial institutions to ensure the transfer of funds to the organizations.

Signatories:

    1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
    2. 11.11
    3. Abductees’ Mothers Association
    4. Abs Development Organization for Woman& Child
    5. Academic Program for Studies of Arab and Muslim Communities in Diaspora
    6. ACAT-France
    7. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
    8. Advokatfirmaet Roli
    9. Africa4Palestine
    10. Ahel Organization
    11. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
    12. Al Tawasol Forum Society (TFS)
    13. Al-ataa Benevolent Association
    14. Aldameer association for human rights
    15. Al-Haq
    16. Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society
    17. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies
    18. Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
    19. Arab Institute for Human Rights
    20. ARTICLE 19
    21. Artists for Palestine UK
    22. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
    23. Asociacion Palestina Biladi
    24. Association Belgo-Palestinienne
    25. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
    26. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
    27. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
    28. Aswat Nissa
    29. Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children’
    30. Australian Centre for International Justice
    31. Basmeh & Zeitooneh for Relief and Development
    32. Baytna
    33. Bds Maroc
    34. BDS Netherlands
    35. BDS Vancouver Coast Salish Territories
    36. Belgian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI)
    37. Bytes For All, Pakistan
    38. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
    39. Center for Constitutional Rights
    40. Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
    41. Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children
    42. Centre for Global Education
    43. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
    44. Charity & Security Network
    45. Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy
    46. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
    47. CNCD-11.11.11
    48. Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
    49. Comhlamh Justice for Palestine
    50. Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Luxembourg
    51. Committee for Justice
    52. Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ)
    53. Conectas Human Rights
    54. Cultura è Libertà, una campagna per la Palestina
    55. Defence For Children International
    56. DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
    57. Dibeen for Environmental Development
    58. Een Andere Joodse Stem / Another Jewish Voice (Belgium)
    59. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
    60. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
    61. Egyptian Human Rights Forum
    62. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
    63. El Nadim Center For Management & Rehabilitation of victims of violence
    64. Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network
    65. ESCR-Net, International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
    66. EuroMed Rights
    67. European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine – ECCP
    68. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
    69. European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
    70. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
    71. Financial Justice Ireland
    72. Foundation for Middle East Peace (Washington, DC)
    73. Foundation for the Conservation of the Earth, FOCONE
    74. Front Line Defenders
    75. Fundación Mundubat
    76. Fundacion Promocion Humana
    77. Gaza Action Ireland
    78. Global Focus
    79. Global NPO Coalition on FATF
    80. Grassroots International
    81. Herbst Law PLLC
    82. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS”
    83. Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan
    84. Human Rights in China
    85. Human Rights Watch
    86. Human Security Collective
    87. ICAHD-USA
    88. International Accountability Project
    89. International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
    90. International Commission to support Palestinian People’s Rights
    91. International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
    92. International Service for Human Rights
    93. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
    94. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
    95. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
    96. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions – UK
    97. JAHALIN SOLIDARITY
    98. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
    99. Just Words Limited
    100. Justice for Palestinians Calgary
    101. Justitia Center for legal protection of human rights in Algeria
    102. Kairos Ireland
    103. Kenya Human Rights Commission
    104. L’aasociation ACDA (Agir pour le changement et la démocratie en Algérie)
    105. League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)
    106. Libyan Organization for Legal Aid
    107. Local Development and Small Projects Support (LDSPS)
    108. Lok Shakti Abhiyan
    109. Makan
    110. MakeShiftPublishing
    111. Manushya Foundation
    112. MENA Rights Group
    113. Muslim Peace Fellowship
    114. Mwatana for human rights
    115. Natural Resource Women Platform
    116. Nederlands Palestina Komitee
    117. New Weapons Research Groups
    118. Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel
    119. North Bronx Racial Justice
    120. Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)
    121. Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees
    122. NOVACT Institute for Nonviolent Action
    123. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
    124. Palestina Solidariteit vzw Belgium
    125. Palestine House
    126. Palestine Solidarity Alliance
    127. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cape Town
    128. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Gauteng
    129. Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK
    130. Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton
    131. Palestine Solidarity, St. John’s, NL
    132. Palestine Solidary Organisation at Nelson Mandela University
    133. Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
    134. Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall)
    135. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
    136. Pan African Palestine Solidarity Network
    137. Paz con Dignidad
    138. Peace and Building Foundation
    139. PeaceWomen Across the Globe
    140. PEN International
    141. Physicians for Human Rights Israel
    142. Platform of French NGOs for Palestine
    143. Potchefstroom Free Palestine Committee
    144. Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
    145. Project South
    146. Riposte Internationale
    147. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
    148. Sadaqa
    149. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
    150. Scottish Friends of Palestine
    151. Sexual Rights Initiative
    152. SOLIDAR
    153. Solsoc
    154. South African BDS Coalition
    155. South African Jews For a Free Palestine
    156. STEILAS
    157. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
    158. Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights
    159. Teaching Palestine: Pedagogical Praxis and the Indivisibility of Justice
    160. The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
    161. The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
    162. The Association of Norwegian NGOs for Palestine
    163. The Canadian BDS Coalition
    164. The civic coalition for Palestinian rights in jerusalem
    165. The Community Action Center / Al-Quds university
    166. The Danish House in Palestine
    167. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
    168. The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA
    169. The Norwegian Initiative DEFEND INTERNATIONAL LAW
    170. The Palestine Committee of Norway
    171. The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy
    172. The Palestinian Human Rights Organization “PHRO”
    173. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH
    174. The Rights Forum
    175. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
    176. Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA (Australia)
    177. United Methodists for Kairos Response
    178. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
    179. University Network for Human Rights
    180. University of KwaZulu-Natal Decoloniality Action Group
    181. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
    182. USA Palestine Mental Health Network
    183. Visualizing Palestine
    184. Viva Salud
    185. Vrede vzw
    186. West African Human Rights Defenders Network
    187. Women in Black Vienna
    188. Women Now for Development
    189. Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC)
    190. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

See the statement at Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

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