[News] ‘Israel’ raids offices of several Palestinian NGOs in occupied West Bank

[Anti-Imperialist News]

qudsnen.co
<https://qudsnen.co/israel-raids-offices-of-several-palestinian-ngos-in-occupied-west-bank/>
‘Israel’ raids offices of several Palestinian NGOs in occupied West Bank
QudsN - August 18, 2022
------------------------------

Occupied West Bank (QNN)- Israeli occupation forces raided the offices of
several Palestinian civil society rights groups in the occupied West Bank
on Thursday, mainly offices of the six groups outlawed last year by
‘Israel’.

Al-Haq group reported that Israeli soldiers had stormed its offices in
Ramallah, confiscating items, shutting down the main entrance with an iron
plate, and leaving behind a military order declaring the organisation
unlawful.

Other groups raided included Addameer, the Bisan Center for Research &
Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of
Agricultural Work Committees, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s
Committees.

In a tweet
<https://twitter.com/alhaq_org/status/1560164894217064449?s=21&t=Y7DXjqU7o0dnHC_l3NUn0A>,
Al-Haq said, “Out team arrived at Al-Haq’s offices this morning & found the
door, which IOF had bolted shut early morning, had been opened by the
public, protesting against the targeting of civil society organizations! We
assure you, Israel’s arbitrary & unlawful actions will not silence us.”

The group added, “We have faith and trust in our partners, both civil
society and Third States that they too will not be silent! Protecting human
rights work in Palestine is a must, to defend and maintain independent
non-governmental organisations and the rule of law! #standwiththe6”

In a move met with widespread condemnation, on 19 October 2021, Israeli War
Minister, Benny Gantz, designated
<https://qudsnen.co/israel-declares-leading-palestinian-ngos-to-be-pflp-affiliates/>
six leading Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as “terrorist
organizations” under Israel’s domestic Counter-Terrorism (Anti-Terror) Law
(2016).

The Israeli War Minister office claimed that the six groups were “part of a
network of organisations operating undercover in the international arena”
on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a
Marxist-Leninist Palestinian resistance group, which was listed as a
Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 1997 by the US State Department.

The six groups are: Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and
Development, Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), the
Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian
Women’s Committees (UPWC).

The Israeli military commander also outlawed all the six groups under the
1945 Emergency (Defense) Regulations, declaring them “unlawful
associations”.

Several UN human rights experts, civil society and development organizations
<https://qudsnen.co/34111-2/>, academics and more from around the world
condemned, over the past months, Israel’s designations, standing in
solidarity with the six Palestinian groups and increasing their support for
the Palestinian cause.

In April, United Nations human rights experts urged
<https://qudsnen.co/un-experts-urge-funding-for-palestinian-ngos-outlawed-by-israel/>
the international community to resume funding for the Palestinian civil
society groups.

“We call on the funding governments and international organisations to
swiftly conclude that Israel has not established its allegations and to
announce that they will continue to financially and politically support
these organisations and the communities and groups they serve,” said the
experts.

In July, in a joint statement, the Spokespersons of the Foreign Ministries
of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,
Spain and Sweden expressed their opposition
<https://qudsnen.co/european-countries-rejects-israels-outlawing-of-six-palestinian-ngos/>
to the Israeli designation of the six Palestinian civil society
organisations.

The European states said in the statement, “Accusations of terrorism or
links to terrorist groups must always be treated with the utmost
seriousness. The designations needed therefore to be assessed carefully and
extensively.”

“No substantial information was received from Israel that would justify
reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the
Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as ‘terrorist organizations’.”
“Should evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act
accordingly,” the states stressed.

“In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our cooperation and
strong support for the civil society in the oPT. A free and strong civil
society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the
two-state solution,” the states concluded the statement.

Following on the heels of the nine European states that rejected the
controversial designation, Norway
<https://qudsnen.co/norway-becomes-10th-european-state-to-reject-israels-outlawing-of-six-palestinian-ngos/>
stated it will also continue to support the six Palestinian organizations,
saying “in Norway’s view, the information we have received from Israel is
not sufficient to justify the designation of the six organizations as
‘terrorist organizations.’ … Norway will continue its cooperation with and
support to civil society in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
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