The International Community Must Support and Protect Palestinian Civil Society

Oct 29

October 29, 2021

As a group of regional and international organizations, we express our full solidarity with Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders as Israel continues to escalate its attacks to shut down critical human rights work and silence opposition to its occupation of Palestinian territory and apartheid over the Palestinian people as a whole. We urge the international community to take all necessary action to support and protect Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders and ensure the continuation of their invaluable work.

On 19 October 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz designated six leading Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist organizations, including 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), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC).

The Israeli government has continued to intensify its attacks on independent Palestinian human rights organizations and their staff, who regularly face smear campaigns, spurious accusations of links to terrorism as well as threats and intimidation, travel bans and movement restrictions, and arrest for their work. Independent Israeli and international organizations have also been targeted by Israel for their work documenting and advocating against Israel’s human rights violations. Israel’s actions clearly follow the pattern set by authoritarian states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and around the world.

This unprecedented designation is merely the latest escalation in Israel’s widespread and systematic institutionalized campaign that has aimed to silence and discredit any Palestinian individual or organization that dares 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 one of the methods used by Israel to maintain its domination and oppression over the Palestinian people.

On 18 October 2021, the Israeli Interior Minister announced the official revocation of the Jerusalem residency status of Palestinian-French human rights defender and lawyer Salah Hammouri based on “breach of allegiance” to the State of Israel, opening the way for more widespread use of residency revocation on this basis, putting thousands of Palestinians in Jerusalem at risk of arbitrary and punitive measures leading to their forcible transfer.

UN experts condemned the designations of the six NGOs as terrorist organizations “a frontal attack on the Palestinian human rights movement, and on human rights everywhere” and called upon the international community to “defend the defenders.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Israel to revoke the designations, affirming that "claiming rights before a UN or other international body is not an act of terrorism, advocating for the rights of women in the occupied Palestinian territory is not terrorism, and providing legal aid to detained Palestinians is not terrorism". The designation has also been condemned by other international actors, including members of the US House of Representatives, European Parliamentarians as well as international civil society.

The designation presents a challenge to the international community, especially democratic states that speak out and support independent human rights organizations and defenders in other parts of the world. Remaining silent is insufficient given the urgent support and protection needs of the six organizations that are now at an additional risk of raids, confiscation of property and materials, closure of bank accounts, arrest of staff members, and closure of their offices. 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 publicly condemn and reject Israel’s designation of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations” as an internationally wrongful act, to call for Israel to immediately rescind the designation, and to demand Israel repeal its Anti-Terrorism Law (2016) as it does not meet basic human rights standards and to end all other actions that deny Palestinians their inalienable human rights. We also urge members of the international community to publicly show support for the six organizations and Palestinian civil society at large.

Further, the international community, especially the European Union and its member states who are key supporters of and donors to Palestinian civil society, should ensure that banks and financial institutions in their jurisdiction are notified Israel’s designation of Palestinian organizations is unfounded and inapplicable.

Signatories:

11.11.11
Abna Al-Quds Club
Action for Change and Democracy in Algeria
AFKAR for Educational & Cultural Development
Agir pour le Changement et la Démocratie en Algérie (ACDA)
Al Ataa Charitable Society
Albanian Human Rights Group
Al Dameer Association for Human Rights
Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
Al Karmel Culture and Social Development Association
Al-Marsad Arab Human Rights Center in Golan Heights
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Altawasol Forum Society
Aman Organization Against Discrimination
ANSWER Coalition
Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem
Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
Arab Center for Agricultural Development
Artists for Palestine UK
Asha Parivar
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Asociación Paz con Dignidad
Association Africaine de Défense droit de l’Homme (ASADHO)
Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
Association des Magistrats Tunisiens
Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
Association Internationale de Soutien aux Prisonniers Politiques
Association Nachaz
Association pour le Droit à la Différence (ADD)
Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates
Association Tunisienne de Soutien des Minorités
Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
Australian Centre for International Justice
Bait Lahia Youth Association Center
BankTrack - Netherlands
Basma Society for Culture and Arts
Basmeh & Zeitooneh
Baytna
Beity
Belady Foundation for Human Rights
BDS País Valencià
Broederlijk Delen
Business and Human Rights Resource Center (BHRRC)
Bytes For All
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Canada Palestine Association
Canadian BDS Coalition
Canadians for Peace and Justice in Kashmir
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
Canada Palestine Friendship Society
Carleton University Students for Justice in Palestine
Catholics for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land
Center for Civil Liberties
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Defense of Liberties & Civil Rights (Hurryyat)
Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO)
Central Blood Bank Society
Coalition of African Lesbians