International community must condemn Israeli raids and closures of Palestinian civil society organisations

Amid Israel’s escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 150 Palestinian, regional, and international organisations express our full solidarity with the designated seven leading Palestinian civil society organisations, 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 organisations. The IOF also confiscated documents and equipment and destroyed items in the offices. On the doors of the organisations, 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 organisations as terrorist organisations 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 organisations.

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 organisation that dares to seek accountability for Israel’s grave human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The ‘persecution of organisations 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 organisations 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 organisations pose an existential threat to independent Palestinian human rights organisations 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 organisations as ‘terrorist organizations’, reverse the military orders designating the organisations 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 organisations and engage with financial institutions to ensure the transfer of funds to the organisations.

Signatories:

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