46 Israeli organisations condemn 'deplorable acts' against West Bank NGOs
46 Israeli organisations condemn 'deplorable acts' against West Bank NGOs
“Criminalising such activity is a deplorable act characteristic of repressive regimes,” said the statement.
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The groups involved range from minority rights groups to religious organisations [Getty]
Some 46 Israeli civil society organisations have condemned Israel for “persisting in its declaration of prominent Palestinian civil society organisations as terrorist groups”, after of multiple NGOs in the West Bank.
The group took out an advertisement in Monday's paper edition of Israeli newspaper Haaretz, stating that “documentation, advocacy and legal aid are the core of human rights work around the world”.
“Criminalising such activity is a characteristic of repressive regimes,” said the statement.
Proud to be part of 46 Israeli civil society organizations standing in solidarity with our fellow human rights defenders in Palestinian society.
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael)
Human rights are not terrorism.
Among the 46 organisations were the New Israel Fund, Israel’s Jewish Religious Peace Movement, Breaking the Silence and others.
“Even though several European States have announced they found no evidence of links to terror, , confiscated equipment, and sealed off their doors,” said Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which also signed the statement.
“The evidence presented has not convinced a single country,” they continued.
On 18 August, raided the offices of multiple Palestinian human rights groups in the occupied West Bank, which Israel has branded "terrorist organisations".
Israeli authorities said soldiers and police officers " and confiscated property" in the overnight raids.
Six Palestinian groups were previously branded terrorist organisations by Israel in October for their alleged links to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Israel has not publicly shared any evidence of the alleged ties to the PFLP.
Last month, nine European countries said they would continue to cooperate with the six groups, after "no substantial information" was received from Israel to justify their terror designation.
