Amid Israel's escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 150 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:
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- 11.11.11
- Abductees' Mothers Association
- Academic Program for Studies of Arab and Muslim Communities in Diaspora
- ACAT-France
- Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
- Advokatfirmaet Roli
- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
- Al-ataa Benevolent Association
- Aldameer association for human rights
- Al-Haq
- Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society
- Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies
- Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)
- ARTICLE 19
- Artists for Palestine UK
- Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
- Asociacion Palestina Biladi
- Association Belgo-Palestinienne
- Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
- Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
- Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
- Aswat Nissa
- Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children'
- Australian Centre for International Justice
- Basmeh & Zeitooneh for Relief and Development
- Baytna
- Bds Maroc
- BDS Netherlands
- BDS Vancouver Coast Salish Territories
- Belgian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI)
- Bytes For All, Pakistan
- Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children
- Centre for Global Education
- Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
- CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
- CNCD-11.11.11
- Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
- Comhlamh Justice for Palestine
- Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Luxembourg
- Committee for Justice
- Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ)
- Conectas Human Rights
- Cultura è Libertà, una campagna per la Palestina
- DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
- Een Andere Joodse Stem / Another Jewish Voice (Belgium)
- Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
- Egyptian Human Rights Forum
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- El Nadim Center For Management & Rehabilitation of victims of violence
- ESCR-Net, International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
- EuroMed Rights
- European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine - ECCP
- European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
- European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
- FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Financial Justice Ireland
- Foundation for Middle East Peace (Washington, DC)
- Front Line Defenders
- Fundación Mundubat
- Gaza Action Ireland
- Global NPO Coalition on FATF
- Herbst Law PLLC
- Human Rights & Democracy Media Center "SHAMS"
- Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan
- Human Rights in China
- Human Rights Watch
- Human Security Collective
- ICAHD-USA
- International Accountability Project
- International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
- International Commission to support Palestinian People's Rights
- International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
- International Service for Human Rights
- International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - UK
- Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
- Just Words Limited
- Justice for Palestinians Calgary
- Justitia Center for legal protection of human rights in Algeria
- Kairos Ireland
- Kenya Human Rights Commission
- League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)
- Local Development and Small Projects Support (LDSPS)
- Makan
- MakeShiftPublishing
- MENA Rights Group
- Muslim Peace Fellowship
- Mwatana for human rights
- Nederlands Palestina Komitee
- New Weapons Research Groups
- Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel
- North Bronx Racial Justice
- Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)
- Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees
- NOVACT Institute for Nonviolent Action
- Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
- Palestina Solidariteit vzw Belgium
- Palestine Solidarity Alliance
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK
- Palestine Solidarity Network - Edmonton
- Palestine Solidarity, St. John's, NL
- Palestine Solidary Organisation at Nelson Mandela University
- Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
- Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall)
- Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
- Pan African Palestine Solidarity Network
- Paz con Dignidad
- Peace and Building Foundation
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel
- Platform of French NGOs for Palestine
- Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
- Project South
- Riposte Internationale
- Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
- Sadaqa
- Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
- Scottish Friends of Palestine
- Sexual Rights Initiative
- SOLIDAR
- Solsoc
- South African BDS Coalition
- South African Jews For a Free Palestine
- STEILAS
