Brussels, 18 November 2021
On October 19, the Israeli Ministry of Defence designated six Palestinian human rights and civil society organisations as “terrorist organisations.” This was followed by a military order on November 7 by the Israeli military commander in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, rendering the activities of the six organisations illegal in the West Bank.
CIDSE and the ACT Alliance EU strongly condemn this designation. The targeted organisations include CIDSE and ACT Alliance EU members’ partners Al Haq and Defence for Children International-Palestine, as well as Addameer, the Union of Palestinian Women Committees, the Bisan Centre for Research and Development, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
Threats to Palestinian human rights defenders
Our Palestinian partners have been relentlessly working at the forefront to keep Palestinians on their land and to protect their human rights by documenting violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Their vital work is now being criminalised; their staff is at risk of being arrested; their offices are closed; funds are frozen; and property is confiscated.
CIDSE and ACT Alliance EU are also deeply disturbed by the latest reports that the phones of several staff members of the organizations had been hacked by the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli NSO Group, a surveillance company now blacklisted by the US government for maliciously targeting activists. The hacking is a violation of the staff’s right to privacy and personal security, and undermines their right to freedom of expression.
For years, these organisations have been attacked with smear campaigns and accusations of links to terror organisations to delegitimize their work without substantive evidence to back the claims. This latest, unprecedented move comes as the culmination of these preceding efforts to undermine, silence, and erase Palestinian rights defenders and civil society at large.
Official denial
On several occasions, the EU has publicly refuted such accusations made against Palestinian human rights organisations: the EU delegation to Israel, the VP/HR Mogherini and recently also the European Commission. In a joint statement, 16 UN special rapporteurs and experts remind us that “these civil society organizations are the canaries in the human rights coal mine, alerting us to the patterns of violations, reminding the international community of its obligations to ensure accountability, and providing voices for those who have none.”
CIDSE, ACT Alliance EU and its members will continue to support and defend their essential work.
Recalling the EU’s own commitment to support and protect human rights defenders CIDSE and ACT Alliance EU urge the EU and Member States, in particular those with longstanding partnerships with these Palestinian organisations, to assume a principled stance and take urgent action beyond statements by:
- Denouncing this designation and calling on the Israeli government to immediately revoke the designation;
- Expressing their solidarity and reaffirming partnerships with and confidence in the targeted Palestinian organisations as well as the broader human rights community in the occupied Palestinian territory;
- Actively monitoring abuses and protecting the organisations and their staff from implications that this decision may have for their work and security.