Israel’s appalling, unjust and shocking designation of six Palestinian civil society organizations as
“terrorist organizations” is an attack on human rights defenders,
freedom of association, and the right to public participation, and
should be immediately revoked, the UN human rights chief said Tuesday.
UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the
organizations are some of the “most reputable human rights and
humanitarian groups in the occupied Palestinian territory” that have
worked closely with the UN for decades.
“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,” Bachelet said in a statement.
She asserted that the designation decisions under the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Law of 2016 are vague or unsubstantiated.
They
included peaceful and legitimate human rights activities, such as
providing legal aid to Palestinians in detention, organizing activities
for women in the West Bank, and “promoting steps against Israel in the
international arena.”
The rights chief reiterated that counter-terrorism legislation must
not be applied to legitimate human rights and humanitarian work.
The
banning of organizations must not be used to suppress or deny the right
to freedom of association, quash political dissent, silence unpopular
views, or limit the peaceful activities of civil society.
The
national authorities responsible for proscribing organizations must
comply fully with international human rights obligations, said the
rights office.
These include respecting the principles of legal certainty, proportionality, equality, and non-discrimination.
“Restricting
the space for legitimate activities under international law is not only
wrong but counter-productive, as it risks limiting the space for
peaceful dialogue,” said Bachelet.
She noted that the
organizations include some of the critical partners of the UN Human
Rights Office and they face far-reaching consequences due to “this
arbitrary decision,” as do those who fund them and work with them.
Bachelet said: “And the crucial work they perform for thousands of Palestinians risks being halted or severely restricted.”
The published designation decisions by the Israeli Minister of
Defense state that the organizations have become the “arm” of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
It says that
they obtained financial resources, which in practice reached the
“(PFLP) terror activity” or supported their activities.
The rights
office said there is no evidence presented to support these
accusations, no information on the type of alleged “PFLP terror
activity,” nor has any public process been conducted to establish the
allegations.
The designations against the six organizations on
Oct. 19 are the latest in a long-running series of actions to undermine
and restrict human rights defenders and civil society organizations
working for the human rights of Palestinians.
These include using military regulations to declare groups unlawful, said the rights office.
The
organizations are Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights
Association; Al Haq; Defense for Children International – Palestine;
Union of Agricultural Work Committees; Bisan Center for Research and
Development; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees.
The Minister of Defense's designation of prominent Palestinian civil
society organizations, as terrorist organizations, is a draconian
measure that criminalizes critical human rights work. Documentation,
advocacy, and legal aid are fundamental activities for the protection of
human rights worldwide. Criminalizing such work is an act of cowardice,
characteristic of repressive authoritarian regimes. These
organisations speak the language of universal human rights, They use a rights-based approach to their work, including
a gendered analysis, to document human rights abuses of all kinds in
Palestine, including business-related human rights abuses.
This
designation would effectively ban the work of these human rights
defenders, and allow the Israeli military to arrest their staff, shutter
their offices, confiscate their assets and prohibit their activities
and human rights work.
The Israeli
military has frequently targeted human rights defenders in recent
years, as its occupation has deepened, its defiance of international law
has continued and its record of human rights violations has worsened. The definition of terrorism is the unlawful unlawful use of violence and intimidation especially against civilians in the pursuit pf political aims AKA Israel's apartheid regime. This announcement is a clear declaration of war against Palestinian civil society. These orgs which the public relies heavily on, provide the world with vital data and analyses that expose Israeli crimes. Anti-terrorism is nothing but a racist tool to crush Palestinian society and prevent legitimate criticism.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who work closely with many of these groups previously mentuoned, said in a joint statement:
“This appalling and unjust decision is an attack by the Israeli
government on the international human rights movement. For decades,
Israeli authorities have systematically sought to muzzle human rights
monitoring and punish those who criticize its repressive rule over
Palestinians. While staff members of our organizations have faced
deportation and travel bans, Palestinian human rights defenders have
always borne the brunt of the repression. This decision is an alarming
escalation that threatens to shut down the work of Palestine’s most
prominent civil society organizations. The decades-long failure of the
international community to challenge grave Israeli human rights abuses
and impose meaningful consequences for them has emboldened Israeli
authorities to act in this brazen manner.
How the international community responds will be a true test of its
resolve to protect human rights defenders. We are proud to work with our
Palestinian partners and have been doing so for decades. They represent
the best of global civil society. We stand with them in challenging
this outrageous decision.”
The Palestine Authority condemned what it said was an “unhinged assault” on Palestinian civil society.
“This fallacious and libellous slander is a strategic assault on
Palestinian civil society and the Palestinian people’s fundamental right
to oppose Israel’s illegal occupation and expose its continuing
crimes,” it said.
The US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said his office had not been given advance warning of the designation.
“We will be engaging our Israeli partners for more information
regarding the basis for the designation,” Price said on a telephone
briefing with reporters in Washington.
“We believe respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and a
strong civil society are critically important to responsible and
responsive governance,” he said.
In light of this provocation I would like to ask you to write as a matter of urgency to your MP. request that they sign the folllowiing EDM 583
Proscribing of Palestinian human rights organisations
"That this House condemns the declaration of 22 October 2021 made by
Israeli Minister of Defence, Benny Gantz, which designated six
Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organisations; notes that
the Israeli authorities have not provided any evidence to substantiate
their claims about the organisations; further notes that the targeted
groups Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center, Defence for Children
International Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and
the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees are organisations deeply
committed to protecting the human rights of Palestinian communities,
highlighting Israel's illegal policies and also those of the Palestinian
Authority and Hamas; further notes the statement of 22 Israeli civil
society groups based in Israel in support of the six NGOs; views this as
a further direct assault on Palestinian civil society in an effort to
isolate and suffocate Palestinian human rights defenders; recognises the
significant impact this assault has on some of the most prominent
Palestinian civil society organisations including on the local and
international public's right to information about the reality of human
rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories;
calls on the Government to demand that the Israeli Government reveal any
evidence against those organisations; and further calls on the
Government to reaffirm its support for Palestinian and Israeli civil
society and human rights organisations as a key foundation in building a
just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. "
and ask them to press Israel to revoke immediately their decision and end our complicity with Israeli apartheid :https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/defendPalestinianorganisations/search?fbclid=IwAR04WvuOEzVP4gjZBWyXlZcHc7qyiP-nX-ESOxExK1fcHuLdGsRVn1XbRpo
Israeli Government'si attack on six Palestinian civil society group must be resisted
