22 August 2022. 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).
FIDH condemns Israel’s assault on prominent Palestinian human rights organisations: read here.
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 organisations”, 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
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
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), 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
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights
Teaching Palestine: Pedagogical Praxis and the Indivisibility of Justice
The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
The Association of Norwegian NGOs for Palestine
The Canadian BDS Coalition
The civic coalition for Palestinian rights in jerusalem
The Danish House in Palestine
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA
The Norwegian Initiative DEFEND INTERNATIONAL LAW
The Palestine Committee of Norway
The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy
The Palestinian Human Rights Organization “PHRO”
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH
The Rights Forum
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA (Australia)
United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
University Network for Human Rights
University of KwaZulu-Natal Decoloniality Action Group
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Visualizing Palestine
Viva Salud
Vrede vzw
West African Human Rights Defenders Network
Women in Black Vienna
Women Now for Development
Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Yemen Future Foundation for Culture & Media Development
