PEN International and over 190 Organizations Demand International Community Stand Against Raids and Closures of 7 Palestinian Organizations

24 August: Amid Israel’s escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 190 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 Defence 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 revokes its designations of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations,” reverses the military orders designating the organizations and closing their offices and repeals 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

  1. 11.11

  2. Abductees’ Mothers Association

  3. Abs Development Organization for Woman& Child

  4. Academic Program for Studies of Arab and Muslim Communities in Diaspora

  5. ACAT-France

  6. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

  7. Advokatfirmaet Roli

  8. Africa4Palestine

  9. Ahel Organization

  10. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

  11. Al Tawasol Forum Society (TFS)

  12. Al-ataa Benevolent Association

  13. Aldameer association for human rights

  14. Al-Haq

  15. Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society

  16. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies

  17. Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)

  18. Arab Institute for Human Rights

  19. ARTICLE 19

  20. Artists for Palestine UK

  21. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

  22. Asociacion Palestina Biladi

  23. Association Belgo-Palestinienne

  24. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)

  25. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression

  26. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)

  27. Aswat Nissa

  28. Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children’

  29. Australian Centre for International Justice

  30. Basmeh & Zeitooneh for Relief and Development

  31. Baytna

  32. Bds Maroc

  33. BDS Netherlands

  34. BDS Vancouver Coast Salish Territories

  35. Belgian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI)

  36. Bytes For All, Pakistan

  37. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

  38. Center for Constitutional Rights

  39. Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)

  40. Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children

  41. Centre for Global Education

  42. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales

  43. Charity & Security Network

  44. Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy

  45. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

  46. CNCD-11.11.11

  47. Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid

  48. Comhlamh Justice for Palestine

  49. Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Luxembourg

  50. Committee for Justice

  51. Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ)

  52. Conectas Human Rights

  53. Cultura è Libertà, una campagna per la Palestina

  54. Defence For Children International

  55. DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)

  56. Dibeen for Environmental Development

  57. Een Andere Joodse Stem / Another Jewish Voice (Belgium)

  58. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms

  59. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)

  60. Egyptian Human Rights Forum

  61. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights

  62. El Nadim Center For Management & Rehabilitation of victims of violence

  63. Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network

  64. ESCR-Net, International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

  65. EuroMed Rights

  66. European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine – ECCP

  67. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)

  68. European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine

  69. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

  70. Financial Justice Ireland

  71. Foundation for Middle East Peace (Washington, DC)

  72. Foundation for the Conservation of the Earth, FOCONE

  73. Front Line Defenders

  74. Fundación Mundubat

  75. Fundacion Promocion Humana

  76. Gaza Action Ireland

  77. Global Focus

  78. Global NPO Coalition on FATF

  79. Grassroots International

  80. Herbst Law PLLC

  81. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS”

  82. Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan

  83. Human Rights in China

  84. Human Rights Watch

  85. Human Security Collective

  86. ICAHD-USA

  87. International Accountability Project

  88. International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group

  89. International Commission to support Palestinian People’s Rights

  90. International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)

  91. International Service for Human Rights

  92. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

  93. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

  94. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

  95. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions – UK

  96. JAHALIN SOLIDARITY

  97. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste

  98. Just Words Limited

  99. Justice for Palestinians Calgary

  100. Justitia Center for legal protection of human rights in Algeria

  101. Kairos Ireland

  102. Kenya Human Rights Commission

  103. L’aasociation ACDA (Agir pour le changement et la démocratie en Algérie)

  104. League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)

  105. Libyan Organization for Legal Aid

  106. Local Development and Small Projects Support (LDSPS)

  107. Lok Shakti Abhiyan

  108. Makan

  109. MakeShiftPublishing

  110. Manushya Foundation

  111. MENA Rights Group

  112. Muslim Peace Fellowship

  113. Mwatana for human rights

  114. Natural Resource Women Platform

  115. Nederlands Palestina Komitee

  116. New Weapons Research Groups

  117. Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel

  118. North Bronx Racial Justice

  119. Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)

  120. Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees

  121. NOVACT Institute for Nonviolent Action

  122. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association

  123. Palestina Solidariteit vzw Belgium

  124. Palestine House

  125. Palestine Solidarity Alliance

  126. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cape Town

  127. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Gauteng

  128. Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK

  129. Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton

  130. Palestine Solidarity, St. John’s, NL

  131. Palestine Solidary Organisation at Nelson Mandela University

  132. Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)

  133. Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall)

  134. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

  135. Pan African Palestine Solidarity Network

  136. Paz con Dignidad

  137. Peace and Building Foundation

  138. PeaceWomen Across the Globe

  139. PEN International

  140. Physicians for Human Rights Israel

  141. Platform of French NGOs for Palestine

  142. Potchefstroom Free Palestine Committee

  143. Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

  144. Project South

  145. Riposte Internationale

  146. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance

  147. Sadaqa

  148. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

  149. Scottish Friends of Palestine

  150. Sexual Rights Initiative

  151. SOLIDAR

  152. Solsoc

  153. South African BDS Coalition

  154. South African Jews For a Free Palestine

  155. STEILAS

  156. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)

  157. Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights

  158. Teaching Palestine: Pedagogical Praxis and the Indivisibility of Justice

  159. The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies

  160. The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)

  161. The Association of Norwegian NGOs for Palestine

  162. The Canadian BDS Coalition

  163. The civic coalition for Palestinian rights in jerusalem

  164. The Community Action Center / Al-Quds university

  165. The Danish House in Palestine

  166. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)

  167. The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA

  168. The Norwegian Initiative DEFEND INTERNATIONAL LAW

  169. The Palestine Committee of Norway

  170. The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy

  171. The Palestinian Human Rights Organization “PHRO”

  172. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH

  173. The Rights Forum

  174. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)

  175. Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA (Australia)

  176. United Methodists for Kairos Response

  177. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)

  178. University Network for Human Rights

  179. University of KwaZulu-Natal Decoloniality Action Group

  180. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

  181. USA Palestine Mental Health Network

  182. Visualizing Palestine

  183. Viva Salud

  184. Vrede vzw

  185. West African Human Rights Defenders Network

  186. Women in Black Vienna

  187. Women Now for Development

  188. Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC)

  189. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders