Israel Designates Six Palestinian Civil Society Organizations As Terrorists, UN Human Rights Office: That's Irrelevant

Palestine illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Ahmed Abu Hameeda)

JAKARTA - Israel on Friday designated six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organizations, accusing them of channeling donor aid to militants. The move has drawn criticism from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs.

Israel's Defense Ministry said the group had ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), an armed left-wing faction that has carried out deadly attacks against Israel.

Those groups include the Palestinian human rights organizations Addameer and Al-Haq, which document alleged rights abuses by Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

"This designated organization received large sums of money from European countries and international organizations, using various counterfeits and frauds," the Defense Ministry said, accusing the money of supporting the activities of the PFLP, cited from Reuters, October 23.

The designation authorized Israeli authorities to close the group's offices, confiscate their assets and arrest their staff in the West Bank, watchdog Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement.

Addameer and another group, Defense for Children International - Palestine, dismissed the accusations as "an attempt to wipe out Palestinian civil society."

Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories said it was "concerned" by the announcement.

"Counter-terrorism laws should not be used to restrict human rights and legitimate humanitarian work," they criticized, adding that some of the reasons given seemed vague or irrelevant.

"This appointment is the latest development in a long campaign of stigmatization against this organization and others, undermining their ability to carry out their important work," the office said.

Separately, Israel's ally, the United States, was not given advance warning of the move and will engage Israel for more information on the basis for the designation, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"We believe respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and a strong civil society are essential to responsible and responsive governance," he said.

However, Israel's Ministry of Defense said: "The organizations present themselves acting for humanitarian purposes; however, they serve as a cover for the promotion and financing of the Popular Front."

A PFLP official, who is on the US and European Union terrorism blacklists, did not immediately deny ties to the six groups. However, he said they maintain ties with civil society organizations across the West Bank and Gaza.

"This is part of the rough battle that Israel is waging against the Palestinian people and civil society groups, to tire them out," said PFLP official Kayed Al-Ghoul.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said "the decision is a worrying escalation that threatens to shut down the work of Palestine's most prominent civil society organization."