Germany, France And The Netherlands Unite To Reject Israel's 'Terrorist' Label Against Palestinian NGOs

Palestine flag illustration,. (Wikimedia Commons/Joi Ito)

JAKARTA - Nine European Union countries rejected the terrorist label given by Israel to six Palestinian NGO groups, saying they would continue to cooperate with them, due to a lack of evidence against the claims issued last year.

Israel designates the six Palestinian groups as terrorist organizations and accuses them of channeling donor aid to militants, a move that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs.

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 Israeli-occupied West Bank and which reject the allegations.

In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden said they had not received "substantial information" from Israel that would justify a review of their policies.

"If evidence is made to the contrary, we will act accordingly," the joint statement read.

"In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our strong cooperation and support for civil society in the OPT (occupied Palestinian territories)," the statement continued.

Regarding these statements by the European Union countries, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Israel last year said six groups it accused of having close ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which has carried out deadly attacks against Israel and are on a terrorism blacklist by the United States and the European Union.

Separately, UN human rights experts including Michael Lynk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in April several funders had delayed their contributions to these NGOs while they investigated the claims, undermining their work.

They called on the international community to continue or continue their support.

"A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for a two-state solution," the nine-nation European Union said.

To note, Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Meanwhile, Palestine is looking for territory for a future state.