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

Montreal, August 23, 2022 — CJPME joins over 190 organizations in demanding the international community to stand against Israel's militarized raids and forced closures of 7 Palestinian organizations. Read the joint statement below.


Amid Israel’s escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 150 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 Defense 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 orderthat 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 revoke its designations of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations,” reverse the military orders designating the organizations 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 organizations and engage with financial institutions to ensure the transfer of funds to the organizations.

Signatories:

  1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
  2. 11.11
  3. Abductees’ Mothers Association
  4. Abs Development Organization for Woman& Child
  5. Academic Program for Studies of Arab and Muslim Communities in Diaspora
  6. ACAT-France
  7. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
  8. Advokatfirmaet Roli
  9. Africa4Palestine
  10. Ahel Organization
  11. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
  12. Al Tawasol Forum Society (TFS)
  13. Al-ataa Benevolent Association
  14. Aldameer association for human rights
  15. Al-Haq
  16. Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society
  17. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies
  18. Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
  19. Arab Institute for Human Rights
  20. ARTICLE 19
  21. Artists for Palestine UK
  22. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
  23. Asociacion Palestina Biladi
  24. Association Belgo-Palestinienne
  25. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
  26. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
  27. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
  28. Aswat Nissa
  29. Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children’
  30. Australian Centre for International Justice
  31. Basmeh & Zeitooneh for Relief and Development
  32. Baytna
  33. Bds Maroc
  34. BDS Netherlands
  35. BDS Vancouver Coast Salish Territories
  36. Belgian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI)
  37. Bytes For All, Pakistan
  38. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
  39. Center for Constitutional Rights
  40. Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
  41. Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children
  42. Centre for Global Education
  43. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
  44. Charity & Security Network
  45. Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy
  46. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
  47. CNCD-11.11.11
  48. Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
  49. Comhlamh Justice for Palestine
  50. Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Luxembourg
  51. Committee for Justice
  52. Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ)
  53. Conectas Human Rights
  54. Cultura è Libertà, una campagna per la Palestina
  55. Defence For Children International
  56. DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
  57. Dibeen for Environmental Development
  58. Een Andere Joodse Stem / Another Jewish Voice (Belgium)
  59. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
  60. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
  61. Egyptian Human Rights Forum
  62. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
  63. El Nadim Center For Management & Rehabilitation of victims of violence
  64. Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network
  65. ESCR-Net, International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
  66. EuroMed Rights
  67. European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine – ECCP
  68. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
  69. European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
  70. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
  71. Financial Justice Ireland
  72. Foundation for Middle East Peace (Washington, DC)
  73. Foundation for the Conservation of the Earth, FOCONE
  74. Front Line Defenders
  75. Fundación Mundubat
  76. Fundacion Promocion Humana
  77. Gaza Action Ireland
  78. Global Focus
  79. Global NPO Coalition on FATF
  80. Grassroots International
  81. Herbst Law PLLC
  82. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS”
  83. Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan
  84. Human Rights in China
  85. Human Rights Watch
  86. Human Security Collective
  87. ICAHD-USA
  88. International Accountability Project
  89. International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
  90. International Commission to support Palestinian People’s Rights
  91. International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
  92. International Service for Human Rights
  93. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
  94. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
  95. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
  96. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions – UK
  97. JAHALIN SOLIDARITY
  98. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
  99. Just Words Limited
  100. Justice for Palestinians Calgary
  101. Justitia Center for legal protection of human rights in Algeria
  102. Kairos Ireland
  103. Kenya Human Rights Commission
  104. L’aasociation ACDA (Agir pour le changement et la démocratie en Algérie)
  105. League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)
  106. Libyan Organization for Legal Aid
  107. Local Development and Small Projects Support (LDSPS)
  108. Lok Shakti Abhiyan
  109. Makan
  110. MakeShiftPublishing
  111. Manushya Foundation
  112. MENA Rights Group
  113. Muslim Peace Fellowship
  114. Mwatana for human rights
  115. Natural Resource Women Platform
  116. Nederlands Palestina Komitee
  117. New Weapons Research Groups
  118. Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel
  119. North Bronx Racial Justice
  120. Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)
  121. Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees
  122. NOVACT Institute for Nonviolent Action
  123. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
  124. Palestina Solidariteit vzw Belgium
  125. Palestine House
  126. Palestine Solidarity Alliance
  127. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cape Town
  128. Palestine Solidarity Campaign Gauteng
  129. Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK
  130. Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton
  131. Palestine Solidarity, St. John’s, NL
  132. Palestine Solidary Organisation at Nelson Mandela University
  133. Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
  134. Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall)
  135. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
  136. Pan African Palestine Solidarity Network
  137. Paz con Dignidad
  138. Peace and Building Foundation
  139. PeaceWomen Across the Globe
  140. PEN International
  141. Physicians for Human Rights Israel
  142. Platform of French NGOs for Palestine
  143. Potchefstroom Free Palestine Committee
  144. Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
  145. Project South
  146. Riposte Internationale
  147. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
  148. Sadaqa
  149. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
  150. Scottish Friends of Palestine
  151. Sexual Rights Initiative
  152. SOLIDAR
  153. Solsoc
  154. South African BDS Coalition
  155. South African Jews For a Free Palestine
  156. STEILAS
  157. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
  158. Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights
  159. Teaching Palestine: Pedagogical Praxis and the Indivisibility of Justice
  160. The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
  161. The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
  162. The Association of Norwegian NGOs for Palestine
  163. The Canadian BDS Coalition
  164. The civic coalition for Palestinian rights in jerusalem
  165. The Community Action Center / Al-Quds university
  166. The Danish House in Palestine
  167. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
  168. The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA
  169. The Norwegian Initiative DEFEND INTERNATIONAL LAW
  170. The Palestine Committee of Norway
  171. The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy
  172. The Palestinian Human Rights Organization “PHRO”
  173. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH
  174. The Rights Forum
  175. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
  176. Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA (Australia)
  177. United Methodists for Kairos Response
  178. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
  179. University Network for Human Rights
  180. University of KwaZulu-Natal Decoloniality Action Group
  181. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
  182. USA Palestine Mental Health Network
  183. Visualizing Palestine
  184. Viva Salud
  185. Vrede vzw
  186. West African Human Rights Defenders Network
  187. Women in Black Vienna
  188. Women Now for Development
  189. Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC)
  190. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders