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ENEVA (24 August 2022) – UN experts* today condemned Israel\u2019s escalating attacks against Palestinian civil society in the occupied West Bank, after the Israeli army broke into the offices of seven Palestinian human rights and humanitarian groups operating in Ramallah and shut them down last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese actions amount to severe suppression of human rights defenders and are illegal and unacceptable,\u201d the experts said, encouraging UN member states to take effective measures afforded by international law to put an end to these abuses.<\/p>\n
In a dawn raid on 18 August, Israeli forces caused extensive damage to property and issued military orders imposing the closure of the seven Palestinian human rights groups\u2019 offices**. These actions follow Israel\u2019s earlier designations and declarations of these organisations as \u201cterrorist\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese designations and declarations are illegitimate and unjustifiable and no concrete and credible evidence substantiating Israel\u2019s allegations has ever been provided,\u201d said the experts, who made the same\u00a0observations<\/a>\u00a0in April 2022.<\/p>\n On 18 and 21 August, the Israeli security service Shin Bet interrogated the directors of three of the seven organisations, Union of Palestinian Women\u2019s Committees, Al-Haq and Defence for Children-Palestine. The experts noted with particular concern the alleged threats made by Shin Bet against them, including as reported in a\u00a0public statement<\/a>\u00a0regarding Al-Haq\u2019s director Shawan Jabarin.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Israeli government has taken multiple measures to undermine civil society organisations, restricting and repressing the legitimate activities of human rights defenders, which also has a disproportionate impact on women human rights defenders,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe result is serious infringements of the rights to freedom of association, opinion and expression and the right to participate in public and cultural affairs, which Israel is fully obliged to fulfill, respect and protect,” the experts said. “Civil society is what is left to the Palestinians for their minimum protection. Shrinking this vital space and resource is illegal and immoral.\u201d<\/p>\n The UN experts said information presented by Israel to justify its decision to blacklist human rights groups as terror organisations had failed to convince donor governments and international organisations. The experts noted that a review of Al Haq by the Anti-Fraud Office of the European Union (EU) confirmed that \u201cno suspicions of irregularities and\/or fraud affecting EU funds\u201d had been found.<\/p>\n The experts called on the EU, all five permanent members of the Security Council, and all member states to take concrete measures to protect the Palestinian organizations and staff whose offices were raided and closed.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch protection depends on Israel revoking once and for all its designations and declarations of these organisations as \u201cterrorist\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d, the experts said. \u201cThe EU and its member states in particular must urgently use their leverage to stop these aggressive attacks on civil society, in line with their commitments and obligations to protect human rights defenders and civic space.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce again, it is clear that statements condemning and regretting Israel\u2019s unlawful measures are not sufficient \u2013 it is time that words are followed by swift and determined action by the international community to put diplomatic pressure on Israel to restore the rule of law, justice and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory,” the experts said.<\/p>\n ENDS<\/p>\n *The experts<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0<\/em>Francesca Albanese,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a>Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<\/em>Mary Lawlor<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Fionnuala N\u00ed Aol\u00e1in<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em>\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism<\/em><\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Irene Khan<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression<\/em><\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Melissa Upreti<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Chair),\u00a0Dorothy Estrada Tanck\u00a0<\/strong>(Vice-Chair),\u00a0Elizabeth Broderick<\/strong>,\u00a0Ivana Rada\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, and\u00a0Meskerem Geset Techane,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Working Group on discrimination against women and girls<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<\/em>Reem Alsalem<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences<\/em><\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Cl\u00e9ment\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Nyaletsossi<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Voule<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Tendayi Achiume<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<\/u><\/em><\/strong>Pedro Arrojo-Agudo<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<\/em>Tlaleng Mofokeng<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Siobh\u00e1n Mullally<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Livingstone Sewanyana,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Sorcha MacLeod<\/strong>\u00a0(Chair-Rapporteur),\u00a0Jelena Aparac, Ravindran Daniel, Chris Kwaja, Carlos Salazar<\/strong>,<\/em>Working Group on the use of mercenaries<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<\/em>Alexandra Xanthaki<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0Olivier De Schutter<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights<\/em><\/a>; Balakrishnan Rajagopal,<\/em><\/strong>Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing<\/em><\/a>; and\u00a0Michael Fakhri,<\/strong><\/em>Special Rapporteur on the right to food<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> UN Human Rights, Country Page:\u00a0Occupied Palestinian Territory<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Israel<\/a><\/em>
\nThe Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the\u00a0<\/em>Special Procedures<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council\u2019s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n** The organizations affected are: Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; Al Haq; Bisan Center for Research and Development; Defense for Children International \u2013 Palestine; Health Work Committees (HWC); Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC); the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"