The Israeli Defense Ministry designated six Palestinian NGOs as terror organizations over their alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on October 22.
The six NGOs were Addameer Rights Group, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC). The Defense Ministry argued in a Twitter thread that an Israeli investigation in May found that the PFLP, which has been designated as a terror organization by both the United States and the European Union, has institutions masquerading “as a network for absorption of funds for the terrorist organization” and “serve as a place of employment for PFLP agents.”
The PFLP, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the E.U., operates an organizational and military apparatus, including a network of civilian institutions whose goal is to absorb donations from abroad and fund the group's critical needs on the ground. (1/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
PFLP institutions operate under the guise of humanitarian aid, receiving funding primarily from Europe. These institutions serve as the main source of funds for the financing of the PFLP’s activities at all levels. (2/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
An investigation by Israeli security forces in May 2021 revealed extensive information as to how the PFLP raised funds through a network of institutions, chief among them the “Health Committees”, and how those funds were diverted to the PFLP's terrorist activities. (3/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
The investigation revealed details about PFLP institutions acting as a network for absorption of funds for the terrorist organization, including Agricultural Committees (UAWC), Addameer, Bisan Center, Al-Haq, Defense for Children (DCI-P), and Women’s Committees (UPWC). (4/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
During the investigation, an interrogee described the importance of this network, stating “the institutions associated with the PFLP are interconnected, and are the organization’s economic and organizational lifeline in terms of money laundering and funding of the PFLP”. (5/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
The projects these institutions promote are used to increase PFLP’s support and influence in the Palestinian population by locating and recruiting new agents, cultivating commitment among beneficiaries and recipients of their services, disseminating PFLP messages, and more. (6/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
In addition, these institutions serve as a place of employment for PFLP agents, including militants, allowing them to receive regular salaries, and their offices to serve as quarters for PFLP activities, focusing on the missions and activities of the terrorist organization. (7/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
In order to carry out their commitments to the PFLP, these institutions engaged in forgery of documents and fraud against European donors and employed militants responsible for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. (8/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
The PFLP maintains total control of these institutions, including via the employment of its agents in key positions, and the systematic diversion of donor funds to its militant activities against Israeli civilians. (9/9)
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 25, 2021
State Department spokesman Ned Price criticized the move, saying that Israel did not give the United States any notice before the announcement. “We believe respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and a strong civil society are critically important to responsible and responsive governance.” A source from the Defense Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that the U.S. was, in fact, informed about the decision before it was announced.
United Nations Special Rapporteur of Freedom of Association Clement Voule tweeted that he was “outraged” by the move. “Defending human rights, calling for accountability, fighting against arbitrary arrests, is a legitimate work and must be respected, not shut by flawed terrorism laws.”
I am outraged by news that #Israel designated six #Palestinian human rights NGOs as “terrorist organizations”. Defending human rights, calling for accountability, fighting against arbitrary arrests, is a legitimate work and must be respected, not shut by flawed terrorism laws.
— UN Special Rapporteur Freedom of Association (@cvoule) October 24, 2021
Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth similarly tweeted that the Defense Ministry’s allegations that the six NGOs are “terrorists” are “unsubstantiated” and “a transparent attempt ‘to muzzle prominent critics of the Israeli government.’ Rather than end apartheid, it tries to silence the messengers.”
The Israeli government's unsubstantiated claim that six Palestinian human rights groups are "terrorists" is a transparent attempt "to muzzle prominent critics of the Israeli government." Rather than end apartheid, it tries to silence the messengers. https://t.co/cwxiaUWCBn pic.twitter.com/8MxlXs3p6p
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) October 24, 2021
HonestReporting’s Daniel Pomerantz noted in an October 24 piece that the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) found that the UAWC and UPWC both have PFLP ties and that two UAWC employees were behind an October 2019 West Bank terror attack that resulted in the death of Rina Shnerb, a 17-year-old Israeli teen. Additionally, Pomerantz pointed to the fact that the U.N. rejected Addameer’s 2012 application for consultative status in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) after they failed to respond to concerns from the U.S. about their PFLP’s ties. Pomerantz also noted that AmericanExpress, MasterCard and Visa also ceased their donations to Al Haq and the UAWC over their reported PFLP ties.
Seems like information that should be part of the discussion about #Israel labelling the six NGOs as fronts for terrorist groups like the #PFLP | https://t.co/SQMgnJbeDa pic.twitter.com/8vPkpdaaNL
— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) October 24, 2021
Al-Haq and Bisan have both denied having connections to the PFLP; the PFLP said in a statement that the move amounted to “aggression against the institutions of the Palestinian people” but did not deny having ties to the six NGOs.
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