This morning, Israeli occupation forces invaded the offices of 6 of the most important and internationally recognized Palestinian human rights organizations: Addameer - a prisoners support association, Al Haq - a human rights association, Bisan - a research and development center for marginalized palestinian communities, Defense for Children International - Palestine, Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Union of Palestinian Women Committees. According to some sources, the offices of the Health Workers Committees were also targeted. Office doors were broken down, equipment was confiscated and military orders were issued declaring the forcible closure of the NGOs in the name of "security in the region, and to combat an infrastructure of terrorism".

After the recent attacks on the Gaza Strip, after the deadly incursions of the occupation army into Palestinian cities and the successive waves of arrests in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities are once again attacking organizations that protect the rights of Palestinian civil society as a whole.

These Palestinian human rights NGOs are widely supported in France and throughout the European Union. The Association France Palestine Solidarité once again assures these NGOs, which are its friends and partners, of its full solidarity. Last october 2021, these groups had been arbitrarily designated as "terrorist organizations" and declared as "illegal associations" according to Israeli military orders. Since then, the Israeli authorities have miserably failed to provide any evidence for their claims.

Thus, on July 12, the spokespersons of the foreign ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands issued a joint statement in support of the six organizations. The statement rejects Israel’s designation of the six as "terrorist organizations" and states that "no substantial information" has been received from Israel that would justify revising our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs. The statement further reaffirmed that the nine EU member states will continue to cooperate with and support Palestinian civil society, particularly for its indispensable role in promoting democratic values.

However, this declaration remained dramatically insufficient. With its Palestinian, French and European partners, the Association France Palestine Solidarité has, from the beginning, asked the French and European authorities to condemn the Israeli decisions concerning these NGOs and to put the necessary pressure on Israel to reverse these decisions.

Palestinian human rights organizations, their leaders, their activists and their offices must be protected so that they can carry out their mission, which is absolutely essential for the defense of the Palestinian population and the advancement of the cause of law in international forums. In a huge display of solidarity, Palestinians have undertaken to reopen the NGO offices that were closed by the occupier. But the occupying forces could return at any time.

This is no longer a time for half-hearted declarations. France and the European Union must urgently condemn in the clearest terms the Israeli abuses against Palestinian NGOs and demand the immediate cancellation of the government decrees and military orders that have targeted these groups since October 2021.

It is the role of France and the European Union to take all necessary retaliatory measures against the Israeli government so that it puts an end to a policy worthy of the most totalitarian states. In the same way that they must demand the immediate release of Salah Hamouri.

The AFPS National Executive Board - August 18, 2022