UK Charities: Statement on Raids of Palestinian Organizations
As a group of UK humanitarian, development, human rights and faith charities working to support the rights and wellbeing of the Palestinian people, we urge the UK government to take immediate action to protect Palestinian human rights defenders facing escalating repression and attacks because of the vital work they do.
In the early morning of Thursday 18 August 2022, Israeli armed forces raided the Ramallah offices of seven Palestinian civil society organisations: Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Health Work Committees (HWC), Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC). Israeli soldiers forced entry, ransacked their offices, destroyed property, and confiscated crucial equipment and files. Some organisations also found their office doors welded shut with iron plates. All the Palestinian civil society organisations were served with military orders, declaring their organisations illegal and ordering them closed.
We are alarmed at these grave acts of repression against Palestinian civil society, which breach fundamental human rights, and are deeply concerned about what further measures may follow. In light of this escalating attack, Al-Haq has submitted an urgent appeal to the UN Special Procedures demanding immediate effective action to protect the directors of the targeted organisations. We are also seriously concerned for their welfare.
These Palestinian civil society organisations provide vital services to Palestinians living under occupation, including the provision of health care in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt); organising legal support for people, including children, who have been detained; and conducting essential research and local programmes to promote human rights. Crucially, the work of these organisations also includes monitoring, collecting evidence of, and reporting the human rights violations experienced by a people facing a military occupation now in its sixth decade.
For example, so far this year according to the UN, at least 37 Palestinian children have been killed in the oPt and approximately 175 are imprisoned in Israeli military detention. Defence for Children International-Palestine documents each case; vitally bringing to the international community’s attention both individual cases and patterns of gross human rights violations against Palestinian children, and calling for legal accountability and the end of systemic impunity.
Last October, following the Israeli Minister of Defence’s classification of six of these organisations as ‘terrorist’ organisations, we publicly stated that this action was an attack on human rights and would leave Palestinians unable to access essential services. In the months since, ten European states concluded that the Israeli government has not produced sufficient, credible evidence to substantiate such accusations, and have pledged to continue working with the six organisations designated. The UN has also called on the international community to actively support and fund these organisations, in order to safeguard the vital work that they do.
- We call on the UK government to uphold its legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people and support Palestinian civil society as its institutions are targeted by Israel’s repressive measures.
- The UK government must join leading European states and civil society organisations around the world, including 45 Israeli NGOs, in condemning Israel’s latest attacks and growing arbitrary criminalisation of Palestinian civil society.
- The UK government must demand that Israel revoke the designation of the six organisations and support the urgent work of Palestinian human rights defenders seeking accountability for violations of international law.
Signatories:
- ABCD Bethlehem
- Amos Trust
- CAABU (Council on Arab-British Understanding)
- Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
- Christian Aid
- Embrace the Middle East
- Friends of Nablus and Surrounding Areas (FONSA)
- FOBZU
- Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR)
- Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
- Quakers in Britain
- Oxfam
- War on Want
- Welfare Association
UN OCHA: Statement on Palestinian Human Rights Organizations
Statement
Ramallah (18 August 2022) – This morning, Israeli Forces broke into, searched and sealed the offices of seven Palestinian human rights and humanitarian organizations³ in Ramallah in Area A of the occupied West Bank. Their property was confiscated and destroyed and military orders closing the offices were left at the premises.
The United Nations and its partners take seriously allegations of funding terrorism and the Israeli designations of these organizations as “terror organizations” and/or “unlawful”. Despite offers to review the allegations to determine if funds have been diverted, Israeli authorities have not given any compelling evidence to the United Nations Agencies nor its NGO partners working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to support these designations. Several Member States recently announced that the evidence which was shared with them does not justify the designations.
The attempted closures of these organization offices represent the latest in a series of actions by Israel that are further limiting the ability of human rights, humanitarian and development work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which affect all institutions working to promote human rights, development and delivering assistance.
We reiterate our November 2021 statement: counter-terrorism legislation must be in accordance with obligations under international law, in particular, international humanitarian law and human rights law, which include full respect for the rights to freedom of association and expression. It cannot be applied to legitimate human rights and humanitarian work; the breadth of the Israeli 2016 Anti-Terrorism legislation and its impact on the presumption of innocence present serious concerns under international law.
We urge the Government of Israel to refrain from any action that would prevent these organizations from continuing their critical human rights, humanitarian and development work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
1. Representing United Nations development and humanitarian entities, agencies, funds and programmes.
2. AIDA represents 83 International NGOs working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
3. The organizations affected are: Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; Al Haq; Bisan Center for Research and Development; Defense for Children International – Palestine; Health Work Committees (HWC); Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC); and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC).
UN OCHA: Flash Updates – Escalation of Hostilities August 2022
On this page is a collection of updates from The United Nations OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), covering the period of escalated hostilities in Gaza in August 2022.
A brief summary of key events as reported by the OCHA:
- Israeli authorities kept border crossings closed, citing security concerns from 2 August
- Israeli airstrikes on multiple locations in Gaza, including Gaza City on 5 August
- Gaza powerplant shuts down due to lack of fuel entering Gaza, noon 6 August, with rolling blackouts exceeding 20 hours a day
- People and medical cases unable to exit Gaza, with essential commodities such as fuel, food unable to enter
- Blackout affects already chronically overstretched hospitals, health care, clean water and hygiene infrastructure
- Ceasefire brokered by Egypt and the UN came into effect 7 August at 23.30
- OCHA confirmed total of 46 Palestinian casualties, including 16 children
- MoH reports 360 Palestinians injured, including upwards of 151 children, 58 women and 19 elderly
- 1,761 housing units damaged, leaving 450 Palestinians internally displaced
Escalation in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #1 as of 18:00, 6 August 2022
To read online click here.
Escalation in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #2 as of 18:00, 8 August 2022
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UN OCHA: Fact Sheet | Gaza Strip | The humanitarian impact of 15 years of the blockade – June 2022
June 2022 marked 15 years of the blockade of The Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has imposed a severe closure regime and blockade on the civilian population of Gaza since June 2007.
In line with this 15 year milestone of the blockade, The UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) has released a collection of key facts and figures that summarise the impact the blockade has had on Gaza and the Gazan people.
Gaza Strip | The humanitarian impact of 15 years of the blockade – June 2022
To view the Fact Sheet online click here.
The OCHA has also released an accompanying map of The Gaza Strip and its borders. This map shows in detail the geography and infrastructure of Gaza, and the on-the-ground restrictions and points of access. This is a fantastic complementary resource, to demonstrate and visualise the reality of the blockade for the Gazan people.
Gaza Strip access and movement | July 2022
To view the Map online click here.
UN OCHA: Timeline | Flash Updates – Escalation of Hostilities May 2021
On this page is a collection of updates from The United Nations OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), The United Nations and The United Nations Security Council covering the period of escalated hostilities in The West Bank, The Gaza Strip and Israel in May 2021. The updates are arranged into a timeline to provide a chronological overview of the events as reported by the UN.
Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #12 covering 12:00 21 May – 12:00 23 May
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #11 covering 12:00 20 May – 12:00 21 May
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #10 covering 12:00 19 May – 12:00 20 May
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #9 covering 12:00 18 May – 12:00 19 May
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UN statement on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel | 18 May 2021
To download the PDF click here.
Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #8 as of 12:00, 18 May 2021
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #7 As of 12:00, 17 May 2021
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UN Security Council briefing | 16 May 2021
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #6 as of 12 :00 16 May 2021
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #5 as of 12:00 15 May 2021
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel | Flash Update #4 as of 12:00, 14 May 2021
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Escalation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #3 as of 12:00, 13 May 2021
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Escalation in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #2 as of 17:00, 12 May 2021
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Escalation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #1 as of 17:00, 11 May 2021
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