In light of the Israeli decision to classify six Palestinian organizations, working in the fields of human rights and humanitarian aid, as “terrorist organizations,” Mizan Human Rights Center in Nazareth considers this decision to be unjust and arbitrary. It targets civil and social organizations that defend human rights and constitutes a severe blow to the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the field of civil rights and activism.

Mizan views this Israeli decision as part of an ongoing policy aimed at suppressing Palestinian civil society. This decision is based on the 2016 Anti-Terrorism Law, adopted by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz with the approval of the Israeli Attorney General and the Shin Bet (Israel’s security service). The law draws from the 1945 Emergency Regulations, which include repressive and arbitrary measures against Palestinian individuals, institutions, and associations that contradict Israeli policies.

Mizan believes that these actions contradict international law, international conventions, and the principles of democracy, freedom of association, and the right to form civil societies. This decision reaffirms that Israeli governments continue to act as an apartheid state and are pursuing systematic repression through such decisions.

Mizan Human Rights Center condemns the decision to classify six Palestinian organizations, which have partnerships with international institutions, as “terrorist organizations.” At the same time, it calls on all Palestinian and international civil society organizations to condemn this Israeli action and to work towards preventing its implementation and overturning it.

Mizan Human Rights Center – Nazareth
Tuesday, October 26, 2021