Kairos Ireland – Oct 2021

Banning of six Palestinian Human Rights organisations by Israel

n Friday 22^nd October the Israeli Minster for Defence, Benny Gantz, designated six internationally respected Palestinian Human Rights agencies as terrorist organisations. This authorises the Israeli Government to close their offices, seize their assets and arrest and jail their staff members.

The six agencies are

• Addameer
• Al Haq
• Defence of Children Palestine
• Bisan Centre for Research and Development
• The Union of Agricultural Work Committees
• The Union of Palestinian Women Committees

These agencies are valued partners of Irish and British Christian NGOs such as Christian Aid, Trocaire and the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). At least two of the agencies were founded by prominent Palestinian Christians. Rifat Kassis, the current secretary of Kairos Palestine, founded Defence of Children International, while Jonathan Kattub, Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel in North America (FOSNA) co-founded Al Haq. 

Clearly Israel is attempting to silence the voices of those who carefully document and publish reports on human rights abuses in Palestine, no matter who is the perpetrator. Jonathan Kuttab defends the integrity and independence of Al Haq, the agency he helped to establish. The current director of Al Haq studied human rights law in Galway. 

The Middle East Eye reported the Israeli action, which has been condemned by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Kairos Palestine has issued a statement on behalf of several Palestinian Christian Organisations. This calls for solidarity, asking for, ‘the international community, partners and donors in general and international Christian institutions in particular, to reject and condemn this decision, prevent the Israeli occupation state from moving forward with these arbitrary and illegitimate practices in violation of international laws, to pressure Israel to revoke the decision; and to continue to support the right of Palestinians to justice, freedom, and dignity’. A joint statement by sixteen UK based humanitarian agencies has been published on the Quaker website.

Please add your voice to the Irish human rights organisations that are contacting Irish politicians to apply pressure on Israel to reverse the banning order. You can write to your TDs and MPs quoting from the links given above expressing your concern that human rights defenders can continue with their vital work.