The EMHRN is gravely concerned about the attacks against Palestinian civil society organisations which were carried out by Israeli forces in Ramallah in the early hours of 11 December 2012.These attacks represent a clear threat to the unimpeded work of human rights defenders.
The offices of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committee (UPWC), and the Palestinian NGO Network were broken into by Israeli soldiers, who destroyed furniture and office appliances and ransacked filing cabinets, scattering documents and files. From an initial estimation of the damage, Addameer found that, along with some documents, at least four laptops, one hard disk and a video camera had been confiscated. In addition, seven laptops, three hard disks, the main server, two memory cards, some documents and 3,000 NIS (approximately 790 USD) were seized from the offices of UPWC. The Palestinian NGO network reported that their internet server was broken into and tampered with.
Such actions by Israeli armed forces constitute a violation of the right of freedom of association and expression, which Israel, as the Occupying Power in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), is obligated to respect. These recent raids also constitute a form of intimidation and threat against Palestinian human rights defenders.
All individuals have the right to freedom of association, and to be free from arbitrary or unlawful interference in their homes and offices, and to due process of law. It is particularly important that human rights organisations enjoy such rights so that they can protect the rights of others. It is critical for the protection of the basic human rightsof the Palestinian people that there is space for civil society to freely organise and carry out its work in defence of human rights. Actions such as those taken by the Israeli military threaten this free civic space and interfere with the protection ofthe human rights of the Palestinian people.
It is crucial that the international community, in particular those states who are donors to the attacked organisations, demand that all property seized be immediately restored and that Israel provides reparation for the damage caused during the raids. The international community must also demand that the work of civil society organisations—and especially those comprised of human rights defenders – be protected and respected.
In line with the EU guidelines on human rights defenders, the EMHRN calls on the EU to address the above-mentioned issues with their Israeli counterparts, and in particular to:
- Publicly condemn any attacks against Palestinian human rights organisations in the OPT and urge Israel to ensure full respect for freedom of association and expression of civil society organisations in accordance with international human rights standards, as enshrined, among others, in the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the so-called “UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders”), signed by Israel;
- Address this issue at the upcoming EU-Israel Human rights working group meeting due to take place on 14 January 2013.