The IDF raided the offices of Palestinian social organizations accused of terrorism and closed them down

The organizations were outlawed on the grounds that they are related to the Popular Front and operate under humanitarian cover, and their offices in Ramallah were sealed after IDF forces confiscated documents and computers. The Palestinians condemned: "Dangerous escalation." MK Mossi Raz: "This is not how you stop terrorism."

Shlomi Heller

08/18/2022

Thursday, August 18, 2022, 5:14 p.m. Updated: 5:42 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Soldiers close one of the offices of the organizations in Ramallah, tonight (photo: IDF spokesman)

IDF forces raided seven offices of Palestinian organizations in Ramallah tonight, which were accused of having links to the terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. During the operation of the forces, led by Brigadier General Binyamin Col. Eliab Elbaz and with the assistance of the Security Forces, hundreds of documents and electronic equipment were confiscated from the offices of the organizations , including "Al-Haq", "The Union of Women's Committees", "The Global Movement for the Protection of Children - Palestine Branch".

At the end of the searches, the offices were sealed and closure orders were issued.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz outlawed the organizations last year, in a decision that drew criticism in the United States and Europe.

"All the organizations in question operate under the cover of the Popular Front organization and its mission, in the territories of Judea and Samaria as well as abroad," the Ministry of Defense said.

"The organizations operate under the guise of carrying out humanitarian activities to advance the goals of the terrorist organization the Popular Front, to strengthen the organization and to recruit activists, and also assist in raising funds for the benefit of the terrorist organization using a variety of methods of forgery and deception. The organizations are controlled by the Popular Front, employ Popular Front activists in management and field positions and work to hide their existence out of fear of the security agencies in Israel and in the countries where the organizations raise donations for their activities."

In recent months, the Binyamin Brigade carried out a wave of extensive arrests of terrorists as well as suspects of involvement in crimes, among others, the arrest of 11 terrorists of the Islamic Jihad and dozens of terrorist operatives in the Ramallah area and surrounding Jerusalem.

The raid tonight in Ramallah, which on a daily basis serves as the business and administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, was accompanied by severe clashes, which included throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the forces and even shooting at them until the morning hours.

The IDF forces responded with measures to disperse demonstrations. There were no casualties in the ranks of the IDF.

More on the subject

• USA: Demanding from Israel clarification on the declaration of 6 Palestinian organizations as terrorist organizations

The authority ordered the organizations to continue their activities.

Al-Haq offices in Ramallah, today (Photo: Reuters)

The closure of the offices drew condemnations from the Palestinians, and left-wing people and organizations in Israel.

The Palestinian Prime Minister, Muhammad Ashtiyah, visited the offices of the Al-Haq organization and said that his government does not recognize the Israeli decision.

He told the people of the organization to continue their work immediately.

"We do not recognize the occupation measures, these are legal institutions that operate within the framework of the law," he told reporters.

Hussein al-Sheikh, one of the senior officials of the Palestinian Authority, wrote on Twitter: "The attack on civil society institutions is a dangerous escalation and an attempt to silence the voice of truth and justice."

MK Mossi Raz (Maretz) said that "the raid on the offices of Palestinian human rights organizations, without a trial, without anyone presenting to the public significant evidence that supports their declaration as terrorist organizations is not an act worthy of the army of a democratic country.

This is not how you stop terrorism and protect civilians.

This is how human rights defenders are abused in order to continue to hide the injustices of the occupation from the light of the sun."

The "Betzlem" organization stated that it "stands in solidarity with the Palestinian civil society organizations, against whom the Ministry of Defense's false accusations against them have been rejected by the European Union, the United States and other countries. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Palestinian organizations and to work to dismantle the apartheid regime, according to which violent repression is a means Legitimate to control the Palestinians, but he defines non-violent civil activity as terrorism."

The Episcopal Church, whose Al-Haq organization offices are located in a compound belonging to the church in Ramallah, "strongly condemned this attack on one of our holy places of worship, as well as the damage to church property, this is a violation of international law and an act of terrorism against the entire community, the places of worship and the church premises There should be holy places so that the communities feel safe there."

good to know (in advance)

Don't settle for inadequate sex: the secret to improvement is now on sale

Served on behalf of "Gabra"

• news

• Army and security

Tags

• IDF

• The Popular Front

• Ramallah