In light of the commotion following Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s announcement on Oct. 22 that accused six NGOs of connections to terrorism, Israel has now sent an envoy to Washington, D.C., to explain why.
Joshua Zarka, deputy director-general of strategy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Israel’s Army Radio in an interview last week that the envoy would “give them all the details and present them all with the intelligence,” according to an AP report.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lior Hayat told JNS “we are sharing information with countries and organizations that prove beyond all doubt the different connections of those NGOs to the PFLP terror organization.”
The Ministry of Defense designated the following six NGOs as terrorist organizations: Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC) and Bisan.
“These organizations present themselves as acting for humanitarian purposes; however, they serve as a cover for the PFLP’s propaganda and financing,” Gantz said in a statement. “These organizations received large sums of money from European countries and international organizations, using various methods of forgery and deceit,” it continued, adding that the funds are used to support PFLP activities.
Israel has for years either suspected or known about the groups’ links to the PFLP but stopped short of labeling them as terrorist groups. This latest move indicates a change in that approach.
These organizations have been described by Nour Odeh, a former spokesperson within the Palestinian Authority government offices, as the “crème de la crème of the human rights community.”
Based on its response to Israel’s announcement, the international community appeared to agree with Odeh’s assessment and her belief that by designating these NGOs as terror organizations, Israel is criminalizing Palestinian civil society and undermining the Palestinian struggle for freedom.
The question then is whether this is a trust issue. Do the United States and the European Union not believe Israel’s assessment; are they truly incredulous of the accusations that these six NGOs are connected to the PFLP? The evidence supposedly is precise, with these organizations having already been exposed as having prior connections to the PFLP.
Or is it a political issue? Are America and Europe simply downplaying the accusations by Jerusalem because they want to be able to continue funding these organizations, which serve a larger political purpose in keeping the dream for a Palestinian state alive?
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