The United States expressed its “concern” on Thursday after the Israeli army closed the offices of several Palestinian NGOs based in the occupied West Bank and accused of “terrorism” by the Jewish state.
“We are concerned about the closure by Israeli security forces of the offices of six NGOs in and around Ramallah today,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
He said that US authorities were in contact with their Israeli counterparts “at a high level” to obtain more information about these organizations, which Israel promised to provide.
“Terrorist organizations”, according to Israel
The Israeli army carried out raids on Thursday morning and closed the offices of seven NGOs in Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. These are six NGOs designated as “terrorists” in 2021 and the Health Work Committee, also linked according to Israel to the PFLP, a Palestinian Marxist obedience movement with an armed wing.
The Israeli government announced in October 2021 that it had included six Palestinian NGOs linked, according to it, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a decision criticized by human rights organizations. All of these organizations denied ties to the PFLP.
“The United States has not changed its position or approach with respect to these organizations,” Ned Price said during a press conference on Thursday, recalling that the United States did not provide them with any funds.
“We haven’t seen anything in recent months that would lead us to change” our position, he said again, stressing that the US administration will wait for new Israeli information before deciding.
For its part, the European Union assured this Thursday that it will continue to support civil society organizations that have a role to play in promoting international law, human rights and democratic values”, according to Nabila Massrali, door-to-door of the Head of European Diplomacy Josep Borrell
Source: BFM TV
