Nine European countries have announced they will continue funding six organizations Israel has banned due to their connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization.
In October 2021, Israel designated the six organizations operating under the guise of civil society organizations as terrorist organizations.
However, the Foreign Ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden claimed Monday that “no substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as ‘terrorist organizations.’”
“Should evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly. In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our cooperation and strong support for the civil society in the occupied Palestinian Territories. A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the two-state solution,” they stated.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Defense, the six 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, were added to the list of terrorist organizations because they are operated by and for the benefit of the PFLP and served as a means to funnel funds to the terror organization.
PFLP is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, European Union0, Canada, and Israel.
Based on information from the Shin Bet security service, the Ministry of Defense explained that these NGOs diverted humanitarian funds from European donors to the PFLP and recruited members into the terror group.
In addition, since 2007, the NGO Monitor watchdog has published numerous reports documenting the connections between these and other NGOs and the PFLP.
“When European officials claim to see ‘no evidence’ of terror links of their Palestinian NGO clients, they are ignoring numerous verifiable examples in the public domain. There is no excuse for this blind abuse of taxpayer funds,” Professor Gerald Steinberg, head of NGO Monitor, stated Monday.
