The UN, on Friday, expressed its concerns about Israel announcing six Palestinian rights groups as terror organizations. The UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory held in a statement that “counter-terrorism legislation must not be used to constrain legitimate human rights and humanitarian work.”
The statement says, “The designation decisions published by the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing of Israel list extremely vague or irrelevant reasons, including entirely peaceful and legitimate activities such as the provision of legal aid and the ‘promotion of steps against Israel in the international arena.”
Subsequently, the UN Human Rights Office called on Israel to fully respect the rights to freedom of association and expression, without any interference or harassment against the organizations or their staff.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in a separate statement, said the move was another link in the chain of undermining the right to civil and human rights work in Palestinian territories.
“The classification aims to prevent the documentation of Israeli violations and support their victims amid an absence of international response,” the Geneva-based rights organization added.
The group urged the international community to pressure Israeli authorities in order to limit their policies of subduing critical voices about their practices and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
