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Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz has this week declared six Palestinian NGO’s to be “terror organisations” having reportedly identified them as being operationally linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The PFLP terror group is proscribed by the United States, European Union and Israel. Announcing the decision to list the organisations, Gantz said they had been “active under the cover of civil society organisations, but in practice belong and constitute an arm of the [PFLP] leadership, the main activity of which is the liberation of Palestine and destruction of Israel”.
The organisations, which have denied the charges, reportedly employed senior PFLP members “including activists involved in terror activities”.
Israel’s Defence Ministry asserts that international aid money to the groups “served the Popular Front for payments to security prisoners’ families and martyrs, wages for activists, enlistment of activists, promotion of terror activity and strengthening, promotion of the Popular Front activity in Jerusalem, and distribution of the organisation’s messages and ideology”.
The six organisations – which are well known and have received significant funding from the EU and UN – included the Palestinian rights organisation Al-Haq, Al-Dameer, which represents Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli military courts, and Defense for Children-International, a group that advocates for Palestinian children. Further newly proscribed organisations include the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, the Union Of Agricultural Work Committees and the Bisan Research and Advocacy Center.
Under a 2016 law, Israeli authorities are permitted to seize assets, close offices and ban supporting their activities. The PFLP is understood to have been behind multiple rocket attacks on Israel this year.
