For decades, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have instituted policies that violated Palestinians’ human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).

Those violations include killing of civilians, home demolitions, confiscation of private and public land to construct illegal settlements, forcible displacement, and prevention of patients' access to medical treatment. In addition, Israel continues to restrict movement and access and impose measures of collective punishment through its siege of the Gaza Strip, which puts its civilian population under difficult conditions of living. 

Israel also continues to fragment the West Bank by hundreds of checkpoints and the construction of the annexation Wall, which was deemed illegal under international law by the International Court of Justice in 2004. In the OPT, racial discrimination has turned into daily realities and has been instituted in Israeli legislation. Moreover, Israel continues to hold Palestinians in prisons inside Israel without a due process of law and violate their rights in contradiction with international law. 

Through many years, Palestinians, Israelis and the world heard a single, clear voice that embraces peace and believes in the premise that human rights are for all humans, regardless of their nationality, gender or religion. This is the voice of a number of Israeli human rights organizations who denounced the human rights violations and discrimination practices by the occupying power, but also called for protecting their victims. They worked diligently to help the victims. The contributions of these organizations were very important when the international community failed to secure the conditions for the Palestinians to enjoy their human rights through bringing an end the Israeli occupation and securing protection for them. 

The Israeli radical right has recently endorsed a new act which establishes a parliamentary commission to investigate the transparent Israeli human rights organizations’ work and funding. This act represents a direct attack on these organizations as well as the Palestinian victims whom they work with. It further represents stubborn insistence on denying Palestinians, both as individuals and a national group, justice. Israeli human rights played an integral, significant role in exposing the truth about the Israeli practices against Palestinians; including during and after Israel’s military attack on the Gaza Strip (“Operation Cast Lead”). They were able to do so through their honest and professional documentation of the grave breaches committed by the Israeli army of International law, were also reported by the UN Fact-Finding Mission. The campaign against these organizations has only escalated as a result of their cooperation with the Mission, as they enjoy a high level of credibility in international community owing to their human rights activism in Israel and OPT. 

Cooperation among Palestinian human rights organizations and a number of their Israeli counterparts has been founded on their mutual stances that challenged the occupation authorities’ violations of Palestinians’ rights to health, education, movement and access, and to a decent standard of life. They worked together to support Palestinian prisoners and ensure legal representation for them. This cooperation is natural as all human rights organizations in Palestine, Israel and the world endorse the same set of values and principles; represented in the unshaken belief in humans rights and dignity, and the rule of law and justice. 

We, the undersigned Palestinian organizations, applaud the important role of Israeli human rights organizations and reaffirm our support of their work on promoting human rights and challenging their violations and violators. We will work towards reinforcing this role and cooperation. 

We consider the Knesset decision to investigate Israeli human rights organizations, or enact legislations restricting their work, as a means to conceal the truth and prevent them from acting on their roles in combating the violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws. The Knesset’s decision is an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of these organizations; a step towards threatening their very existence as voices that seek to defend human rights without discrimination; during which they find themselves defending Palestinian victims and exposing the dark face of the occupation and its violations. 

We condemn the arbitrary measures against the Israeli human rights organizations, assert our firm intention to support and continue to work with them to secure respect for human rights and challenging their violators.   

Gaza Community Mental Health Program, and 

Members of the Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations 

Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association 

Aldameer Association for Human Rights 

Al-Haq 

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights 

Defence for Children International – Palestine Section 

Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy 

Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights 

Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies 

Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling