Mogherini’s Letter Foils the Israeli Attempts to Undermine the Work of Human Rights and Development Organizations in the oPt
Ref: 79/2018
The media recently leaked a sharp-worded letter that was sent by the European Union (EU)’s Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, to the Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, responding a report that was widely published in last May by the Israeli Strategic Affairs Ministry, in which the Israeli Minister attacked the EU and its partners and accused them of supporting terrorism and boycotting Israel.
Mogherini confirmed in her letter that “The EU strongly rejects the accusations of being involved in financing any activities that support terrorism or terrorists.” Mogherini also described the Israeli accusations as “unfounded and unacceptable” and asked Erdan to provide a proof of his “vague and unsubstantiated” allegations that were mentioned in the report. Mogherini confirmed that “The money provided from the EU’s budget is only paid for contractual purposes under strict and transparent rules and intensive monitoring.”
This letter foiled the Israeli forces’ attempts to undermine the work of human rights and development organizations in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt),which aim at increasing pressures on supporting bodies in order to stop supporting Civil Society Organizations and foreign development organizations, particularly the human rights organizations in Palestine to undermine its role in exposing the Israeli violations and supporting the Palestinian victims.
The report accuses the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and al-Haq Organization of having contacts with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization accused of ties to terrorism by EU and the United States of America (USA), according to the report. The report also directly accused the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Institution of being involved in financing activities belonging to Hamas Movement and the PFLP, in addition to other organizations that the report attempted to distort them and label them as terrorism.
This came is in the context of a frenzied campaign led by the Israeli authorities to distort the development and human rights organizations in the oPt, under the pretext of supporting terrorism and undermining Israel’s legitimacy. The Israeli authorities distort the work of development and human rights organizations by disseminating misleading information, practicing political pressure and legal prosecution against supporting bodies, and using a direct threat against human rights organizations and defender
PCHR is satisfied with the EU’s Foreign Minister’s response and reiterates is condemnation of the Israeli report. PCHR is also concerned that it might be a prelude to increasing pressures on human rights organizations in oPt. PCHR stressed that the Israeli authorities are following a rolling plan aimed at undermining the work of development and human rights organizations in the oPt, in an attempt to hide the truth revealed by these organizations about crimes and violations daily committed by the Israeli authorities in the oPt.
Note: Attached with this press release
- The link published by Haaretz Newspaper about Mogherini’s Letter.
- The Israeli Strategic Affairs Ministry’s report.