The Regavim movement for the protection of national land filed a motion at the Jerusalem District Court Monday, requesting that the IDF be made to disclose full information about permits granted to international groups operating in Judea and Samaria. The movement claims the information must be revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.
Attorney Yitzchak Bam, representing Regavim, claimed that the IDF Civilian Administration has been ignoring, for the past six months, requests to reveal information about applications filed by international organizations operating in Judea and Samaria, and about the Civilian Administration's decisions made with regard to these applications.
The plaintiffs wrote that numerous international organizations operate in Judea and Samaria in an effort to promote the welfare of the Arab populace. As part of this activity, these organizations carry out agricultural activities, construction and infrastructure.” The groups ask for – and receive – the necessary permits from the Civilian Administration.
Regavim maintains that by failing to disclose the information requested, the Civilian Administration is ignoring its legal duty. It said: “The citizens of the State of Israel have the right to know what the foreign organizations are doing in Israel, how the IDF and Civilian Administration treat them, and whether funds from foreign countries are used in illegal activities.”