The Foreign Ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden have issued a joint statement rejecting Israel's position that six Palestinian NGOs are in fact fronts for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
"On October 22 2021, Israel designated six Palestinian civil society organisations as terrorist organisations," the statement, issued by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, states.
"Accusations of terrorism or links to terrorist groups must always be treated with the utmost seriousness The designations needed therefore to be assessed carefully and extensively. No substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestiniann NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as 'terrorist organizations'. Should evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our cooperation and strong support for the civil society in the oPT [occupied Palestinian Territories]. A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the two-state solution."
Israel designated six organizations as terrorist entities last year as they were determined to constitute a network of organizations that were active undercover on the international front on behalf of the PFLP, to support its activities and further its goals.
The six organizations are: Union of Palestinian Women's Committees (UPWC), ADDAMEER - Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Al-Haq Organization, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), and the Union Of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC).
They are recognized by Israel as being under the control of senior PFLP leaders and they also employ PFLP members, while presenting themselves as being engaged in humanitarian endeavors.