The US asked Israel for clarifications about the raids the Israeli military conducted at the offices of several Palestinian civil society organizations in Judea and Samaria, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday, according to Barak Ravid of Axios.
Last October, Defense Minister Benny Gantz designated six Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations as "terrorist organizations." On Wednesday, he ratified the designation.
The move was widely condemned internationally. The State Department over the last year has been reviewing the Israeli designation, noted Ravid.
Price said on Thursday that the US hasn’t changed its approach and position regarding these organizations as a result of the information Israel has given in the last year.
During the early Thursday morning raids, the Israeli military confiscated computers and other property and closed the offices of the Palestinian organizations in question.
The IDF said these groups are affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is designated by Israel and the US as a terrorist organization. The organizations deny the allegations.
Price said the US is concerned about the Israeli raids and has asked the Israeli government for more information about the basis for the decision.
“Our Israeli partners have assured us that more information will be forthcoming regarding the basis for their actions. We of course have assured them that we will review that information on a timely basis and very carefully," he stated, adding the US told Israel that any new information they provide regarding the basis for today’s actions would be reviewed “carefully, thoroughly and immediately."