290 organisations call on Joe Biden to stop Israeli government’s attacks on Palestinian civil society

We write because your administration’s consistently yielding response to the Israeli government’s escalating attacks against prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society groups over the past 10 months has put the safety and well-being of Palestinian human rights defenders at serious risk. We call for immediate action in response to the Israeli government’s latest escalation so as to curtail any further imminent repressive tactics by Israeli authorities and ensure Palestinian civil society is free to continue its critical work.

Last week, in a significant escalation, Israeli military forces raided the offices of seven Palestinian human rights and community organizations in the occupied West Bank on 18 August 2022, sealing shut their doors, ordering them closed, and seizing computers and other confidential materials. In the following days, directors of the organizations were summoned by the Israeli military and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for interrogation. All staff are currently under threat of imminent arrest and prosecution. While many in the international community were swift to condemn the Israeli governments shameful political maneuver in October 2021 designating leading Palestinian human rights organizations as “terrorist” under Israel’s draconian Counter-Terrorism Law, your administration has refused to act or reject this clear attack on Palestinian civil society, and even took affirmative steps including canceling the valid U.S. visa held by the head of one of the targeted organizations. The response so far has only enabled and empowered the Israeli government to sustain and escalate its repression.

The targeted organizations form part of the bedrock of Palestinian civil society that has been protecting and advancing Palestinian human rights for decades across the full spectrum of issues of global concern, including children’s rights, prisoners’ rights, women’s rights, socio-economic rights, the rights of farmworkers, and justice and accountability for international crimes. They include: Defense for Children International - Palestine, Al Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. They are trusted partners in our collective work to secure human rights for all.

Since the Israeli government officially outlawed these civil society groups, international human rights groups, the United Nations, and governments that did investigate Israel’s claims – found them to be baseless. This includes 10 European governments that dismissed the allegations in mid-July 2022. In a deeply troubling report released this week, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency reportedly assessed information passed on by the Israeli government earlier this year finding none of the so-called evidence supported the Israeli government claims. Additionally, members of Congress have called on your administration to condemn and reject the Israeli government’s clear attack on Palestinian civil society.

As groups committed to social justice, civil rights, and universal human rights, we have seen first hand the ways that the charge of “terrorist” and the so-called “war on terror” threatens not only international human rights defenders, but also social movements and marginalized communities here in the U.S.: Indigenous, Black, brown, Muslim, and Arab activists and communities have similarly faced silencing, intimidation, criminalization and surveillance under such baseless charges. A threat against the Palestinian human rights movement is a threat against movements for social justice everywhere, and in order to protect human rights and human rights defenders, all states must be held accountable for taking such manifestly unjust actions.

While our government has long offered unconditional support to the Israeli government, our movements and organizations will always stand first and foremost with the rights and safety of people.

Therefore, we the undersigned organizations, call on you, in your authority as President to immediately:

1. Condemn the Israeli government’s repressive tactics and escalating campaign of criminalization and intimidation against Palestinian civil society organizations and their staff and board;
2. Reject the Israeli government’s unsubstantiated accusations levied against Palestinian civil society organizations and demand Israeli authorities rescind the designations;
3. Take diplomatic action, in concert with European counterparts, that serves to protect the targeted Palestinian organizations, their staff and board, premises, and other assets;
4. Refrain from imposing any obstacles or policies that would prevent direct engagement between the U.S. government and Palestinian civil society, or otherwise preclude full, comprehensive public understanding of the severity and impacts of Israeli repression;
5. End U.S. efforts to undermine the right of Palestinians and Palestinian civil society organizations to pursue justice and accountability, including at the International Criminal Court;
6. Ensure no actions are taken at the federal level that in any way encumbers funding from U.S.-based organizations or individuals to the targeted Palestinian organizations; and
7. Suspend U.S. military funding to the Israeli government and cease any diplomatic efforts that enable systemic impunity for Israel’s gross violations of internationally-recognized human rights.

Sincerely,

U.S.-based Signatories Organizations

1. 1for3.org
2. Access Now
3. Action Center on Race & the Economy
4. Adalah Justice Project
5. Advance Native Political Leadership
6. Al-Awda New York: The Palestine Right To Return Coalition
7. Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School
8. Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine
9. American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine
10. American Friends Service Committee
11. American Muslim Bar Association
12. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
13. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
14. Americans for Justice in Palestine Action
15. Amnesty International USA
16. Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC)
17. BackYard Mishkan
18. Beloved Community at Gesu Catholic Church
19. Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace
20. Black Liberation Party
21. Black Lives Matter Grassroots
22. Boston University International Human Rights Clinic
23. Brooklyn For Peace
24. Brooklyn Shabbat Kodesh Organizing Team
25. Butler University Students for Justice in Palestine
26. CAIR-Minnesota
27. California Scholars for Academic Freedom
28. Catalyst Project
29. Center for Constitutional Rights
30. Center for Jewish Nonviolence
31. Central Jersey JVP
32. Charity & Security Network
33. Chavurah for a Free Palestine of Kehilla Synagogue
34. Chicago Area Peace Action
35. Christian-Jewish Allies forJustice and Peace in Israel/Palestine
36. Civil Liberties Defense Center
37. CODEPINK
38. Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine
39. Communist Workers League
40. Concerned Families of Westchester
41. Corporate Accountability Lab
42. Corvallis Palestine Solidarity
43. Coulee Region Coalition for Palestinian Rights
44. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
45. Culture and Conflict Forum
46. Dallas Palestine Coalition
47. Delawareans for Palestinian human Rights (DelPHR)
48. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
49. DSA Long Beach CA, Steering Committee
50. Don’t Shoot Portland
51. East Bay Citizens for Peace
52. East Side Jews Activist Collective
53. Edmonds Palestine Israel Network
54. Episcopal Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land (Diocese of Olympia)
55. Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network
56. Equality Labs
57. Eyewitness Palestine
58. Face to Face
59. Fight for the Future
60. Friends of Sabeel -Colorado
61. Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
62. Friends of the MST (US)
63. Friends of Wadi Foquin
64. Global Justice Center
65. Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
66. Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
67. Grassroots International
68. Harvard Advocates for Human Rights
69. Hawai`i Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
70. Highlander Research & Education Center
71. Hindus for Human Rights
72. Human Rights First
73. Human Rights Watch
74. ICNA Council for Social Justice
75. IfNotNow
76. IfNotNow Los Angeles
77. Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
78. Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project
79. International Corporate Accountability Roundtable
80. International Human Rights Clinic, Cornell Law School
81. International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School
82. International Human Rights Law Institute
83. International Network for Economic Social and Cultural Rights
84. Islamophobia Studies Center
85. Jahalin Solidarity
86. Jewish Voice for Peace - Detroit
87. Jewish Voice for Peace - North Carolina Triangle Chapter
88. Jewish Voice for Peace - South Bay
89. Jewish Voice for Peace Action
90. Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of California, Los Angeles
91. Jewish Voice for Peace Austin
92. Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area
93. Jewish Voice for Peace Boston
94. Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio
95. Jewish Voice for Peace DC-Metro
96. Jewish Voice for Peace Havurah Network
97. Jewish Voice for Peace Hudson Valley Chapter
98. Jewish Voice for Peace Ithaca
99. Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven
100. Jewish Voice for Peace New York City
101. Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council
102. Jewish Voice for Peace Seattle Chapter
103. Jewish Voice for Peace South Florida
104. Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont-New Hampshire
105. Jewish Voice for Peace- Milwaukee
106. Jewish Voice for Peace-Central New Jersey
107. Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago
108. Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles
109. Jewish Voice for Peace, Philadelphia Chapter
110. Jewish Voice for Peace, Albany, NY Chapter
111. Jewish Voice for Peace, Los Angeles
112. Jewish Voice for Peace, Portland OR chapter
113. Jewish Voice for Peace, Tacoma chapter
114. Jewish Voice for Peace, Tucson chapter
115. Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
116. Jews Say No!
117. jmx productions
118. Just Peace Israel Palestine - Asheville
119. Justice Democrats
120. Justice for All
121. Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
122. Kairos USA
123. Labor Fightback Network
124. Labor for Palestine
125. Louisville Youth Group
126. Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land
127. Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
128. MAIZ San Jose - Movimiento de Accion Inspirando Servicio
129. Maryland Peace Action
130. Massachusetts Peace Action
131. Mending Minyan
132. Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN)
133. Methodist Federation for Social Action
134. Moratorium NOW! Coalition
135. Movement for Black Lives
136. Movement Law Lab
137. MPower Change
138. Muslim Counterpublics Lab
139. Muslim Justice League
140. National Lawyers Guild
141. National Lawyers Guild, Detroit & Michigan Chapter
142. New Hampshire Palestine Education Network
143. Newman Hall Non Violent Peacemaking Group
144. NO RIGHTS/NO AID
145. North New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group
146. Occupy Bergen County (New Jersey)
147. Olive Branch Fair Trade Inc.
148. Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace (OMJP)
149. Palestine Legal
150. Palestine Solidarity Committee-Seattle
151. Palestine Teaching Trunk
152. Palestinian American Community Center
153. PATOIS: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival
154. Pax Christi Rhode Island
155. Peace Action
156. Peace Action Maine
157. Peace Action New York State
158. Peace Action of San Mateo County
159. PeaceHost.net
160. People for Palestinian-Israeli Justice
161. Presbyterian Church (USA)
162. Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
163. Progressive Democrats of America
164. Progressive Jews of St. Louis (ProJoSTL)
165. Progressive Technology Project
166. Project South
167. Queer Crescent
168. Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
169. RECCollective LLC
170. Rethinking Foreign Policy
171. South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
172. Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers - New Brunswick
173. Texas Arab American Democrats (TAAD)
174. The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA
175. The Jus Semper Global Alliance
176. The United Methodist Church -- General Board of Church and Society
177. Tree of LIfe Educational Fund
178. Tzedek Chicago Synagogue
179. U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)
180. Union Street Peace
181. Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
182. Unitarian Universalists for Justice In the Middle East
183. United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network
184. United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
185. United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
186. University Network for Human Rights
187. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
188. US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
189. US PALESTINIAN COUNCIL
190. USA Palestine Mental Health Network
191. USC International Human Rights Clinic
192. Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132
193. Virginia Coalition for Human Rights
194. Visualizing Palestine
195. Voices For Peace in ME
196. Washington Advocates for Palestinian Rights
197. WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
198. Whatcom Peace & Justice Center
199. White People for Black Lives
200. Win Without War
201. Women Against War
202. Working Families Party
203. Yale Law School National Lawyers Guild

International Signatories Organization

1. Academia for Equality, Israel
2. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Palestine
3. Al-Marsad - Arab human rights Centre in Golan Heights Heights, occupied Syrian Golan
4. ALTSEAN-Burma, Thailand
5. Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan
6. Asamblea Permanente de Derechos Humanos de Bolivia (APDHB), Bolivia
7. Asociación pro derechos humanos de España, Spain
8. Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos-APRODEH, Peru
9. Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Morocco
10. association tunisienne des femmes démocrates, Tunisia
11. Associazione delle organizzazioni italiane di cooperazione e solidarietà internazionale, Italy
12. ASSOPACEPALESTINA, Italy
13. Australian Centre for International Justice, Australia
14. Bahrain Human Rights Society, Kingdom of Bahrain
15. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt
16. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Cambodia
17. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), Canada
18. Comisión de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador, El Salvador
19. Centro de Políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos - Perú EQUIDAD, Peru
20. Child Rights International Network (CRIN), United Kingdom
21. Civil Society Institute, Armenia
22. Colectivo de Abogados JAR, Colombia
23. Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, Mexico
24. Defence for Children International, Switzerland
25. DITSHWANELO - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, Botswana
26. European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Germany
27. EuroMed Rights, Denmark
28. European Legal Support Center (ELSC), United Kingdom
29. FAIR Associates, Indonesia
30. Finnish League for Human Rights, Finland
31. Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Économiques et Sociaux, Tunisia
32. Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos, Ecuador
33. Housing and Land Rights Network - Habitat International Coalition, Switzerland/Egypt
34. HRM "Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan", Kyrgyzstan
35. Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Canada
36. Instituto Latinoamericano para una Sociedad y un Derecho Alternativos ILSA, Colombia
37. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, France
38. International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific), Malaysia
39. Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte, Germany
40. Jewish Liberation Theology Institute, Canada
41. Justiça Global, Brazil
42. Justice For All, Canada
43. Latvian Human Rights Committee, Latvia
44. LDH (Ligue des droits de l'Homme), France
45. League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI), Iran
46. Ligue des droits humains, Belgium
47. Maldivian Democracy Network, Maldives
48. Manushya Foundation, Thailand
49. Moroccan Organization for Human Rights OMDH, Morocco
50. Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos - MNDH, Brazil
51. Observatorio Ciudadano, Chile
52. Odhikar, Bangladesh
53. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Palestine
54. Piattaforma delle Ong italiane in Mediterraneo e Medio Oriente, Italy
55. Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea), Venezuela
56. Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO), Senegal
57. Réseau des avocats du maroc contre la peine de mort, Morocco
58. Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), Haiti
59. Rinascimento Green, Italy
60. Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem
61. Scientists For Palestine (S4P), United Kingdom
62. Serve Globally / Evangelical Covenant Church, International
63. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression SCM, France
64. The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, Palestine
65. The Palestinian Human Rights Organization "PHRO", Lebanon
66. Union of Agricultural Work Communities, Palestine
67. Vento di Terra, Italy
68. World BEYOND War, International
69. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, International
70. Zimbabwe human rights association, Zimbabwe