International law group condemns Palestinian designations
The IBA Human Rights Institute, an organisation under the umbrella of the International Bar Association (‘IBA’), the ‘foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies’, has said that it ‘strongly condemns the military order of Israel’s Defence Ministry designating six Palestinian civil society organisations (CSOs) as terrorist organisations and calls on the Israeli Government to reverse the order immediately.’
Furthermore, says the institute, it ‘deplores the revelations in recent reports that the mobile phones of Palestinian human rights defenders had been hacked using Israeli technology firm NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.’
Anne Ramberg, co-chair of the institute, said, ‘The use of counter-terrorism legislation to stifle the work of Palestinian civil society organisations is a blatant attack on human rights, including freedom of association and freedom of expression.’
She added that it has become ‘common practice by many states to strengthen their crackdown on human rights defenders by adopting expansive and vague legislation.’
‘States should have in place an unambiguous definition in accordance with the United Nations Security Council’s recommendation that defines terrorism as “an act committed with the intent to kill or cause serious bodily injury or take hostages with the aim to create a state of terror, intimidate or compel a population, government or international organisation,”’ said Ramberg, who described the designations as ‘an unabashed strategic move by Israel designed to discredit and halt the legitimate and critical work of Palestinian human rights defenders.’
According to the institute, the organisations concerned – Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; Al-Haq; Bisan Center for Research and Development; Defense for Children International, Palestine; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees – are ‘well known for their monitoring, documenting and advocacy actions on human rights violations committed by Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian Authority.’
On 8 November, an Irish human rights advocacy group, Front Line Defenders, said that a forensic digital investigation that it had conducted, has uncovered the presence of Pegasus spyware on phones ‘belonging to 6 Palestinian human rights defenders’, including four individuals ‘who are affiliated with 3 of the 6 Palestinian NGOs who were designated by the Israeli Minister of Defense as ‘terrorist’ organizations.’
Press reports say that the groups were designated because the Israeli government believes them to have ties to a leftist group, designated by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. The groups deny the association.
The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner has also condemned the designation.
