(Washington) The United States expressed its “concern” on Thursday after the Israeli army closed the offices of several Palestinian NGOs based in the occupied West Bank and accused of “terrorism” by the Jewish state.
Posted at 4:43 p.m.
“We are concerned about the closure by Israeli security forces of the offices of six NGOs in and around Ramallah today,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
He said that the American authorities were in contact with their Israeli counterparts “at a high level” in order to obtain more information on these organizations, which Israel promised to provide.
The Israeli army carried out searches Thursday morning and closed the offices of seven NGOs in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
These are six NGOs designated “terrorists” in 2021 and the Health Work Committee organization also linked according to Israel to the PFLP, a Palestinian movement of Marxist obedience with an armed wing.
The Israeli government announced in October 2021 that it had placed on its list of “terrorist organizations” six Palestinian NGOs linked, according to it, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a decision castigated by human rights organizations.
These organizations all denied links with the PFLP.
“The United States has not changed its position or approach vis-à-vis these organizations,” Ned Price assured Thursday during a press briefing, recalling that the United States did not provide them with any funds.
“We haven’t seen anything in recent months that would lead us to change” our position, he said again, stressing that the American administration would wait for new Israeli information before deciding.
For its part, the European Union assured Thursday that it would continue to support civil society organizations which have a role to play in the promotion of international law, human rights and democratic values, according to Nabila Massrali, spokesperson word of the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.