Email your representatives in Congress and tell them to raise their voices against Israel labeling six Palestinian human rights organizations “terrorist” organizations. |
Dear friends,
Israel just signed an order declaring six of the largest Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations that meticulously document and expose Israel’s gross human rights abuses to be “terrorist” organizations. The organizations are:
- Defense for Children International - Palestine advocates for Palestinian children who are arrested and abused in Israel’s military court system where the conviction rate is 99.7%.
- Al Haq is a leading Palestinian human rights organization that has been documenting Israel’s apartheid policies since 1979.
- Addameer provides supports to Palestinian political prisoners of Israel. Since 1967, approximately twenty percent of the Palestinian population has been arrested by the Israeli military.
- The Union of Agricultural Work Committees supports Palestinian farmers resisting land grabs and other attacks on their agriculture.
- The Bisan Center for Research and Development advocates for the civil rights, human rights, and socio-economic rights of Palestinians living under Israeli apartheid.
- The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees is a feminist, progressive grassroots Palestinian civil society organization.
Take action now! So far, only a handful of congress members — Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Betty McCollum, Jamaal Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Chuy Garcia, and Andre Carson — have condemned this textbook authoritarianism from Israel. We need more to speak out. Email your members of Congress and tell them to raise their voices in condemnation and ask them to tell the State Department to demand Israel reverse these designations. If you are represented by one of the lawmakers who is speaking out on this important issue, send them a note of thanks.
The Israeli apartheid regime has a plan: it wants to repress all documentation and criticism of its human rights violations and evade accountability for its crimes. To this end, Israel has not only designated these organizations as “terrorist,” but is threatening to imprison the employees of the organizations through “administrative detention,” where Palestinians are held indefinitely without charge or trial.
A few months ago, Israel raided Defense of Children International - Palestine’s headquarters. It’s not a coincidence that they’re going after them again now. DCIP co-led the push for Betty McCollum’s “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act,” H.R. 2590, to stop Israel from using U.S. military funding for child detention, home demolitions, and land theft. Our congress members and the Biden administration should be shouting their condemnation for Israel’s actions from the mountaintops. Email and your representatives in Congress now!
After Israel declared the six organizations to be “terrorist”, the US complained that Israel had not informed them in advance of the action. So, Israel is now sending a delegation to present the US with their malarky claims. I know how to call BS when I’m confronted with it, but Ned Price responded that he is looking “forward to hearing more details from this delegation.” In advance of the State Department’s meeting with the Israeli delegation, we need as many members of congress as possible to raise their voices.
🗣️🗣️🗣️ Advocating for Palestinian rights is not terrorism. Take action now! 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Towards Peace,
Ariel and the entire CODEPINK team