Norway becomes 10th European state to reject Israel’s outlawing of six Palestinian NGOs

Oslo (QNN)- Norway has stated it will continue to support the six Palestinian organizations outlawed last year by Israeli occupation, following on the heels of nine other European states that rejected the controversial designation.

In a move met with widespread condemnation, on 19 October 2021, Israeli War Minister, Benny Gantz, designated six leading Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as “terrorist organizations” under Israel’s domestic Counter-Terrorism (Anti-Terror) Law (2016).

The Israeli War Minister office claimed that the six groups were “part of a network of organisations operating undercover in the international arena” on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Marxist-Leninist Palestinian resistance group, which was listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 1997 by the US State Department.

The six groups are: Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC).

The Israeli military commander also outlawed all the six groups under the 1945 Emergency (Defense) Regulations, declaring them “unlawful associations”.

Several UN human rights experts, civil society and development organizations, academics and more from around the world condemned, over the past months, Israel’s designations, standing in solidarity with the six Palestinian groups and increasing their support for the Palestinian cause.

On July 12, in a joint statement, the Spokespersons of the Foreign Ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden expressed their opposition to the Israeli designation of the six Palestinian civil society organisations as “terrorist organisations.”

The European states said in the statement, “Accusations of terrorism or links to terrorist groups must always be treated with the utmost seriousness. The designations needed therefore to be assessed carefully and extensively.”

“No substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as ‘terrorist organizations’.” “Should evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly,” the states stressed.

“In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our cooperation and strong support for the civil society in the oPT. A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the two-state solution,” the states concluded the statement.

“In Norway’s view, the information we have received from Israel is not sufficient to justify the designation of the six organizations as ‘terrorist organizations.’ … Norway will continue its cooperation with and support to civil society in the occupied Palestinian territories,” Oslo’s embassy in ‘Israel’ told Haaretz on Thursday.

It added Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt had raised concerns during her visit to Israeli-occuoied Palestinian territories in March.

Norway, either directly or through partner groups, funds three of the six Palestinian nongovernmental organizations – Al-Haq, UAWC and DCI-P.

One of the organizations, rights group Al-Haq, had sent a letter to Huitfeldt at the end of June calling on her “to take action against Israel’s baseless designations.”

Citing the joint statement by the nine EU states, the Norwegian Embassy said: “Like Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, Norway considers that the information provided at present is not enough to warrant reconsideration of our cooperation with the Palestinian civil society organizations involved.”

It added: “A vibrant civil society is key to maintaining and promoting democratic development in Palestine, and to supporting a two-state solution.”