Several trade unions in the United Kingdom have denounced Israel’s “outrageous” decision to designate six Palestinian human rights groups as terrorist organizations, urging the British government to reject the “draconian measure.”
Faraan: “We strongly condemn the Israeli regime’s outrageous decision to criminalize six Palestinian human rights and civil society groups by designating them as ‘terrorists,’” the unions said in a joint statement, WAFA news agency reported Sunday.
The signatories of the statement include TUC, ASLEF, BFAWU, NEU, PCS, RMT, TSSA, UCU, UNISON, and Unite the Union.
They described the Israeli move as “a brazen attempt to further restrict Palestinian rights and to silence and punish Palestinian human rights defenders already working against incredible odds.”
The statement noted that the blacklisted organizations are amongst those most effectively documenting Israel’s systematic violations of Palestinian rights, including the construction of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, attacks on Palestinians’ right to food sovereignty, and the illegal arrest and detention of Palestinians, including children.
According to the statement, the six organizations have been “undoubtedly targeted” because they “have made their voices heard internationally, including in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and in UN forums.”
“Smearing, attacking, and banning the most vocal proponents for accountability and justice is a classic move for repressive regimes. It is a threat to the Palestinian people and to human rights defenders everywhere,” the unions said in the statement.
