Us Says Concerned Over Israeli Raid On Palestinian Ngos Unconvinced By Previous Intelligence

“We are concerned about the closing of six Palestinian NGO offices in and around Ramallah today by Israeli security forces,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “We have reached out to the Israeli government, including at the highest levels, including here in Washington as well as our embassy in Jerusalem, for more information on the basis for these closures,” Price said, adding that Israel was to relays information to the US about the raids. Israel’s defense ministry blacklisted six of the civil society groups in October 2021, putting their employees at risk of arrest and their funding at risk of seizure. Israel claimed to have “ironclad” information linking the groups to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Israel and the US have labeled a terrorist organization. Israel was only willing to share this information privately, and several Democratic lawmakers, as well as European Union officials with knowledge of the information, concluded that it was not enough to warrant a terrorism label. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Price confirmed on Thursday that the US does not consider the information to be convincing enough to follow Israel’s lead in blacklisting Palestinian groups. “During our review of this information, we have not changed our position or our approach to these particular organizations,” Price said. He refrained from condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinian organizations. “Different parties can read information differently, they can perceive threats differently,” Price said. “We will continue to review any information that is provided to us.” “We conveyed the message that there should be a very high bar to take action against civil society organisations. Our Israeli partners have in turn conveyed to us that they have achieved this high bar,” Price said. Asked how the U.S. measures that “high bar,” Price declined to elaborate, but acknowledged “the terrorist threat facing Israel” and pointed to Jerusalem’s right to raise such concerns. The six blacklisted organizations — al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Agricultural Work Committee, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Bisan, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees — are prominent, established groups. Most of the organizations have documented alleged human rights violations by Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority. Many have received significant grant funding from EU member states and the United Nations, among other donors, but not from the US. Al-Haq was told last month that its EU funding, which had been suspended, would be restored after an investigation into the organisation’s finances found no evidence of irregularities. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz endorsed the 2021 decision to blacklist the Committees of the Palestinian Women’s Union, the Bisan Research and Advocacy Center and Addameer, who represents Palestinian security detainees in Israeli military courts. Separately, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command rejected calls by Al-Haq and Defense for Children-International in Palestine to be removed from the terrorist list. A sixth organization, the Union of Agricultural Labor Committees, also remained listed as affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The IDF said Thursday that it raided and closed the offices of all six groups along with a seventh, the Health Work Committees. Price expressed U.S. concern about the raid at a press briefing hours later. “We will continue to seek additional information and convey our concern directly and privately to our Israeli partners,” Price said, adding that the US would review any information Israel provides in a timely manner. “During the recent events, and in the last few months, we have made it clear to our Israeli government partners and the Palestinian Authority that independent civil society organizations in the West Bank and Israel must be able to continue their important work,” Price said, indicating the Biden administration’s concern over Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s treatment of human rights groups. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and unlock access to some great Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this

title: “Us Says Concerned Over Israeli Raid On Palestinian Ngos Unconvinced By Previous Intelligence Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “James Poulin”

“We are concerned about the closing of six Palestinian NGO offices in and around Ramallah today by Israeli security forces,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “We have reached out to the Israeli government, including at the highest levels, including here in Washington as well as our embassy in Jerusalem, for more information on the basis for these closures,” Price said, adding that Israel was to relays information to the US about the raids. Israel’s defense ministry blacklisted six of the civil society groups in October 2021, putting their employees at risk of arrest and their funding at risk of seizure. Israel claimed to have “ironclad” information linking the groups to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Israel and the US have labeled a terrorist organization. Israel was only willing to share this information privately, and several Democratic lawmakers, as well as European Union officials with knowledge of the information, concluded that it was not enough to warrant a terrorism label. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Price confirmed on Thursday that the US does not consider the information to be convincing enough to follow Israel’s lead in blacklisting Palestinian groups. “During our review of this information, we have not changed our position or our approach to these particular organizations,” Price said. He refrained from condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinian organizations. “Different parties can read information differently, they can perceive threats differently,” Price said. “We will continue to review any information that is provided to us.” “We conveyed the message that there should be a very high bar to take action against civil society organisations. Our Israeli partners have in turn conveyed to us that they have achieved this high bar,” Price said. Asked how the U.S. measures that “high bar,” Price declined to elaborate, but acknowledged “the terrorist threat facing Israel” and pointed to Jerusalem’s right to raise such concerns. The six blacklisted organizations — al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Agricultural Work Committee, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Bisan, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees — are prominent, established groups. Most of the organizations have documented alleged human rights violations by Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority. Many have received significant grant funding from EU member states and the United Nations, among other donors, but not from the US. Al-Haq was told last month that its EU funding, which had been suspended, would be restored after an investigation into the organisation’s finances found no evidence of irregularities. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz endorsed the 2021 decision to blacklist the Committees of the Palestinian Women’s Union, the Bisan Research and Advocacy Center and Addameer, who represents Palestinian security detainees in Israeli military courts. Separately, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command rejected calls by Al-Haq and Defense for Children-International in Palestine to be removed from the terrorist list. A sixth organization, the Union of Agricultural Labor Committees, also remained listed as affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The IDF said Thursday that it raided and closed the offices of all six groups along with a seventh, the Health Work Committees. Price expressed U.S. concern about the raid at a press briefing hours later. “We will continue to seek additional information and convey our concern directly and privately to our Israeli partners,” Price said, adding that the US would review any information Israel provides in a timely manner. “During the recent events, and in the last few months, we have made it clear to our Israeli government partners and the Palestinian Authority that independent civil society organizations in the West Bank and Israel must be able to continue their important work,” Price said, indicating the Biden administration’s concern over Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s treatment of human rights groups. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and unlock access to some great Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this

title: “Us Says Concerned Over Israeli Raid On Palestinian Ngos Unconvinced By Previous Intelligence Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Meghan Scott”

“We are concerned about the closing of six Palestinian NGO offices in and around Ramallah today by Israeli security forces,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “We have reached out to the Israeli government, including at the highest levels, including here in Washington as well as our embassy in Jerusalem, for more information on the basis for these closures,” Price said, adding that Israel was to relays information to the US about the raids. Israel’s defense ministry blacklisted six of the civil society groups in October 2021, putting their employees at risk of arrest and their funding at risk of seizure. Israel claimed to have “ironclad” information linking the groups to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Israel and the US have labeled a terrorist organization. Israel was only willing to share this information privately, and several Democratic lawmakers, as well as European Union officials with knowledge of the information, concluded that it was not enough to warrant a terrorism label. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Price confirmed on Thursday that the US does not consider the information to be convincing enough to follow Israel’s lead in blacklisting Palestinian groups. “During our review of this information, we have not changed our position or our approach to these particular organizations,” Price said. He refrained from condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinian organizations. “Different parties can read information differently, they can perceive threats differently,” Price said. “We will continue to review any information that is provided to us.” “We conveyed the message that there should be a very high bar to take action against civil society organisations. Our Israeli partners have in turn conveyed to us that they have achieved this high bar,” Price said. Asked how the U.S. measures that “high bar,” Price declined to elaborate, but acknowledged “the terrorist threat facing Israel” and pointed to Jerusalem’s right to raise such concerns. The six blacklisted organizations — al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Agricultural Work Committee, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Bisan, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees — are prominent, established groups. Most of the organizations have documented alleged human rights violations by Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority. Many have received significant grant funding from EU member states and the United Nations, among other donors, but not from the US. Al-Haq was told last month that its EU funding, which had been suspended, would be restored after an investigation into the organisation’s finances found no evidence of irregularities. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz endorsed the 2021 decision to blacklist the Committees of the Palestinian Women’s Union, the Bisan Research and Advocacy Center and Addameer, who represents Palestinian security detainees in Israeli military courts. Separately, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command rejected calls by Al-Haq and Defense for Children-International in Palestine to be removed from the terrorist list. A sixth organization, the Union of Agricultural Labor Committees, also remained listed as affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The IDF said Thursday that it raided and closed the offices of all six groups along with a seventh, the Health Work Committees. Price expressed U.S. concern about the raid at a press briefing hours later. “We will continue to seek additional information and convey our concern directly and privately to our Israeli partners,” Price said, adding that the US would review any information Israel provides in a timely manner. “During the recent events, and in the last few months, we have made it clear to our Israeli government partners and the Palestinian Authority that independent civil society organizations in the West Bank and Israel must be able to continue their important work,” Price said, indicating the Biden administration’s concern over Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s treatment of human rights groups. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and unlock access to some great Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this

title: “Us Says Concerned Over Israeli Raid On Palestinian Ngos Unconvinced By Previous Intelligence Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Rafael Silva”

“We are concerned about the closing of six Palestinian NGO offices in and around Ramallah today by Israeli security forces,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “We have reached out to the Israeli government, including at the highest levels, including here in Washington as well as our embassy in Jerusalem, for more information on the basis for these closures,” Price said, adding that Israel was to relays information to the US about the raids. Israel’s defense ministry blacklisted six of the civil society groups in October 2021, putting their employees at risk of arrest and their funding at risk of seizure. Israel claimed to have “ironclad” information linking the groups to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Israel and the US have labeled a terrorist organization. Israel was only willing to share this information privately, and several Democratic lawmakers, as well as European Union officials with knowledge of the information, concluded that it was not enough to warrant a terrorism label. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Price confirmed on Thursday that the US does not consider the information to be convincing enough to follow Israel’s lead in blacklisting Palestinian groups. “During our review of this information, we have not changed our position or our approach to these particular organizations,” Price said. He refrained from condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinian organizations. “Different parties can read information differently, they can perceive threats differently,” Price said. “We will continue to review any information that is provided to us.” “We conveyed the message that there should be a very high bar to take action against civil society organisations. Our Israeli partners have in turn conveyed to us that they have achieved this high bar,” Price said. Asked how the U.S. measures that “high bar,” Price declined to elaborate, but acknowledged “the terrorist threat facing Israel” and pointed to Jerusalem’s right to raise such concerns. The six blacklisted organizations — al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Agricultural Work Committee, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Bisan, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees — are prominent, established groups. Most of the organizations have documented alleged human rights violations by Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority. Many have received significant grant funding from EU member states and the United Nations, among other donors, but not from the US. Al-Haq was told last month that its EU funding, which had been suspended, would be restored after an investigation into the organisation’s finances found no evidence of irregularities. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz endorsed the 2021 decision to blacklist the Committees of the Palestinian Women’s Union, the Bisan Research and Advocacy Center and Addameer, who represents Palestinian security detainees in Israeli military courts. Separately, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command rejected calls by Al-Haq and Defense for Children-International in Palestine to be removed from the terrorist list. A sixth organization, the Union of Agricultural Labor Committees, also remained listed as affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The IDF said Thursday that it raided and closed the offices of all six groups along with a seventh, the Health Work Committees. Price expressed U.S. concern about the raid at a press briefing hours later. “We will continue to seek additional information and convey our concern directly and privately to our Israeli partners,” Price said, adding that the US would review any information Israel provides in a timely manner. “During the recent events, and in the last few months, we have made it clear to our Israeli government partners and the Palestinian Authority that independent civil society organizations in the West Bank and Israel must be able to continue their important work,” Price said, indicating the Biden administration’s concern over Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s treatment of human rights groups. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and unlock access to some great Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this