Shin Bet, Foreign Ministry rep heading to US over outlawed Palestinian groups

Israeli minister of Defense Benny Gantz attend a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting  on October 19, 2021.

Aaron Boxerman and Times of Isael staff write, “An envoy from the Shin Bet security service and the Foreign Ministry will be sent to the United States with “unequivocal” information proving six Palestinian human rights groups had terror ties that justify them being outlawed, a senior Israeli defense official said Sunday. Israel claims the targeted groups were a front for a small PLO faction with a violent history, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

“On Friday afternoon, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that the six Palestinian civil society groups — including prominent ones with significant backing and oversight from the European Union and other international bodies — were being designated terror organizations, asserting that they worked on behalf of the PFLP, which Israel considers a terror group.”

“Applying the terror label to the six groups, including some that receive European funding, appeared to catch the US and Europe off-guard. US officials said they were not warned in advance that Israel was moving against the groups and that they wanted more evidence. Israel later insisted some Biden administration officials were notified ahead of time.”…

Incoming State Prosecutor Amit Eisman,

“The list consisted of: Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees; ADDAMEER — Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; Bisan Center for Research and Development; al-Haq Organization; Defense for Children International — Palestine (DCI-P); and the Union Of Agricultural Work Committees. Gantz’s move sparked a swift backlash around the globe, with the EU, the Palestinian Authority, progressive Democrats, US Jewish groups, and international and Israeli human rights organizations expressing criticism.” (more…)