More than 130 Palestinian organizations have refused to sign a European Union grant request that stipulates among its criteria that recipients must refuse to transfer any EU assistance to terrorist groups or entities.
The 135 organizations in question steadfastly decline to sign the request, claiming Palestinian terrorist groups are merely "political parties," according to a statement by Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry.
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Shawan Jabarin, executive director of the Palestinian boycott organization Al-Haq, told The New Arab: "We demanded to include conditions stipulating that we do not have to recognize the criteria listed regarding terror groups."
A letter of protest was later sent to a meeting between EU representatives in the Palestinian Authority and representatives of Palestinian civil society organizations, led by Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Jabarin.
1/2 Unbelievable! Palestinian NGOs which call for the delegitimization of #Israel are refusing #EU aid because they are being required to distance themselves from terrorism!
— גלעד ארדן Gilad Erdan (@giladerdan1) January 1, 2020
In recent years, the Strategic Affairs Ministry has been revealing the shared ties between supposed Palestinian human rights organizations and terrorist groups. In its report released earlier this year, "The Money Trail," along with additional findings from organizations such as NGO Monitor, it was found that EU institutions have awarded millions of euros in financial aid to Palestinian civil society organizations that have ties to terrorist entities and promote boycotts against Israel.
Additionally, in its "Terrorists in Suits" report, the ministry cited more than 100 links between BDS organizations and internationally designated terrorist groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Hamas.
The PFLP is designated as a terrorist group by the European Union, United States, Canada, and Israel. Hamas is also considered a terrorist entity by the United States, Canada, and Israel.
According to the report, so-called Palestinian civil society organizations act as a medium for funds for terrorist entities, enabling them to raise money for their activities through legitimate bodies including the European Union. These organizations' opposition to criteria preventing the transfer of funds to terror-related activities proves the report's claim.
A Shin Bet security agency investigation into the August 2019 Ein Bubin bombing – in which 17-year-old Rina Shnerb was murdered and her brother and father were wounded – led to the arrest of 50 PFLP terrorists.
Those detained included senior officials who served in Palestinian "civil society" organizations, including one of the 135 Palestinian NGOs, Addameer.
Addameer is an organization which, alongside its ongoing campaign to boycott and delegitimize Israel, calls for the release of PFLP terrorists while also providing them with legal representation, according to NGO Monitor.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
