Stand up against silencing of Palestinian civil society

Write letters to your MSPs and MPs to ask them to take action against Israel's designation of six Palestinian independent non-governmental civil society organisations as 'terror organisations'. 

Ask them to take immediate action by:

• making a public statement in support of these organisations and calling on Israel to rescind these designations
• refusing to meet with Israeli government officials until Israel recognises and respects international law and Palestinian rights to equality, justice and freedom
• urging the Scottish Government not to meet Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett or any Israeli official during the COP26 Summit in Glasgow  

The six organisations are:

1. Al-Haq: established in 1979 to protect and promote human rights and the rule of law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the organisation has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
2. Addameer, established in 1991 to support Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli and Palestinian prisons; offers free legal aid to political prisoners, advocates their rights at the national and international level, and works to end torture and other violations of prisoners' rights through monitoring, legal procedures and solidarity campaigns.  Addameer works closely with international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.  
3. Defense for Children International Palestine: a Palestinian child rights organisation dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.  It is a national section of Defence for Children International (DCI), an international child-rights movement and non-governmental organisation established in 1979.
4. Union of Palestinian Women's Committees: a feminist, progressive, and civil grassroots organisation established in 1980, striving to build a progressive, democratic, and civil Palestinian society away from all forms of discrimination aiming to achieve justice for all.
5. Bisan Research and Advocacy Center: works with youth organisations, feminist organisations and workers to reinforce and preserve Palestinian national identity in marginalised and rural areas from all over Palestine to support their struggle in advancing their socio-economic rights.
6. Union of Agricultural Work Committees: established in 1986 by a group of agronomists as an agricultural development institution to deal with the challenges faced by farmers and fisherpersons.  Their objectives include the promotion of sovereignty over natural resources and adapting them with climate change, and protecting and defending farmers' national and democratic rights.

Al-Haq has issued a statement:
'Al-Haq is one of the leading Palestinian organizations calling for accountability and an end to Israel’s impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is no coincidence that Israel’s recent escalation of punitive measures against Al-Haq and fellow civil society organisations, has come in the immediate aftermath of the opening of an International Criminal Court investigation into Israel’s crimes in the Situation in Palestine.'

Shawan Jabarin, Al-Haq General Director:
"The recent allegations against Al-Haq and fellow organizations are a result of the Israeli failure to challenge the work of the organization on the basis of law or evidence. Deciding instead to use its political power as an occupying colonial regime with the ability to create the law that serves its illegal interests."