22 members of the American Congress denounced the closure of Palestinian civil society organizations by the Israeli occupation government.
The 22 members of Congress said in a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines that signatures are still being collected regarding the Israeli government's designation of key Palestinian organizations. human rights groups as "terrorist organizations": "The lack of reported evidence to support this decision raises fears that this is a repressive move designed to criminalize and silence key Palestinian human rights organizations."
It should be noted that on August 18, the occupation forces closed down seven civil society institutions in the city of Ramallah, which are: (Al-Dameer for Prisoners and Human Rights, the International Movement to Defend Children, Al-Haq, Federation of Agricultural Work Committees, Federation of Health Work Committees, Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, Bissan Research and Development Center).
The message from the members of Congress stressed that: “Counter-terrorism legislation should not be applied to legitimate human rights and humanitarian activities,” the lawmakers continued. “Furthermore, repressive tactics such as the criminalization of organizations should not be used to suppress or deny the right to freedom of association, suppress political opposition or limit peaceful civil society activities.
In their letter, the lawmakers demanded an interagency briefing to discuss the designation and a report to Congress on their efforts within 30 days.
Among the signers of the letter are members of Congress: Eleanor Holmes Norton, James Waters, Betty McCollum, Rashida Tlaib, Donald Payne Jr., Hank Johnson, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Corey Bush.
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