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PLO opens its offices to rights groups closed by Israel

August 22, 2022 at 9:19 am

Israeli forces raided and shut down 7 Palestinian NGOs in Ramallah, West Bank on 18 August 2022 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) yesterday announced that it had opened its offices as temporary headquarters for the seven rights groups closed by Israel, the PLO’s Human Rights Department said.

Following an emergency meeting held in Ramallah, the PLO’s Human Rights Department said that its decision comes in response to the Israeli decision to close the Palestinian rights groups.

During the meeting, Fatah Deputy Head, Mahmoud Al Aloul, said: “The closure of the seven Palestinian rights groups is part of the Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinians on a daily basis.”

Head of PLO’s Human Rights Department, Ahmad Al Tamimi, said that the department is ready to offer all the needed support for the rights groups to be able to resume their work.

Director of Al-Haq, Shawan Jabarin, said: “The Israeli closure of the offices of the rights groups is a political measure which is targeting all Palestinians.”

READ: US ‘concerned’ over Israel raids on Palestinian NGOs, admitting lack of evidence for terror claims

On Thursday at dawn, Israeli forces raided the city of Ramallah in the West Bank and closed the offices of seven Palestinian human rights NGOs.

The raid included six NGOs designated as “terrorist organisations” in 2021, as well as the Union of Health Work Committees, which Israelclaims is linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), outlawed by Tel Aviv.