Israel’s ‘Terrorism’ Designation of Palestinian NGOs Is a Dangerous Escalation

Israel’s ‘Terrorism’ Designation of Palestinian NGOs Is a Dangerous Escalation
Shawan Jabarin, director of the al-Haq human rights group, at the organization’s offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Oct. 23, 2021 (AP photo by Majdi Mohammed).

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Last week, Israel placed “terrorism” designations on six Palestinian human rights groups, escalating an ongoing legal and political campaign against Palestinian civil society.

The move drew condemnations from the international human rights community, while initially attracting a muted response from the United States. Israeli officials reportedly plan to travel to Washington this week to share the intelligence assessments that informed the designations—after initially claiming that U.S. officials had been informed of the move in advance.

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