Ref: 104/2021

Date: 29 July 2021

Time: 11:00 GMT

Today in the morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided and ransacked two NGOs in Ramallah and al-Bireh: the head office of Bisan Center for Research and Development and the Defense for Children International (DCI) -Palestine Office.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns IOF’s systematic practices against the civil society organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), jeopardizing its existence. PCHR emphasizes that these practices are part of the Israeli occupation’s campaign that targets the civil society organizations and activists and undermines their work either by defaming and arresting their staffs or closing the organizations providing services to promote the Palestinian people’s identity and steadfastness.

According to Information collected by PCHR, at approximately 03:30 on Thursday, 29 July 2021, IOF raised the head office of Bisan Centre for Research and Development in al-Nahdah Building in al-MAsyoun neighborhood in Ramallah.  They searched the Center’s offices, ransacked its contents and seized 2 computers.  

The Centre’s Director, Obay al-Aboudi, said to PCHR’s fieldworker that IOF banged down the Centre’s main door with a tool specifically for demolition and broke the glass of 3 interior doors.  They thoroughly searched all the Centre’s lockers and seized 2 computers: a laptop and a computer set. 

It should be noted that Bisan Centre for Research and Development is a non-profit progressive and democratic NGO for development and research working for promoting the Palestinian People’s resilience.

Afterwards, particularly at approximately 05:00, IOF raided DCI –Palestine office in the first floor of al-Sartawi Building in Sotoh Marhaba neighborhood, east of al-Bireh, after destroying the outside door and tampered with the office contents.  IOF also seized 6 computers and some files relevant to DCI’s work.

According to information obtained by PCHR from ‘Amer Qteish, Director of the Accountability Program at DCI- Palestine, IOF banged down the office door and stayed there for an hour and a half and then withdrew, firing teargas canister all their way out of the building.

It should be noted that IOF systematically target the civil society organizations in the oPt to undermine their role either by closing, raiding or arresting their staff members.  One of the latest assaults was IOF’s closure of the head office of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in al-Bireh on 07 July 2021 and confiscation some of its contents after ordering to close the office for 6 months in addition to arresting Shatha ‘Odah, UAWC’s Director, from her house in Ramallah and confiscating her car.  Moreover, on 09 July 2021, UWAC’s head office was previously closed in Ramallah.

PCHR condemns in the strongest terms IOF’s flagrant attacks against Civil Society Organizations in the West Bank and reiterates its call upon the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take serious action in order to stop the Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians and the Palestinian Civil Society Organizations.