The Netherlands must speak out against unsubstantiated accusations against six Palestinian organisations

Today, the ELSC joined 31 Dutch organisations to call the Dutch government to condemn the recent allegations against six prominent Palestinian NGOs.

We call on the Dutch government to:

• To publicly speak out against the decision of the Israeli government and to condemn it as an unjustified restriction on civil society;
• To call on the Israeli government to revoke the decision in question with immediate effect;
• To continue its (financial) support to current Palestinian partner organisations and to ensure that Dutch banks and financial institutions do not follow this condemnation;
• To publicly express its support for the work of the six affected organisations;
• To give priority in its policy towards Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory to the protection of civil society and human rights defenders who stand up for the rights of Palestinians anywhere in the world.

Read the whole statement in English and in Dutch.

Picture: Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen. Cc Flickr | Sebastiaan ter Burg