Joint letter on several European governments’ decisions tosuspend or review their funding to Palestinian and Israeli civilsociety organizations
We the undersigned are writing to you to raise concern regarding the decision by several European
governments to suspend or review their funding to several Palestinian and Israeli civil societyorganizations. We are deeply concerned by these developments and call on your government toreverse any decision to halt such crucial funding. A reduction in funds to these groups andorganizations will erode human rights protections across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT) and call into question your ability to credibly promote and protect universal humanrights values across the Middle East and North Africa.
In the last months, several European states, namely Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Swedenand Switzerland, as well as the European Commission have taken measures to suspend or review
their funding to Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations due to unfounded allegations ofdiversion of funding to terrorist organizations. These efforts have intensified following the attacks byHamas and other armed groups on 7 October 2023, where members of Hamas and other armed
groups committed summary killings, hostage-taking of civilians, and launching indiscriminate rocket
attacks into Israel.
While we fully agree that accountability and transparency must be at the heart of international
development aid and that donors have a responsibility to review funding regularly, we are concerned
about the timing, rationale and impact of the recent announced reviews. To our knowledge, thereasons for halting or reviewing funding include unsubstantiated concerns that monies could beindirectly diverted to armed groups such as Hamas and unsubstantiated claims that legitimate workby civil society organizations documenting and denouncing human rights violations by the Israeli
government amounts to antisemitism and/or incites violence against the state of Israel.
There is no credible evidence to date that any EU or European state funding has been channelled toPalestinian armed groups. Palestinian civil society organisations have for years been accused of links
to terrorism in an effort to undermine their work and their legitimacy. They have been subjected tohigh degree of scrutiny by international donors, and aid provided has been rigorously reviewed bydonors on a regular basis. The recent announcements by several European donors and the EU itself,
implicitly endorse Israel’s unfounded allegations of Palestinian NGOs as having terrorist links, andhave been enabled by years of misuse and abuse of global counter-terror regulations, including theFinancial Action Task Force recommendation no.8.
We are deeply concerned that these decisions amount to undue interference in the work of civilsociety organizations that promote and protect human rights for all in Israel and the OPT. Requiringorganizations to adhere to certain political lines that represent the political positions of donor states
infringes upon and restricts their freedom of expression. Already, Sweden and Switzerland havesuspended funding to organizations that do not condemn Hamas. The absence of suchcondemnation of criminal acts committed by Hamas and Palestinian armed groups against Israeli
civilians does not, however, amount to inciting violence or complicity in violence. Penalizing an
individual's or a group's silence on an issue directly flies in the face of their right to freedom ofexpression and freedom of conscience and belief. Only speech that violates the rights of others, oradvocates hatred and incites discrimination or violence should be prohibited.
These decisions also violates states’ commitments to human rights defenders under the EU HRDs
guidelines, the Swiss HRDs guidelines and overall commitment to human rights and freedom ofassociation. Freedom of association guarantees that every person can organize and form andparticipate in groups, either formally or informally. It encompasses the right of a group to takecollective action to pursue the interests of its members. The ability to seek, receive, and use funding,including external funding, is foundational to the right to freedom of association. No restrictions
should be placed on the exercise of the right to freedom of association unless they are prescribed bylaw and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety,

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public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights
and freedoms of others. Unsubstantiated and discriminatory accusations associating some civilsociety organizations operating in OPT with armed groups or criminal activities do not meet the test
for legitimate limitations on freedom of association. It is a violation of international law for counterterrorism or “anti-extremism” measures to be used as a pretext to constrain the work of
independent civil society.
The decision to suspend and review funding, particularly at this time, will only contribute further toan already dire human rights situation in Israel and the OPT. Human rights defenders andorganizations in Israel and the OPT are key actors in documenting human rights violations across theregion, advocating for accountability for those violations, and seeking effective remedy for victims
and survivors. These organizations make invaluable contributions to the work of international humanrights organizations, international organizations and governments in other regions with influence
over the human rights situation in Israel and the OPT. For these reasons, Israeli authorities havebeen restricting their ability to receive funding, thereby making them reliant on external funding.
Finally, the credibility of European governments’ approaches to the current crisis in Gaza, the WestBank and Israel has already been damaged by their restrictions on the rights to freedom ofexpression and assembly for people and groups protesting the Israeli authorities violations ofInternational Humanitarian law and potential war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. Many
European states are not only failing to call out Israeli Grave Breaches of International Humanitarian
Law or to hold those who are in violation to account, but are also taking actions that result in curbing
freedom of expression and assembly in Europe, and undermining civic space and protections ofhuman rights in Israel and the OPT through suspension of support for local human rights actors.
Threats to defund or the actual halt to funding for groups and organizations that champion humanrights in Israel and the OPT would align European states with repressive governments across MENA
that employ similar tactics to close civic space and silence vital voices doing vital work. We knowthat human rights for all can only be achieved with the meaningful involvement of civil society basedon principles of equality, security, justice, and human dignity. To prevent them continue their work
would only undermine hopes for a future where everyone in Israel and the OPT can enjoy equalrights.
Sincerely,Amnesty International
Civicus
Comité catholique contre la faim et pour le développement
Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité
EuroMed Rights
Frontline Defenders
Oxfam International
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