Israel stopping 35 NGOS from working in West Bank or Gaza

[Aliceisagooddog]

How on earth can this be justified? Organisations like MAP which have worked for years and are fully registered. Another example of Israels inhumanity.

"From the BBC: Israeli military body Cogat, which controls Gaza's crossings and co-ordinates aid deliveries, meanwhile said the INGOs facing suspension "did not bring aid into Gaza throughout the current ceasefire", which began 11 weeks ago. It added that "even in the past their combined contribution amounted to only about 1% of the total aid volume".

The diaspora affairs ministry said the primary reason INGOs had their licences revoked was "the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees," which it said was critical to preventing "the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures".

Fewer than 15% of the INGOs providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza were found to be in violation of the new regulatory framework, it added."

Have you read this?

It's utterly crazy the arbitrary conditions they are putting on aid workers. Of course aid workers would like to see those guilty of violating international law held to account for it. Who wouldn't, surely even the pro Israel posters here want Israel to be held to account for their violations? You can't force people to like you, when you spit on international law and harm people left right and centre of course people are going to want you to be held responsible for that. It's the same nonsense of treating Palestinians like shit and then insisting that the only reason Palestinians don't like Israel is because it's a Jewish state or because they are taught that in school.

Israel should try something radical like treating people outside of Israel like humans and they might find that things go a lot smoother for them. Nobody likes a bully and this is exactly what Israel is attempting to do to these NGOs bully them into going against what they stand for.

I haven't looked at the full information, but for my job (non charitable, finance related) I have had to provide full financial, tax, work, and residence history, criminal history (none - including parking tickets), fingerprints and physical description, along with current details for all family members to the American government (and 3 different states within America) for licensing, despite never having set foot in the US, and not planning to. If I was planning to work in the US, I would have to experience similar. I obviously also had to check all the normal stuff about not wanting to bring down America etc.

Now admittedly, this was just for key employees who required licensing - although they did require full org charts with names and positions for the company too. And this was just because there was money involved, not anything to do with terrorism.

It was shocking to me what I was expected to hand over, but none of the Americans I worked with batted an eyelid at the invasive level of information required.

It honestly doesn't so much different to that. Is what Israel are asking really that different to what most countries expect from companies asking to bring foreign employees into a country?

If people look at the security aspect they might better understand.

I think it was the Palestinian employees they wanted the info on.

The NGOs are not being bullied, they are being asked to provide information necessary for the security of Israel, which they have the option of not providing, which quite a few are doing. The conditions are not arbitrary but understandable given the security aspects as mentioned by @Ihatetomatoes

Gazans may also find that things go smoother for them if the large number that support Hamas stop doing so. They need new leadership if their lives are to significantly improve, which I'm sure we all want to see.

Pull the other one 😴 Where does staff not being able to express support for accountability for Israeli violations of international law fall into this? Do you think that is a fair requirement? Do you support accountability for International law violations?

It's not just Gazans is it Twiglets? It's Palestinians as a whole, I'm presuming you said Gazans because you know full well what is happening in the West Bank, you know the extent of their mistreatment by both the Israeli government and Israeli civillians and you can't come up with a snappy excuse for that. The Israeli government have no respect for anyone outside of Israel that has been shown by their behaviour time and time again.

I use the term Gazans and Palestinians interchangeably to discuss the Palestinians who live in Gaza and have always done this on MN across multiple discussions. So your presumptions are wrong.

Yes I do know what is happening in the West Bank and no, I don't agree with what the Settlers are doing there and what the Israel government is allowing there, but this thread is about the NGOs and whether the new conditions put upon them are arbitrary or justified.

Agree, all the new rules and regulations Israel have made up also apply to those NGO's working in the West Bank.

But these rules don't just apply to NGOs that help Gazans, they apply across the occupied territories.

Do you think that not being able to express support for accountability for Israeli violations of international law is a fair requirement?

Well, like I said, an org chart was required for all employees of the company I worked for, and in-depth from me (despite not being in America at all).

If these people are expecting to go in and out of another country (I'd guess Israel, rather than Jordan/Egypt), then there's always going to be stringent security requirements, due to the history. I used to go in and out of a country daily and just with customs issues my passport was inspected/bag searched/scanned every day. Given the security issues, it's not surprising they want to understand who's bringing things in and out of the country.

For example do you think an NGO working in Hebron shouldn't be allowed to look for Israel to be held to account for preventing Palestinians being allowed to walk down 'sterile streets' as Israel so nicely call them? How can they advocate for the Palestinians who have homes and businesses down these streets if they can't express support for violations of International law(which racial segregation is) being investigated and prosecuted?

But if they are Palestinians employees they are in their own country not going in and out of it.

Why is Israel the only country to ban them?

And further to this how do all the people who say 'I don't agree with' Israels actions in the West Bank ever expect it to stop if you are supporting Israel gagging NGOs from speaking out against it and seeking legal change, how do you see anything changing?

It doesn't make any sense to me. What is it you actually want to happen? No legal challenges, obviously no one wants armed struggles, what's left? Palestinians pack up and leave?

What is happening in the West Bank is well documented across multiple sources including mainstream media. No one is being gagged. There are security concerns with the NGOs refusing to provide the information requested.

As for whether I see anything changing re the West Bank, no I don’t.

I would like things to change there and for the Israeli government to take a tougher stance on the Settlers causing violence, but what I want to happen is irrelevant really as I can’t influence the Israeli government.

What other country would be affected by members of staff potentially denying the Holocaust happened or 7/10 happened?

Israel are the only country having to deal with Hamas. Their infiltration, which in case you aren't aware of, can lead to terrorist attacks.

"No one is being gagged" apart from the NGOs who agree to Israels terms to work in the occupied territories right? You can keep repeating that one term but it doesn't delete the other terms these NGOs have to agree to. When you support this you are supporting Israel stopping NGOs from expressing support for accountability for Israeli violations of international law. You are supporting stopping the people on the ground, on the front lines in many cases from seeking legal justice and change for Palestinians.

Its ridiculous to suggest there is gagging to prevent awareness of what is happening in the WB when everyone is well aware of it.

It is utterly evil depravity being hidden behind a thin veil of “security”.

To prevent change. I think it's pretty important that the people actually there on the ground seeing first hand what is happening(especially when you consider the racism that means Palestinians are not believed when they tell us what is happening) are able to support motions to have Israel held responsible legally for the pain and suffering they inflict on their fellow humans.

These rules mean that if a MSF worker for instance saw a child being shot point blank in the head by an Israeli soldier they would not be able to say anything to support that child and their family getting legal justice. The mind boggles as to why people here would support that.

If it is on the BBC I no longer believe any of it
Left wing anti semitic scum

Is that because they don’t always agree with your viewpoint?