Civic space under siege amid escalating Israeli attacks

Introduction

The crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, including collective punishment, bombing and targeting of homes, residential towers, health institutions, ambulances, and the closure of crossings to let in fuel, goods, water, medicine and other supplies continue to be denounced by civil society in the region. In their petition, ANND called on the international community to stop its double standards towards the Palestinian issue and to intervene in order to end the conflict and find a final solution on the basis of relevant international legitimacy resolutions and respect for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The petition highlights the fact that the developments witnessed by Gaza confirm that the region will not witness stability unless the right of the Palestinian people to live in dignity and security and to enjoy all their rights is finally recognised. Several UN experts have indicated their concerns on the grave violations committed by Israel, noting evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to “destroy the Palestinian people under occupation”, loud calls for a ‘second Nakba’ in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure, and further exercabating the systematic violations on civic space.

Association

A UN report demonstrated that Palestinian organisations have been working under “increasingly restricted civic space through a strategy of delegitimizing and silencing civil society. This includes criminalising Palestinian civil society organisations and their members by labelling them as “terrorists,” pressuring and threatening institutions that give a platform for civil society discourse, actively lobbying donors, and implementing measures intended to cut sources of funding and support.”

An unpublished study conducted by Palestinian NGO Network, referenced in a detailed report entitled “SUFFOCATING PALESTINIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS: A Means to an End” published by Al Haq lists several trends in attacks against Palestinian CSOs in Jerusalem including:

• Israeli banks imposing restrictions on money transfers from and to Palestinian CSOs.
• Israeli government-affiliated organisations, who function under the façade of civil society organisations, targeting Palestinian CSOs.
• Israeli occupying authorities imposing restrictions on Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem, which make it difficult for organisations to recruit competent staff.
• Targeting of staff of Palestinian organisations with intimidation and terrorisation measures, including summons, arrests and movement restrictions.
• Subjecting the offices of Palestinian CSOs to raids, through which their equipment is destroyed and confiscated.
• Banning of peaceful activities organised by Palestinian CSOs, such as gatherings, under the reasoning that these activities are affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.
• Staff and participants in Palestinian organised activities fear Israeli reprisals.

Similarly within this context, the decision by several European governments to cut funding raised concern with civil society. In a joint statement around 100 organisations pointed out that the suspension of funding would further restrict civic space and noted that there is no credible evidence to date that any EU or European state funding has been channelled to Palestinian armed groups. Palestinian organisations have been subjected to a high degree of scrutiny by international donors, and aid provided has been rigorously reviewed by donors on a regular basis. Decisions to cut their funding amount to undue interference in the work of civil society organisations that promote and protect human rights.

A statement signed by 18 organisations raised similar concerns after the Swiss government suspended funding to Palestinian CSOs. The statement called for the resumption of funding and the lifting of suspensions imposed on 11 organisations.

Expression

As of 7th December 2023, 56 journalists and media workers in Palestine were confirmed dead according to CPJ. As with the restrictions imposed on civil society organisations discussed above in the association section, the targeting of Palestinian media has not been a random act, but rather a systematic policy practised by Israel as documented by The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), including but not limited to:

• Informal agreements or understandings with social media companies regarding removing posts and blocking pages, news content, and accounts related to Palestine, which is a discriminatory measure and a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression and opinion.
• Direct attacks against journalists and media inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory (the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip), ranging from closing media outlets and radio stations and classifying them as “terrorist organisations,” which forced many journalists to abandon their careers.
• Preventing the media services provided to companies from operating and closing them with military orders, as happened with the Al Jazeera channel office and the “J-Media” Agency, which poses a serious threat to the existence of the Palestinian media.
• Confiscation of equipment, including cameras, mobile phones and laptops, and destruction of expensive broadcasting equipment and other devices without any compensation or reparation.
• Mass prevention of coverage, especially with many events and violations taking place on the ground, as the Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian journalists from covering or reaching certain areas within the West Bank.
• Preventing journalists from travelling and impeding their rights to movement throughout the West Bank as a discriminatory measure against journalists.
• Excessive use of force against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip. Some instances of journalist killings were also documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) shedding light on the lack of accountability, transparency and information, with continuous acts of discounting evidence and witness claims; failing to respect press insignia; pushing false narratives on media reporting; and accusing journalists of terrorism.
• Access to information has also been infringed given that since 9th October 2023, the 2.3 million residents of Gaza have been experiencing a devastating near-complete communications blackout. SMEX highlights that, historically, the Israeli occupation has always targeted telecom networks in Gaza and, by having access to the control units of Palestinian networks, occupation forces can penetrate the Palestinian telecom and internet system, collect information and monitor everything.