The United States expressed its concern after the Israeli occupation army closed down 7 Palestinian associations in the West Bank, claiming that they were "terrorist".
This came in a statement by US State Department spokesman Ned Price during a press conference yesterday, Thursday, in which he also said that the US administration is conducting contacts with Israel "at a high level" to obtain more information about these associations, noting that Tel Aviv promised to provide Washington with this. the information.
"We will review what is presented to us and come to our own conclusion," Price said.
Yesterday, Thursday, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Ramallah in the West Bank and closed the headquarters of 7 Palestinian associations with red wax, namely, Al-Haq Foundation - Law for Humanity, Addameer for Prisoner Care and Human Rights, Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Working Women’s Committees, and Health Work Committees. Federation of Agricultural Work Committees, and Defense for Children International.
And the Israeli army announced in a statement that members of its forces and border guards closed down "seven organizations and confiscated property used by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine."
Associations challenge the occupation
For their part, the targeted associations confirmed that they will continue to carry out their work, despite the closure of their headquarters.
Al-Haq legal advisor Ashraf Abu Hayya said that the closure of the institution came after a series of prosecutions and targeting of its employees, and after some of them were threatened and prevented from traveling.
He added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that "the work of the Al-Haq Foundation will not stop, and monitoring and documentation to expose the crimes of the occupation will continue."
Israel had classified these Palestinian associations as "terrorist" in October 2021, which sparked a wave of protest in Europe, where more than one European country confirmed its willingness to continue supporting these institutions.
The headquarters of all these institutions are located in the cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, which are within the classified “A” area, which is under Palestinian security control according to the Oslo Agreement signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1993.