Palestinian NGOs Refuse to EU Demand to Give Up Terror Ties

Over 130 Palestinian organizations have refused to sign a European Union grant request which stipulates that beneficiaries must not transfer any EU aid they receive to terrorist groups or entities.

The organizations would not accept the EU’s condition, claiming Palestinian terrorist groups are merely “political parties,” Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.

Shawan Jabarin, the executive director of the Palestinian boycott organization Al-Haq told the media outlet The New Arab, “We demanded to include conditions stipulating that we do not have to recognize the criteria listed regarding terror groups.” A letter of protest was later sent to a meeting between EU representatives in the Palestinian Authority and representatives of Palestinian civil society organizations, led by Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Jabarin.

In recent years, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs has been revealing the shared ties between supposed Palestinian human rights organizations and terrorist groups. In its report released early this year, “The Money Trail,” along with additional findings from organizations such as NGO monitor, it was found that EU institutions have awarded millions of euros in financial aid to Palestinian civil society organizations which have ties to terrorist entities and promote boycotts against Israel.