The Union of Palestinian Women's Committees (UPWC; Arabic: اتحاد لجان المرأة الفلسطينية) is a Palestinian non-profit organization founded in the year 1980 "to empower Palestinian women on all levels and to contribute in the Palestinian national struggle against the Israeli military illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories".[1]
 | |
| Founded | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit |
| Focus | Empowering Palestinian women to contribute in the Palestinian national struggle |
Area served | Palestinian territories |
| Website | upwc |
In October 2021, UPWC was designated a terrorist organization by Israel, together with five other Palestinian non-profit, non-governmental organizations (Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defence for Children International – Palestine, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees).[2] The designation was condemned by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,[3] and the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights who called it a "frontal attack on the Palestinian human rights movement and on human rights everywhere."[4]
In July 2022, nine EU countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) issued a joint statement saying they will continue working with these six Palestinian organisations that Israel had banned because Israel had failed to prove that they should be considered terrorist groups.[5]
On 18 August 2022, Israeli forces raided the headquarters of the six organisations along with the Union of Health Work Committees (outlawed in 2020) in Ramallah and al-Bireh, removed computers and equipment and ordered their closure. [6][7][8]
References edit
- ^ "Union of Palestinian Women Committees". UN ESCWA. 2 May 2014.
- ^ Jonathan Lis,Hagar Shezaf, 'Gantz Declares Six Palestinian NGOs Terrorist Organizations,' Haaretz 22 October 2021
- ^ Human Rights Watch 'Israel/Palestine: Designation of Palestinian Rights Groups as Terrorists' 22 October 2021
- ^ UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights 'UN experts condemn Israel's designation of Palestinian human rights defenders as terrorist organisations' 25 October 2021
- ^ Hagar Shezaf: תשע מדינות באירופה: בהיעדר ראיות מישראל, נמשיך לסייע לארגונים האזרחיים בגדה / ‘Insufficient Evidence’: Nine EU Nations to Keep Ties With Palestinian NGOs Israel Blacklisted as Terrorist Groups. Haaretz, 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Israeli forces raid offices of several Palestinian CSOs in Ramallah". WAFA. 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank clashes, medics say". Reuters. 18 August 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Israel Raids Outlawed Palestinian Rights Groups' Offices in West Bank". Haaretz.