Statement Against Israel Declaring Six Human Rights Organizations as “Terrorist”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

The Israeli Defense Minister has tagged six human rights organizations in Palestine as “terrorists.” These organizations – Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees – are all well known for their courage in aiding the besieged Palestinian people as they continue to resist harsh and illegal occupation.

Labeling them as terrorists means the occupation forces can be even more aggressive and violent, including arresting and jailing the staff without cause, closing their offices, and seizing their assets. It outlaws the legal work they do, and it could prohibit funding – including support a number of the organizations currently receive from UNICEF and the European Union.

When the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression was refounded in Chicago in 2019, we received greetings from Addameer, the best known Palestinian organization working for the freedom of political prisoners.

CAARPR has always stated that we stand in unconditional solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. Here we stand again against the attacks by the settler colonial and apartheid regime of Israel.

Leading activists in the Chicago Alliance – Hatem Abudayyeh, steering committee member representing one of our affiliates, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Joe Iosbaker, CAARPR Labor Committee co-chair and long time rank and file leader of SEIU Local 73 – were targeted by the FBI in 2010. Their homes were raided, and they were subpoenaed to testify in a grand jury investigation of their anti-war and international solidarity work. The Alliance rallied in their defense, as well as the other 21 activists tarred with the falsehood of “providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.” We defended the Anti-War 23, the veteran Chicano activist in L.A., Carlos Montes, and Chicago’s legendary activist, Rasmea Odeh, all who were dragged into that witch hunt.

National Alliance founder Angela Davis co-authored a book in 1974 called, If They Come in the Morning. Then and today, we know that it is the duty of all those who struggle for freedom to speak out when repression is brought down upon our allies and comrades.

We support USPCN’s social media campaign to demand that the U.S. State Department, specifically Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Hady Amr, force Israel to rescind its unjust designation of these six essential Palestinian organizations.

See bit.ly/DefendPaliOrgs for resources. 

Free Palestine!

#StandWithThe6