As someone who cares deeply about Israel and Palestine, and peace for both nations, I urge you to sign on to Representative Ayanna Pressley’s (D-MA) important letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, expressesing serious concern for the six prominent Palestinian human rights organizations the Israeli government designated as “terrorist organizations” last fall.

These civil society groups, Al Haq; Addameer; Defense For Children International-Palestine; Bisan; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, work directly with Palestinian women and girls, children, low-income families, prisoners, and civil society activists, providing direct services and monitoring human rights abuses by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

In the months since, Israel has failed to provide any public evidence to substantiate its allegations. The "secret" documents distributed to European diplomats, members of Congress, and administration officials by the Israeli government fail to provide concrete evidence of the alleged connections between the groups and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). While the evidence behind these claims has still not been made clear, what is clear is the significant chilling effect the Israeli government’s attacks on Palestinian NGOs will have on both Palestinian and Israeli civil society.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s letter expresses serious concern for the six Palestinian human rights organizations and requests an inter-agency briefing to discuss this designation and the secret evidence distributed by the Israeli government. The letter urges Secretary Blinken and Director Haines to; call on the Israeli government to reverse course; to confirm a date for an inter-agency briefing with members of Congress; and provide a report to Congress on these efforts within 30 days, and ultimately to publicly reject this decision.

We cannot afford to be silent in light of this naked attempt at suppression. As a supporter of a liberal and democratic Israel, I urge you to sign on to this important letter.

As someone who cares deeply about Israel and Palestine, and peace for both nations, I want to thank you for your important letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, expressesing serious concern for the six prominent Palestinian human rights organizations the Israeli government designated as “terrorist organizations” last fall.

These civil society groups, Al Haq; Addameer; Defense For Children International-Palestine; Bisan; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, work directly with Palestinian women and girls, children, low-income families, prisoners, and civil society activists, providing direct services and monitoring human rights abuses by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

In the months since, Israel has failed to provide any public evidence to substantiate its allegations. The secret documents distributed to European diplomats and members of Congress by the Israeli government fail to provide concrete evidence of the alleged connections between the groups and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). While the evidence behind these claims has still not been made clear, what is clear is the significant chilling effect the Israeli government’s attacks on Palestinian NGOs will have on both Palestinian and Israeli civil society.

We cannot afford to be silent in light of this naked attempt at suppression. As a supporter of a liberal and democratic Israel, I want to thank you for your leadership on this important matter.

As someone who cares deeply about Israel and Palestine, and peace for both nations, I want to thank you for signing on to Representative Ayanna Pressley’s (D-MA) important letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, expressesing serious concern for the six prominent Palestinian human rights organizations the Israeli government designated as “terrorist organizations” last fall.

These civil society groups, Al Haq; Addameer; Defense For Children International-Palestine; Bisan; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, work directly with Palestinian women and girls, children, low-income families, prisoners, and civil society activists, providing direct services and monitoring human rights abuses by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

In the months since, Israel has failed to provide any public evidence to substantiate its allegations. The secret documents distributed to European diplomats and members of Congress by the Israeli government fail to provide concrete evidence of the alleged connections between the groups and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). While the evidence behind these claims has still not been made clear, what is clear is the significant chilling effect the Israeli government’s attacks on Palestinian NGOs will have on both Palestinian and Israeli civil society.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s letter expresses serious concern for the six Palestinian human rights organizations and requests an inter-agency briefing to discuss this designation and the secret evidence distributed by the Israeli government. The letter urges Secretary Blinken and Director Haines to; call on the Israeli government to reverse course; to confirm a date for an inter-agency briefing with members of Congress; and provide a report to Congress on these efforts within 30 days, and ultimately to publicly reject this decision.

We cannot afford to be silent in light of this naked attempt at suppression. As a supporter of a liberal and democratic Israel I want to thank you for your leadership on this important matter.