Al Mezan Center Condemns the Israeli Campaign against Non-Governmental and Charitable Organizations in the West Bank

For the fourth day in a row, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has continued its campaign against a number of health, educational, charitable and economic institutions in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The campaign had started in Hebron and resulted in shutting down tens of non-governmental, charitable and private institutions, in addition to damaging and confiscating property from them.
The IOF issued a decision incriminating everyone entering the 'Nablus Mall' after confiscating all assets of the Arab Palestinian Beit El-Mal Ltd.
, which is also known as the Development and Investment Trust Company, which owns the Nablus Mall.
The IOF also broke into the Nafha Society for the Defense of Prisoners and Human Rights in Nablus.
It confiscated its assets and issued a military order to close the Society for two years.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is highly concerned with the Israeli systematic conducts against NGOs and private businesses.
Such practices are expected to gravely impact on large segments of the Palestinian society, especially prisoners, detainees, the poor and unemployed people who receive aid and other services from these institutions.
Al Mezan Center condemns the Israeli procedures as they are violations of the principles of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which forbid arbitrary confiscation of public and private property by the occupying power in the occupied territories.
The Center regards these practices as new manifestations of the Israeli collective punishment policy, which also includes the siege of the Gaza Strip.
Collective punishment represents a grave violation of the IHL, and particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention relevant to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War.
These practices come as the construction of the Apartheid Wall continues in the West Bank, coinciding with the 4th anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion rendering it illegal and calling to dismantle it and compensate those who were affected by it.
This shows the international community's failure to fulfill its international obligations, which only encourages Israel to disregard its obligations under the IHL and escalate practices ranking to crimes.
Therefore, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights calls on the international community to intervene without delay to put an end to the IOF's violations of human rights and grave breaches of the IHL in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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