European Union Commissioner for Security and Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said the European Union was “deeply concerned” by the Israeli army’s assault on the headquarters of six Palestinian NGOs last week.
Borrell said in a statement that the assault is “part of an alarming reduction in the space available to civil society in the Palestinian territories”, stressing that “these actions are unacceptable.”
Borrell stressed that the European Union “strongly supports NGOs in support of the right to freedom of expression and association”, noting that Israel has not provided “substantial information” to support its claims that the associations act as fronts for terrorist activities.
“If there is compelling evidence to the contrary, we will act on that basis. In the meantime, it is important to ensure that anti-terrorism legislation does not undermine civil society, its valuable work and its contribution to building more just and peaceful societies,” he added.
Source: The Times of Israel.