Brussels, 14/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Several human rights organisations, including the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), have expressed their “deep concern” at the decision (by 41 votes to 15) of the Knesset in Israel to set up a parliamentary commission to investigate Israeli human rights organisations. The Israeli NGOs are suspected of supplying information to the United Nations Goldstone Enquiry into the facts of the Gaza conflict or of monitoring human rights breaches by Israeli security forces. The commission's remit is to examine the activities of Israeli organisations which helped with information gathering on military personnel and to trace their sources of funding.
The human rights organisations call on the EU, and in particular on EU High Representative and Commission Vice-President Catherine Ashton, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek to publicly state their concern over the Knesset decision. They say that this is a “deplorable attempt” on the part of the Israeli Right-wing to silence and restrict the activities in Israel of human rights organisations. They express full solidarity and support for the 16 NGOs in Israel which jointly signed a letter in which they oppose the establishment of the parliamentary commission and state that “in a democracy, criticising the policies of the government is not only legitimate but essential”. (F.B./transl.rt)