Shrinking Palestinian Civic Space: IOF Raid and Close UHWC in al-Bireh
Date: 09 June 2021 – Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
▻https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/shrinking-palestinian-civic-space-iof-raid-and-close-uhwc-in-al-bireh
On Wednesday, 09 June 2021, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided and ransacked the Headquarter of the of the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC) in Sateh Marhaba neighborhood al-Bireh. They confiscated some its contents and then closed it. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns IOF’s closure of a healthcare organization, stressing it is part of IOF’s systematic policy to polish off the Palestinian civil society and undermine its role in supporting the Palestinian resilience under the occupation.
According to PCHR’s follow-up, at approximately 05:00, IOF backed by military vehicles moved into al-Bireh and stationed in Sateh Marhaba neighborhood. IOF raided UHWC’s headquarter (2 floors in al-Sartawi building). They removed the outside doors and raided and ransacked the headquarter. They confiscated the hard disks from the computers and removed the cupboard doors to confiscate the files. IOF then closed the main door of the UHWC’s office with metal bars and fixed an order issued by the “Israel Defense Forces Commander in Judea and Samaria” to close immediately the office for 6 months. The order also warned the employees from entering their offices otherwise they will be arrested or prosecuted for disobeying the military orders.
Shatha ‘Odeh, UHWC’s Director, commented on the order to close the office and said, “this military order will negatively affect the organization’s work and continuity to provide healthcare services to citizens as the closure of the headquarter will hinder work in the branch offices in terms of administrative and financial matters. Moreover, the closure will restrict our relation with the donors when they know that the headquarter is closed in addition to shaking the confidence of medicine and medical devices’ suppliers in the organization.”
Previously on 08 March 2021, IOF raided and ransacked the same headquarter in addition to confiscating the computers. At the same time, they arrested one of the organization’s employees from his house in Ramallah. At the time, PCHR condemned this incident and called upon the international community to take action in order to protect the Palestinian civil society.
It should be noted that UHWC is a well-respected Palestinian non-governmental organization that was founded in 1985. UHWC is active in the field of health and community development in the Palestinian territory from a human rights perspective; it has branches in most Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (...)