Brussels – Israel is preventing international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGOs) from carrying out their work in Gaza by introducing rules that make it difficult for them to operate in the territory. This has drawn unanimous condemnation from the European Union, with the European Parliament and the European Commission taking a united stance: Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is blocking the way for NGOs.
The first criticism comes from the European Parliament, in the form of a parliamentary question signed by 18 MEPs from the Socialists (S&D) and Greens, with representatives from the PD and AVS among the signatories. The focus is on the Israeli government’s new regulations, which require international humanitarian non-governmental organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank to provide a range of personal data on their employees, as well as their family members, for the purposes of screening and profiling. The signatories claim that, on the one hand, this “undermines privacy principles and puts humanitarians’ safety at risk,” and on the other, these new rules “may force international NGOs to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories imminently, further worsening the humanitarian situation on the ground.”
The EU executive shares the same concerns: “The Commission recognizes that the new registration rules for international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (‘INGOs’) are a significant obstacle to their operations in Gaza,” said Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Justice, speaking on behalf of the entire College. The question now is what action to take against Israel. Does the Jewish state meet the adequacy criteria regarding the processing of personal data, or, on the contrary, is there a risk of mass surveillance and monitoring in full violation of fundamental rights?
The MEPs who signed the question believe the Commission should exert pressure on Israel to “fulfill its registration obligations in order to maintain its adequacy status”, failing which it should declare Israel a country that does not comply with EU regulations. For now, nothing changes. But, McGrath assures that “the legal framework gives the Commission the tools to react if the level of protection would weaken, including the possibility to propose the amendment, suspension or repeal of an adequacy decision.” The EU could therefore intervene. Meanwhile, Israel faces yet another condemnation from Europe.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
