The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) strongly condemns the newly released registration requirements imposed by the government of the Israeli occupation. These measures are not routine regulations—they are a political tool designed to control humanitarian operations, restrict civil society space, and silence international advocacy for Palestinian rights. By forcing international NGOs (INGOs) to comply with invasive oversight and politically motivated conditions, the Israeli occupation is violating fundamental humanitarian principles and international law.
Under the new framework, INGOs must hand over extensive operational and financial details, including sensitive personal data of Palestinian employees, exposing staff to risks of harassment, movement restrictions, and prosecution. Approval is not guaranteed and can be arbitrarily revoked based on vague political criteria, including alleged support for boycotts, legal accountability efforts, or statements critical of Israeli policies.
PNGO notes that this process is not about regulation; it is a mechanism to coerce INGOs into silence, limit their advocacy, and isolate Palestinian organizations from international partnerships.
Unlike other contexts where NGOs engage with governments in administrative processes, Israeli occupation has a documented record of using security measures to target, restrict, and criminalize humanitarian workers. This measure puts Palestinian staff at risk of harassment, movement restrictions, and potential prosecution, while also allowing the occupying state to pick and choose which international organizations can remain based on their political alignment.
At a time when political leadership is absent or constrained, Palestinian civil society has played a critical role in filling the vacuum, delivering essential services, advocating for human rights, and sustaining international legal efforts. Now more than ever, the international community must reinforce support for Palestinian organizations rather than allowing the Israeli occupation to dictate the terms of humanitarian assistance. The expulsion or deregistration of INGOs would devastate Palestinian-led initiatives, cutting off crucial funding, technical expertise, and in particular global advocacy platforms at a time of unprecedented need.
If allowed to stand, these measures will set a dangerous precedent for authoritarian governments worldwide, encouraging other states to impose politically motivated restrictions on INGOs, suppress dissent, and instrumentalize humanitarian work for political control. The international community must act now to prevent a global erosion of humanitarian principles and civil society space.
PNGO calls on INGOs to refrain from engaging with this coercive registration framework, refuse to submit to conditions that compromise their independence, and stand firm in protecting humanitarian principles and speak out against these measures collectively.
PNGO calls on the United Nations, international organizations, and The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) to take a strong and united position against these measures and ensure INGOs are protected from political interference.
PNGO also calls on the United Nations to publicly reject this framework and refuse to engage with it, setting a clear precedent that humanitarian operations must remain independent.
It calls on Donor governments also to take immediate action, rejecting the Israeli occupation’s attempts to dictate who can provide aid, safeguarding Palestinian civil society from further restrictions, and using diplomatic channels to counter the occupation’s obstruction of humanitarian work.
PNGO emphasizes that this is not just an attack on INGOs - it is part of a broader strategy to dismantle Palestinian civil society and suppress international advocacy. The humanitarian and human rights community must not legitimize these restrictions.
Now is the time to resist political interference, defend Palestinian organizations, and ensure that humanitarian space remains independent, principled, and protected from coercion.
