Israel failed to submit sufficient evidence against outlawed Palestinian NGOs, sources say - Israel News - Haaretz

"European diplomats: Israel has not presented sufficient evidence against civilian organizations in the West Bank
According to sources, the European Commission is not expected to open an investigation into the organizations that Defense Minister Ganz has accused of terrorist activity, after being under the impression that the evidence presented in the case “does not reach the standard required for proof.”
Israel has not provided European countries with sufficient evidence regarding the six civil society organizations in the West Bank that it has accused of activities on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation and Funding of Palestine, European diplomats said in talks with Haaretz. According to sources, the European Commission’s Fraud Investigation Office (OLAF) is not expected to open an investigation into the organizations following an initial investigation into the matter.
In October, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz signed an order declaring the organizations Admir, al-Haq, Bisan, the women’s committees, DCI-P and the agricultural committees as terrorist organizations. Organizations deny this claim. Talks with the representatives of six countries show that in recent months Israel has provided them with materials designed to prove its claims against them through diplomatic channels and intelligence channels. “It’s simple, we were given evidence and we did not find it strong enough,” said one of the diplomats. Another added that in most countries it is believed that the evidence presented “does not reach the required threshold of proof of transfer of funds”.
So far, most representatives of the EU member states have refrained from making public statements, also due to the intention to wait for the EU’s position on the matter to be published. In early May, the Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation, Miriam Kithir, said that an inspection conducted by the administration found “no information confirming the allegations regarding the organizations that Belgium supports”, and that there was no reason to take action against them. The Bissan and DCIP organizations receive indirect funding from the Belgian government through funds. In December, Denmark stated that it had not yet been presented with evidence to support Israeli claims against the organizations, and sources made it clear that its position had not changed since. The Dutch foreign minister recently met with representatives of al-Haq in Ramallah, and was later quoted as saying that “no single European country has reached the same conclusions as Israel.”
Last May, the European Commission suspended its support for al-Haq, even before Gantz’s statement, after Israel made allegations about the connection between the organization and the Popular Front. Following Gantz’s statement, the commission also froze funding given to the organization of agriculture committees by the Oxfam organization. In talks with Haaretz, diplomats defined the commission’s choice to freeze its support for al-Haq as early as May as an unusual move. “It was very strange to see the Commissioner take a different position from the member states,” said one of them.
In talks with diplomats, the name of Oliver Varhali, the EU commissioner for neighboring countries close to Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Urban, was raised as the factor behind the move. “The prevailing perception today is that Varhali is pushing the Hungarian position,” said one of the diplomats. Others also noted the delay in European support for the Palestinian Authority over allegations of anti-Semitism in textbooks as a move by Varhali. “This is the first time we have seen such a thing, and it is not just towards Palestine,” another source said. Al-Haq argues that the European Commission’s conduct regarding the suspension of funds was characterized by a lack of transparency and a lack of response that are “violations of the standards of good administration.”
Some organizations claim that during the examination of the Israeli claims, budgets intended to support them were delayed or stopped, and in some cases the funding has been renewed since then. In April, UN experts called for a resumption of funding delayed for organizations while the allegations were being investigated. In January following the freeze on Oxfam’s support, in January Dutch funding for the organization was finally suspended following the publication of government conclusions regarding the organization’s conduct, which found no evidence of transfer of funds to the Popular Front, but found personal links between workers and members of the organization and the Popular Front.
A diplomatic source told Haaretz that regardless of an official decision on the matter, the damage to the organizations had already been done. “I think Israel got what it wanted,” he said. “It will deter the countries in any case - because we will never know if Israel will enforce its decisions, and what the consequences will be for non-profit workers on our behalf, for example.”
Obei Abodi of the Bissan organization said it was an attempt to isolate Palestinians from the international community. Aboudi, whose departure abroad was prevented by the GSS after being convicted as part of a plea deal with companies at the front, said that “this is part of Israel’s general policy - to isolate the Palestinians more and more, so that it can continue its activities without documentation.”
The Foreign Ministry said: "The declarations of the six organizations as terrorist organizations were made after a careful examination of all relevant elements in Israel, signed by the Minister of Defense and in force. “On an important and significant issue, but their consent is not a condition for the implementation of the declarations, and we expect them to respect the Israeli decision and prevent assistance from organizations that have been legally defined as terrorist organizations in Israel.”
The EU’s Fraud Investigation Office has said it does not respond to cases it handles to protect the confidentiality of investigations. The European Commission said: "Civil society contributes to good governance and sustainable development in the EU, in Israel, in Palestine and everywhere. European funding for Palestinian civil society organizations is an important element of our support for a two state solution. “International law, human rights and democratic values. We comprehensively analyze the additional information received from the Israeli authorities after the announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in November 2021. Declarations coming from partner countries are taken very seriously.”