Source: UN News: Sunday, 07 December 2025 00:01 AM
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has condemned the storming and demolition of the offices of the Agricultural Committee Union by Israeli military forces in the occupied West Bank. The UN office has expressed concern that this incident has occurred at a time when there has been an increase in cases of Israel targeting Palestinian civil society and human rights activists. The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) is a Palestinian non-governmental organization with offices in Ramallah and Hebron. During the Israeli action on Monday, December 1, 8 people present there were detained. This union, UAWC, is among the six Palestinian civil society organizations that Israel declared terrorists in 2021. Tweet URL
According to the UN Human Rights Office, those present in the building were blindfolded, handcuffed and forced to lie on the ground for several hours. UAWC is licensed under Palestinian law and has supported local farmers and rural communities for decades. Particularly those at risk of forced displacement or facing violence by residents of Israeli settlements. The human rights office said that the law under which Israel designated the group as terrorist in 2021 was interpreted too broadly and imposed restrictions on civil society that could not be justified.OHCHR OHCHR stressed that Israel has not presented evidence to support its allegations. Difficult times for the olive harvest The actions by military forces follow weeks of harassment and incitement by residents of Israeli settlements, with UWAC being targeted during olive harvest days. This year, it has been the most violent year recorded for the olive grove: as of mid-November, OHCHR has reported 87 Information was collected on 167 attacks carried out by residents of Israeli settlements on Palestinian communities. But violence is not limited to farmers only. The UN office has registered 81 human rights violation cases against human rights activists, volunteers and non-governmental organizations since October 1. These included 48 arrests or incidents of detention, and 22 physical attacks. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that Israel’s security operations in the occupied West Bank continue to be characterized by the use of unnecessary force, arbitrary detentions and ill-treatment. is expanding and Israel continues to illegally annex the territory. Ajit Sunghay, OHCHR head for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the international legal position is clear. “Israel must end its illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and, in line with the findings of the International Court of Justice, all from the Palestinian territories [इसराइली] Residents of settlements must be removed.” He said that under international law, Israel, as an occupying power, has clear obligations. These include respecting and protecting Palestinians’ right to earn their living, freedom of expression, and other rights.