Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Jerusalem are among the 37 international aid organizations that Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has banned from operating in Gaza by March 1.
According to the ministry, the organizations’ licenses have been revoked as of Jan. 1 for failing to meet new and more strict security and transparency standards regarding their Palestinian and international employees.
Deadline ended Dec. 31
Last March, Israel set a 10-month deadline for nongovernmental organizations to meet the new requirements, which mandate the complete disclosure of their staff, funding sources and operational structures. The deadline ended on Dec. 31.
Israel said the new standards are necessary to rule out any links to terrorism and terrorist organizations and noted that the organizations that have had their licenses revoked represent about 15% of NGOs working in Gaza.
Statements from both the European Union and the United Nations have condemned the move, noting that it would exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the two-year war has left most Gazans homeless, many living in tents amid worsening winter conditions.
A joint statement by 10 foreign ministers was released on Dec. 30, in which they warned of a “catastrophic” and “renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land
Farid Jubran, the spokesman of the Latin Patriarchate, noted in a Dec. 31 statement that Caritas Jerusalem is “a humanitarian and development organization operating under the umbrella and governance of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.”
He said that in Israel, Caritas Jerusalem is recognized as an ecclesiastical legal person, with its status and mission affirmed by the State of Israel through the 1993 Fundamental Agreement and the 1997 Legal Personality Agreement signed by the Holy See and Israel. He added that Caritas Jerusalem has not “undertaken any re-registration process with the Israeli authorities” and in addition, Caritas Internationalis does not “implement or conduct any direct interventions within the country.”
“Caritas Jerusalem will continue its humanitarian and development operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, in accordance with its mandate,” he said.
By Judith Sudilovsky | osvnews
