Israeli raids in Ramallah raise concerns about shrinking civic space

Israeli forces raided premises in Al Bira, Ramallah, claiming they were offices of the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer) and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committee (UPWC), on 13 October 2026. This continues an alarming Israeli crackdown on Palestinian civic space marked by violent raids, arbitrary detentions, and undue restrictions on Palestinians’ freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.

During the raid, Israeli soldiers confiscated files and equipment and detained a journalist and a former prisoner. They left a written notice on the alleged premises of Addameer, a prominent human rights organization, claiming it is an “illegal entity”. Israeli forces also raided the courtyard of the Palestine Medical Complex, the largest public medical facility in the occupied West Bank.

Addameer and UPWC are two of six leading Palestinian civil society organizations designated as “terrorist” by Israeli authorities in 2021 based on vague definitions which led to unlawful restrictions on their human rights work. To date, no evidence was presented to substantiate the accusations.

Israeli authorities must immediately stop the crackdown on Palestinian civic space. Such raids and the detention of human rights defenders and protection workers have had a chilling effect on human rights work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory at a time when working towards protection of civilians, accountability, and justice is most desperately needed.