Nine European Union states said in a joint statement on Tuesday they would continue working with the six Palestinian civil society groups that Israel designated terrorist associations last year due to a lack of evidence for that claim.
Israel designated six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organisations and accused them of funneling donor aid to militants, a move that drew criticism from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs.
The groups include Palestinian human rights organisations Addameer and Al-Haq, which document alleged rights violations by both Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank and which reject the charges.
The foreign ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden said they had not received "substantial information" from Israel that would justify reviewing their policy.
"Should evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly," they said. "In the absence of such evidence, we will continue our cooperation and strong support for the civil society in the oPT (occupied Palestinian territories).
"A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the two-state solution.”
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek the territories for a future state.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Nick Macfie)
