The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has provided the CIA with new intelligence regarding Palestinian civil society organizations that Israel has accused of involvement in terrorism.
The information was provided to the CIA last week, but the agency has not discussed the issue publicly since the report was published by Walla.
Israel is hoping to convince the US of its position on the NGOs after Washington, the European Union and the United Nations heavily criticized Jerusalem’s moves against the groups.
Israel tries to regain US favor on the Palestinian NGO issue
The latest attempt to convince the Biden administration that the groups have ties to terrorism apparently came last month when Israel closed several organizations it declared to be illegal last October.
The organizations have said Israel merely wants to silence them and their activities, which often involve political criticism and activism, including protests against Israeli control of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israel has said the organizations wear two hats – one helping with human-rights issues and the other aiding the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The Shin Bet on Wednesday recommended a limited reduction of work permits for laborers from a small area of the West Bank, following fighting between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the specified location.
An IDF soldier was killed Tuesday night
Maj. Bar Falah, deputy commander of the Nahal Brigade reconnaissance unit, was killed in an exchange of fire with two Palestinian gunmen near the village of Jalma, north of Jenin, early on Wednesday, the IDF reported.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz inspected the scene of the firefight and said the Jalma crossing would be closed until further notice.
“[This was] a serious attack that claimed the life of the late Maj. Bar Falah, who acted bravely and attacked the terrorists to protect the citizens of Israel,” he said in a statement. “I would like to send my condolences to his family.”
Gantz also decided to cease the issue of entry permits into Israel for residents of Kafr Dan, near Jenin, including work permits, effective immediately until further notice, the Coordinator of Government Operations in the Territories said.
“[This was] a serious attack that claimed the life of the late Maj. Bar Falah, who acted bravely and attacked the terrorists to protect the citizens of Israel,”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz
The Jerusalem Post has learned that the Shin Bet’s recommendations do not involve closures or large portions of the West Bank. Multiple Hebrew media outlets reported, however, that a much larger closure and aggressive move by the government was under consideration.
It was unclear if an Israeli official had told some media outlets that the Shin Bet backed these broader measures, when in fact the agency’s recommendations were much more modest.