Jerusalem (EFE).- The Israeli government will revoke the operating licenses of several NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), considering that employees of these organizations «were involved in terrorist activities.»
As of Tuesday, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism announced the veto, which is the result of a widely criticized regulation requiring NGOs to provide information about their workers to register.
The Ministry reported that 15% of the organizations affected by the veto did not provide the Israeli authorities with «complete and verifiable information about their employees.» However, it does not detail how many.
The Ministry accuses MSF of having «affiliated individuals» linked to Palestinian Islamist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
Israel introduced the new registration system for international NGOs in Mar. 2025, which the United Nations criticized as being based on «vague, arbitrary, and highly politicized criteria» that humanitarian organizations could not meet without violating international legal obligations or compromising fundamental humanitarian principles.
In addition, Israel stipulated that reasons for denying permission to operate in the Palestinian territories include denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, promoting delegitimization campaigns against Israel, instigating boycotts, and supporting the prosecution of Israeli security forces in foreign or international courts.
In its statement, the Diaspora Ministry reported that organizations failing to comply with the required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended. In addition, the Ministry confirmed that these measures will not affect the flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, as they affect only a small fraction of total humanitarian activity.
According to the Ministry, security reviews revealed that employees of particular organizations were involved in terrorist activities and detailed the case of MSF, an organization that «did not provide complete information about the identity and functions» of individuals allegedly linked to Islamist organizations.
It added that the new registry establishes «clear transparency requirements, including full disclosure of staff, funding sources, and operational structures.»
The Ministry stated that the NGOs were notified that their licenses would be revoked starting Jan. 1, 2026, and they must cease their activities by Mar. 1.
Oren Marmorstein, the spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a message on X stating that NGO registration remains open and that organizations can still apply, and applications will continue to be reviewed and processed. EFE
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