{{pp|small=yes}} {{short description|Palestinian non-profit organization}} {{Infobox organization | name = Union of Palestinian Women's Committees Society<br>اتحاد لجان المرأة الفلسطينية | logo = Union of Palestinian Women's Committees logo.jpg | logo_size = 220px | type = Non-profit | founded = {{start date and age|1980|df=y}} | key_people = | region_served = Palestinian territories | focus = Empowering Palestinian women to contribute in the Palestinian national struggle | website = {{URL|http://upwc.org.ps/}} | footnotes = }}
The '''Union of Palestinian Women's Committees''' ('''UPWC'''; {{langx|ar|اتحاد لجان المرأة الفلسطينية}}) is a Palestinian non-profit organization founded in 1980 "to empower Palestinian women on all levels and to contribute in the Palestinian national struggle against the Israeli military illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.unescwa.org/union-palestinian-women-committees |publisher=UN ESCWA |title=Union of Palestinian Women Committees|date=2 May 2014 }}</ref>
In October 2021, UPWC was designated a terrorist organization by Israel, together with five other Palestinian non-profit, non-governmental organizations (Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defence for Children International – Palestine, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees).<ref> https://nbctf.mod.gov.il/en/Pages/211021EN.aspx</ref> The designation was condemned by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,<ref>Human Rights Watch [https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/10/22/israel/palestine-designation-palestinian-rights-groups-terrorists# 'Israel/Palestine: Designation of Palestinian Rights Groups as Terrorists'] 22 October 2021</ref> and the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights who called it a "frontal attack on the Palestinian human rights movement and on human rights everywhere."<ref>UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights [https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27702&LangID=E 'UN experts condemn Israel's designation of Palestinian human rights defenders as terrorist organisations'] 25 October 2021</ref>
In July 2022, nine EU countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) issued a joint statement saying they would continue working with these six Palestinian organisations that Israel had banned because Israel had failed to prove that they should be considered terrorist groups.<ref>Hagar Shezaf: תשע מדינות באירופה: בהיעדר ראיות מישראל, נמשיך לסייע לארגונים האזרחיים בגדה / ‘Insufficient Evidence’: Nine EU Nations to Keep Ties With Palestinian NGOs Israel Blacklisted as Terrorist Groups. ''Haaretz'', 12 July 2022.</ref>
On 18 August 2022, Israeli forces raided the headquarters of the six organisations along with the Union of Health Work Committees (outlawed in 2020) in Ramallah and al-Bireh, removed computers and equipment and ordered their closure. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/130475|title=Israeli forces raid offices of several Palestinian CSOs in Ramallah|date= 18 August 2022|publisher =WAFA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-kill-palestinian-west-bank-clashes-medics-say-2022-08-18/|title=Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank clashes, medics say|newspaper=Reuters |date=18 August 2022|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-08-18/ty-article/.highlight/israel-raids-outlawed-palestinian-rights-groups-offices-in-west-bank/00000182-af5a-d1f9-a59e-ff7a07050000|title=Israel Raids Outlawed Palestinian Rights Groups' Offices in West Bank|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:1980 establishments in Palestine Category:Palestinian organizations Category:Palestinian charities Category:Human rights organizations based in Palestine Category:Organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Category:Organizations established in 1980 Category:Women's organizations based in Palestine Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Israel