Zionist NGO Regavim to countersue Canada, EU over sanctions, denies claims of violence - interview

The Zionist NGO Regavim plans to initiate legal action against Canada and the European Union in response to sanctions recently imposed on the organization. Naomi Kahn, director of Regavim's International Division, told The Jerusalem Post that the sanctions are unwarranted and represent an attack on Israel.

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Sanctioning civil society organizations who have absolutely no connection to actual violence or were never accused of violence, have never been accused of any illegal activity whatsoever, is an attack on the State of Israel as a whole, and particularly in our case, it's an attack on Israel's judicial system.

Regavim, an NGO focused on protecting Israel's national lands and resources and preventing illegal seizure of state land, was sanctioned by Canada alongside several individuals and organizations in the West Bank. The UK, Norway, France, New Zealand, and Australia also announced sanctions, accusing the targets of violence against Palestinians. Regavim, however, asserts it has never been accused of violence and has even published reports debunking the concept of settler violence.

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Now, that just means that they don't like the court's judgment, and that means that they're sending a message, not very subtle, to Israel's judges: 'If you vote against the European Union's activities, even though they're illegal and everyone knows it, we will sanction you next, and we will sanction the entire state of Israel anytime they do something that we don't like, even when it's against the law.'

Both the EU and Canada cited Regavim's alleged lobbying for the demolition of Palestinian property and an EU-funded school in the West Bank village of Jabbet al-Dhib as reasons for the sanctions. Kahn contested this, explaining that the structure was illegal and built on Israeli state land in Area C, with Israeli courts having found grounds for its demolition. She characterized the sanctions as a message to Israeli judges, implying future sanctions if court rulings displease the EU.

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It's not a question of whether Regavim is or isn't violent. Of course it isn't. We are a research think tank and policy and lobbying group.

Kahn emphasized that Regavim is a research, think tank, and policy lobbying group, not involved in violence. She believes pushing back against these sanctions is crucial for defending Israel's integrity as a democracy with a functioning judicial system and its sovereignty over territories under international law. She described the situation as an affront to Israel's judiciary and legitimacy.

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This is an attack on Israel's sovereignty, on its judiciary and on its legitimacy.