AN ISRAELI lobby has been forced to clarify its claim that a Palestinian children’s rights organisation has had “strong links” with terrorists.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) had accused Defence for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) of having links to designated terror group the People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine — an armed faction that has carried out attacks in Israel.

DCIP, which advocates for the rights of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza, claims it has been subjected to a “well-orchestrated political and media misinformation campaign” by UKLFI.

This prompted the group to issue libel proceedings in June 2019, which it dropped following a clarification from UKLFI. 

UKLFI’s statement read: “In 2018 we wrote about Defence for Children International-Palestine and referred to links between some past board members and a designated terrorist organisation, the PFLP.

“We would like to clarify that we did not intend to suggest that the organisation has close current links, or provides any financial or material support to any terrorist organisation.”

However the British-based group later insisted that it had not “recanted” its allegations linking DCIP to the PFLP.

“UKLFI did not write about any of DCI-P’s current board members in its published articles and therefore did not suggest links between present board members and a terrorist organisation,” it said.   

“Our allegations concerned previous board members up to May 2018, as well as other employees.”

UKLFI has targeted a number of pro-Palestinian groups with the aim of de-legitimising their work and encouraging donors to withdraw funding.

The group’s persistent targeting of DCIP resulted in Arab Bank and Citibank refusing to provide banking services to the NGO in 2018.

UKLFI was also behind a successful attempt to stop a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza in 2009.

“DCIP carries out its work in a situation of armed conflict where perpetrators of war crimes enjoy systemic impunity,” said Brad Parker, senior policy and advocacy adviser at DCIP.

“Rather than demand Israeli forces stop intentionally and unlawfully killing Palestinian child protesters in the Gaza Strip, or that Israeli authorities hold perpetrators accountable, rising conservative nationalist social forces in Israel aim to silence and eliminate legitimate human rights work.”

DCIP’s work includes supporting Palestinian children held in Israel’s military detention system, where they are often subjected to blindfolding, violence and in some cases torture.