Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan. Photo: Gali Tibbon / Pool via Reuters

Israel’s ambassador to the UN defended his country’s decision to proscribe six Palestinian NGOs as terror organizations after his Palestinian counterpart called the move “false and libelous slander.”

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz authorized the listing of the Union Of Agricultural Work Committees, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, the al-Haq Organization, ADDAMEER-Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and Defense for Children International-Palestine due to their connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The PFLP is one of the oldest Palestinian terrorist organizations, and is responsible for numerous atrocities against Israelis and Jews.

In a letter to the president of the UN Security Council, Palestinian Authority Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the listing was “a clear attempt to intimidate and forcibly silence [the NGOs’] reporting and exposure of Israel’s violations against the Palestinian people.”

“This false and libelous slander is part of a systematic campaign against Palestinian civil society for daring to expose the occupation’s crimes,” he said.

Mansour urged the UN to “condemn and reject” the Israeli action.

In response, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Gilad Erdan said, “During my tenure as Minister of Strategic Affairs, I published a detailed report proving the connection between some Palestinian organizations and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization, revealing how many of the organizations’ staff are terrorists with a history of involvement in terrorist attacks.”

“After a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF, the defense minister signed an order declaring six Popular Front organizations in Judea and Samaria terrorist organizations after it was proven that they were part of a network of organizations operating in the international arena to support terrorist organizations,” he explained.

“In response, the Palestinians were expected to continue their campaign of lies,” Erdan said. “It is time for the UN to understand that the Palestinian ‘civilian’ organizations are a cover for terrorists and boycott, divestment and sanctions activities against Israel. These people are terrorists in suits.”

Speaking anonymously, a senior Israeli official claimed Saturday that the US had in fact been given advance notice about the designations, contrary to statements Friday by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.