Recently, the Civil Administration in the West Bank sent a warning to human rights groups in Israel, demanding that they follow its latest instructions to the letter when requesting exit permits for Palestinians from the occupied territories to participate in joint activities involving Palestinians and Israelis. The groups have been ordered to provide detailed information about the Palestinians for whom they request permits to enter Israel, as well as information on the sources of the groups’ funding, the training of their activists and the selection criteria for the positions they fill in the territories. They are also expected to provide details about their organizations, including the phone numbers of their members.

The groups were also ordered to provide detailed information about the workshops they conduct, the content of their encounters, speakers and any other information that could help the Civil Administration and Shin Bet to assess their requests in depth. These demands come in addition to the routine security checks already conducted by Shin Bet.

In the document, titled “Important Amendments to the Procedures Regarding Permits for Israeli Organizations,” the groups were warned that should they fail to follow the new procedures, they would be subject to sanctions and their requests for permits would be rejected.

The new procedures are a response to a violent incident last year, after an 18-year-old resident of Nablus stabbed four Israelis in Tel Aviv in April 2017. All of his victims suffered light wounds. He came to Tel Aviv as part of a tour organized by various Israeli human rights organizations for Palestinians from the West Bank. According to members of the groups, they accepted these new procedures initially because of the attack. But now, these rules have been made even tougher. The groups claim these restrictions threaten to shut down their activities to promote understanding and peace between Jews and Arabs.