Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1118 EAT on Tuesday 21 July 2026

An official document obtained by Al Jazeera reveals how Israeli authorities gathered information on charities in 2013, identifying some of the world’s most prominent humanitarian organisations based on their perceived positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The document, a spreadsheet accessed through an Israeli government ministry website, lists more than 150 charities alongside basic organisational details, including the names of their directors at the time, addresses, telephone numbers, email contacts and areas of operation.

In a “comments” column, 15 organisations were singled out with descriptions reflecting their perceived positions on Israel. France-based Premiere Urgence Internationale was labelled a “critic of Israel”, Geneva-based Defence for Children International was described as being “involved in anti-Israel campaigning”, while Spain’s Mundubat was characterised as “highly involved in BDS”, referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

The document also alleged that Oxfam was “active in global BDS efforts” and encouraged NGOs to support projects in the occupied West Bank “even if they have not been approved by the Israeli Civil Administration”, describing such projects as violations of Israeli regulations.

Responding to the allegations, Oxfam told Al Jazeera that the comments “appear to reflect allegations and interpretations, rather than an objective assessment” of its work.

“As a long-established humanitarian organisation operating under rigorous compliance and accountability standards, we reject assertions that are not supported by credible evidence. Oxfam does not support or promote the BDS movement,” a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that Oxfam’s work is guided by international law and reiterated the organisation’s position that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory violate international humanitarian law.

According to Tania Hary, executive director of Gisha, an Israeli human rights organisation that advocates for Palestinians’ freedom of movement, the document “has nothing to do with security”.

Instead, she said, it is “further proof that the Israeli government has been tracking the activities of organisations carrying out life-saving work for Palestinians living under Israel’s brutal occupation for decades”.

Gisha was not among the organisations listed in the file.

The spreadsheet was obtained online from the website of Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, then known as the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Social Services. The ministry did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Many of the document’s annotations cite NGO Monitor, an Israel-based organisation that describes itself as a nonpartisan research institute, as their source. However, NGO Monitor’s website includes campaigns such as “Mapping the anti-Israel NGO network in the US”. One report on the site states: “Palestinian NGOs deny the very existence of Palestinian terror.”

Mayssoun Sukarieh, a senior lecturer in the Department of International Development at King’s College London, described NGO Monitor as a “right-wing” organisation that “monitors people who are pro-Palestine”.

Israel felt ‘the bite of BDS’ in 2013

The document was compiled in October 2013, when the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel was gaining momentum. That year, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking withdrew from a conference in Israel in protest over the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Several student organisations adopted academic boycotts, while the United Church of Canada, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, launched a campaign against goods produced in Israeli settlements, which are widely regarded as illegal under international law.

Experts say the file provides insight into how Israeli authorities monitored charities and the BDS movement years before Israel enacted a 2017 law barring entry to foreign nationals who support the campaign.

“In 2013, Israel was starting to feel the bite of BDS, and the ministry wanted to cross-reference different aspects of these organisations,” Sukarieh said. “Perhaps they were collecting data to pave the way for that law,” she added, referring to the 2017 legislation targeting BDS supporters.

Giovanni Fassina, director of the European Legal Support Center, said the list was compiled during a period of heightened efforts by Israel to counter the BDS movement.

“In 2011, Israel enacted a law imposing sanctions on individuals or entities that call for an economic, cultural or academic boycott of Israel, its West Bank settlements, or both,” Fassina said.

Israel has been “blacklisting” organisations and individuals “for a long time” through a network that includes groups such as NGO Monitor, Fassina said.

“This is not a new tactic. They have been doing this since 2013. In my opinion, the document shows the beginning of that process.”

Nonviolent BDS movement viewed as a ‘threat’

Other organisations singled out in the spreadsheet include Spain’s ACSUR-Las Segovias, Denmark’s DanChurchAid, Sweden and Norway’s Diakonia/NAD, the Stockholm-based Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians, Germany’s Medico International, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden, Belgium’s Solidarité Socialiste, Italy’s Vento di Terra Onlus and UK-headquartered World Vision International.

The document noted that Tsafrir Cohen, then director of Medico International, had written about BDS campaigns, urged politicians to increase pressure on Israel and co-authored the 2012 report Trading Away Peace, which examined Europe’s role in sustaining Israeli settlements.

“The report did not even call for sanctions,” Medico International’s Riad Othman told Al Jazeera, describing it as “rather tame”.

Othman said the document obtained by Al Jazeera reflected what he viewed as an “overreaction on the part of Israel”.

“What was feared was this: If differentiation between the economy of occupation and land theft and the economy of Israel proper is impossible, where does that leave the Israeli economy as a whole in a future scenario?” he said.

Othman added that Medico International has neither supported nor advocated for the BDS movement.

“However, we have publicly defended the right of individuals and groups to call for a boycott,” he said.

The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden, which no longer has staff or an office in the occupied Palestinian territory, said it was “well known” that Israeli authorities closely monitor organisations supporting the Palestinian cause.

“They particularly view the nonviolent BDS movement as a strategic threat,” a spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

The document noted that a representative of the Swedish NGO had attempted to deliver aid to Gaza by boat as part of a flotilla. It also described the organisation as “active in BDS” and accused it of “actively campaigning to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement”.

“We were and still are active in BDS, proudly so. We believe it is the most effective strategy to realise the rights of the Palestinian people and to pressure Israel to adhere to international law,” the spokesperson said.

The relationship between Israel and parts of the international NGO sector has come under renewed scrutiny during Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023 following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Palestinian health officials say the Israeli offensive has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.

Throughout the war, Israeli authorities have restricted humanitarian organisations’ ability to deliver aid into the Gaza Strip, denied entry to some foreign humanitarian workers and medical personnel, and required 37 NGOs to provide personal information about their Palestinian staff as a condition for continuing operations in Gaza.

-Aljazeera

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