Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to ban Mr. Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, from travelling to Jordan through the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge on Friday, 13 November 2026. The imposition of this arbitrary travel ban constitutes an unlawful restriction on his fundamental right to freedom of movement and a retaliatory measure targeting his legitimate human rights work. It further demonstrates the continued use of security and administrative restrictions to intimidate human rights defenders, obstruct the documentation of violations, and undermine efforts to hold those responsible to account. By targeting individuals and organisations engaged in pursuing international accountability, the Israeli authorities seek to obstruct justice and shield perpetrators from scrutiny. Such acts must not go unchallenged and require an effective international response to ensure accountability and prevent further reprisals against human rights defenders.

Al Mezan expresses its full solidarity with Mr. Jabarin, stressing that the restrictions and harassment he faces cannot be separated from his longstanding work in defence of human rights and his efforts to expose and document Israeli violations, pursue those responsible, and seek accountability before international judicial bodies. Targeting him in his capacity as General Director of Al-Haq and one of the prominent defenders of the rights of the Palestinian people constitutes an attack on Palestinian human rights work as a whole. It also seeks to impose personal and institutional costs on all those working to expose the truth and pursue justice.

Al Mezan considers this decision part of a systematic policy aimed at undermining the work of Palestinian human rights organisations and shrinking the space available to human rights defenders, through threats, harassment, movement restrictions, and other retaliatory measures. These practices are particularly alarming in light of the US measures and sanctions imposed since September 2025 on Palestinian human rights organisations, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). These measures reflect escalating efforts to isolate Palestinian human rights organisations and obstruct their role in documenting violations and pursuing international accountability processes.

While reiterating its full solidarity with Mr. Shawan Jabarin, Al Mezan stresses that defending human rights is not an act that warrants punishment, and that documenting violations and calling for accountability cannot justify imposing restrictions or retaliating against those engaged in such work. Freedom of movement is a fundamental right that must not be subjected to arbitrary considerations or instrumentalised as a means of pressure and intimidation, particularly against human rights defenders.

Accordingly, Al Mezan calls on the international community, the United Nations, and international bodies mandated to protect human rights defenders to fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities and exert serious and effective pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to revoke the travel ban and end all forms of restrictions, threats, and harassment targeting Palestinian human rights defenders and organisations. Al Mezan further calls for the necessary protection of these organisations, safeguards for their independence and ability to carry out their mandates free from intimidation or retaliation, and concrete international measures to ensure accountability for those responsible for violations and prevent restrictions and sanctions from being used as tools to punish those defending human rights and pursuing justice.