NIF-and EU-funded Machsom Watch was accused by the IDF of “interfering with…security duties” near Nablus. One activist was allegedly involved in a severe breach of Israeli security, “climbing on the security fence to receive a package from a Palestinian” on the other side. As a result, the army declared three checkpoints “closed military zones” on June 3, 2009, restricting all Israeli citizens from the screening area. (At least one of the checkpoints subsequently became inactive as part of ongoing security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.)

Yesh Din, also funded by NIF, responded with absurd hyperbole and stripped away the context, stating that “[w]e won´t be surprised if the next step is to ban internet sites, like was done in China.” A coalition of NIF grantees – including ACRI, B’Tselem, Bimkom, HaMoked, PCATI, Adalah, PHR-I, and Rabbis for Human Rights – also protested the decision and ignored the security issues, claiming that “only in totalitarian countries are human rights organizations prevented from being present in areas where there is friction between the military and civilians” (translated from the original Hebrew).