United States, Canada Designate ‘Sham’ Anti-Israel Charity, Samidoun, as Terror Group

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The United States and Canada, in a coordinated effort, are sanctioning an anti-Israel group that they say operates as a “key” fundraiser and “sham charity” for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist organization and Hamas ally.

The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that the “sham charity,” the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, is used by the PFLP — which was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997 — to “maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America.” The PFLP, which operates in Gaza and the West Bank, has been “committed to terrorist activity” and participated in “horrific attacks against Israeli civilians” on October 7 last year, the Treasury noted. Samidoun was already banned in Germany last November.

A leader of the PFLP, Khaled Barakat, was also targeted by the sanctions on Tuesday, as the Treasury Department said that “Together, Samidoun and Barakat play critical roles in external fundraising for the PFLP.”

Samidoun is a “front organization” established by the PFLP and based in Vancouver, Canada, the Treasury said, adding that Barakat is a Canadian citizen whose fundraising has directly supported terrorist activity against Israel.

“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” the Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley Smith, said in a statement. “The United States, together with Canada and our like-minded partners, will continue to disrupt those who seek to finance the PFLP, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations.”

Canada’s public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, said that the two countries are sending a message that they “will not tolerate this type of activity and will do everything in our power to ensure robust measures are in place to address terrorist financing.”

Samidoun did not immediately return a request for comment.

An Israel-based global coalition of lawyers, the International Legal Forum, applauded the formal designation of Samidoun as a terrorist organization and said the sanctions mean it “will no longer be able to cause harm.”

“The ILF has long called for the designation of Samidoun, which in addition to serving as an inseparable arm of PFLP, with connections to the Islamic Republic of Iran, has been masquerading as a charitable organization, raising funds for the purposes of providing material support for terror around the world,” the ILF said in a statement provided to the Sun. “Since the October 7th massacre, Samidoun has also been advocating on behalf of Hamas, and being one of the foremost drivers of the most vicious antisemitism, violence against Jewish communities in North America and Europe, as well as calls for genocide.’

Since the October 7 massacre, Samidoun has been a vocal supporter of armed “Palestinian resistance” and has been a key organizer of anti-Israel protests that have rocked cities and college campuses across the world. Its events page lists numerous calls to action, boycotts, mass marches, and rallies, in cities from Europe to North America.

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