Did Israel Unjustly Target Six Palestinian Charities?
Anti-Israel detractors claim that Israel unfairly targeted six Palestinian NGOs to silence them and stop their attempts to help Palestinians. But the reality is more complicated. NGO Monitor has meticulously tracked several Palestinian charities and their connection to Palestinian terror groups, which led to the Israeli government designating these six charities as terror organizations.
Why Are Six Palestinian Charities Being Targeted by Israel?
In late 2021, Israel designated six Palestinian NGOs as terror organizations:
Al-Haq, Addameer, Defense for Children International- Palestine, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
“[These 6 charities are] active under cover of civil society organizations, but in practice belong to and constitute an arm of ‘the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).””
–Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz
These organizations make up less than 2% of NGOs in Israel. Their connection to PFLP and terrorism is a matter of public record. Israel, the US, and the European Union, among others, designated PFLP as a terrorist organization.
Case Study: The Union of Agricultural Workers Committee
Photo Credit: Amnesty International
Photo Credit: Al Jazeera
In 2019, Abdul Razeq Farraj, UAWC’s Finance and Administration Director, was indicted on four counts for being part of a terrorist organization and aiding in a terrorist attack. Another employee, Ubai Aboudi, was sentenced to a year in prison in 2020 for recruiting for terrorist attacks.
These six charities’ affiliations with terrorism are a matter of public record. But media outlets and anti-Israel organizations do not bother to look and continue to spread misinformation.
NGO Monitor, a “nonpartisan research institute dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability of NGOs claiming human rights agendas, primarily in the context of the Arab- Israeli conflict,” has documented such links between NGOs and terrorist groups.
NGO MONITOR
PFLP Ties of the Six Designated Terror NGOs
August 18, 2022
On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense designated six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations. According to the Ministry of Defense, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Al-Haq, Addameer, Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC), and Bisan were included on Israel’s list of terrorist organizations because they are operated by and for the benefit of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.1 (A seventh PFLP-linked organization – Health Workers Committee (HWC) – was designated in January 2020.)
Read More:
The Washington Post and Foreign Policy Magazine Provide Cover for Terror-Linked NGOs
The Washington Post and Foreign Policy Magazine are providing cover for non-profit organizations that have.
Israel cracks down on tax-deductible terrorism
On Oct. 22, 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Jerusalem was designating six Palestinian nongovernmental organizations as terrorist organizations.
Washington Examiner / Oct 29, 2021
Why is Israel Targeting Six Palestinian NGOs?
In 2021, Israel identified six Palestinian NGOs, part of a network under the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This affiliation is a matter of public record, but many media outlets and anti-Israel groups do not bother to investigate, and continue to spread misinformation.
Left to right: Al-Haq, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, the Bisan Center for Research & Development, and Addameer.
Al-Haq: General Director Shawan Jabarin was convicted in 1985 of recruiting members for PFLP and arranging the training. More recently, he was listed as a “senior activist” within the terror group. In 2018, major credit card companies like Visa, Master Card, and American Express suspended credit card donations to the organization because of its terror connection.
Addameer: Founder Abdul-Latif Ghaith is listed as a PFLP “activist.” Former vice chair Khalida Jarrar was head of the PFLP’s West Bank branch. Current and former employees are part of PFLP.
Defense for Children International-Palestine: A former general assembly president was a PFLP publication editor. Multiple other employees have PFLP ties. In 2018, Citibank and crowdfunding source Global Giving no longer allowed DCI-P to raise money or accept donations through them because of the organization’s connection to PFLP.
Bisan Center for Research and Development: Executive Director Ubai Aboudi was sentenced to a year for holding PFLP membership, recruiting activists, and helping to strengthen the terror group’s infrastructure. Their previous director, Itiraf Hajaj (Rimawi), took part in clandestine operations for PFLP. As a result, he was identified as a security threat.
Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees: USAID designated it as the “women’s organization” of PFLP. Fatah noted it is an official affiliate. Fatah and the Institute of Palestine Studies also noted PFLP’s connection to the organization.
Union of Agricultural Work Committees: Received funds from the Dutch government, which admitted in 2020 that part of that sum went to pay a portion of a terrorist’s salary. Fatah and USAID identified it as part of PFLP.
Source: NGO Monitor
