The Biden administration has designated Palestinian non-governmental organization Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as an “international fundraiser” for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group, according to a joint action with Canada by the U.S. Treasury Department. Samidoun is accused of serving as a sham charity that raises funds for the PFLP, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. Samidoun has chapters in various countries, including the U.S., Europe, and Iran, and has been outlawed in Germany and Israel as a terrorist entity. The U.S. Treasury Department and Canada are committed to disrupting organizations that finance terrorist groups like the PFLP and Hamas, in the wake of rising antisemitic incidents.
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister of public safety, democratic institutions, and intergovernmental affairs, expressed Canada’s commitment to working with the U.S. to counter terrorist organizations and their fundraisers, following the joint action to designate Samidoun as a terrorist organization. The Trudeau administration has faced criticism for failing to combat antisemitism, especially after a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto was shot at for the second time in a year on the eve of Yom Kippur. The ban on Samidoun by the U.S. Treasury Department is part of efforts to crack down on terrorist groups that misuse nonprofit organizations for raising funds under the guise of charitable work, particularly in response to Hamas’ massacre of over 1,200 people in southern Israel.
Samidoun responded to being listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and Canada by stating that they are targeted because of their support for the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and the Palestinian people’s right to resistance. The organization maintained that they will continue to struggle against what they perceive as genocide and imperialist support for Israel until the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. The slogan “from the river to the sea” is considered a call to abolish the Jewish state and establish a Muslim-majority Palestinian state, and has been condemned as antisemitic by the House of Representatives. Despite the designation as a terrorist organization, Samidoun remains defiant in its goals and beliefs.
The U.S., Canada, and other like-minded partners are committed to combatting terrorist organizations and their fundraisers, as demonstrated by the joint action to designate Samidoun as a terrorist entity. The Treasury Department aims to disrupt those that seek to finance groups like the PFLP and Hamas through organizations like Samidoun that claim to provide humanitarian support but divert funds to support terrorism. The actions taken by the U.S. and Canada in response to rising antisemitic incidents and terrorist activities highlight the importance of international cooperation in addressing these threats.
The decision to designate Samidoun as a terrorist organization comes after a call for the Biden administration to outlaw the group, following a report by Fox News Digital in May. The U.S. Treasury Department, in coordination with Canada, identified Samidoun as a key player in raising funds for the PFLP terrorist organization, with Khaled Barakat, a member of the PFLP leadership, also being designated. The PFLP reportedly uses Samidoun for fundraising operations in Europe and North America, with support from various countries. The joint action to designate Samidoun demonstrates a concerted effort to disrupt terrorist financing and prevent the misuse of charitable organizations for supporting terrorism.
The Trudeau administration has faced scrutiny for its response to rising levels of antisemitism, particularly after a Hamas massacre in Israel. Canada, along with the U.S., is committed to countering terrorist activity and ensuring robust measures are in place to address terrorist financing. The U.S. Treasury Department cited the need to crack down on terrorists and terrorist organizations that abuse the nonprofit sector for fundraising purposes, further underscoring the global effort to combat terrorism. Despite criticism and condemnation, organizations like Samidoun continue to resist efforts to disrupt their operations and remain steadfast in their goals of supporting Palestinian resistance movements.
