The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a key international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Washington has designated a terrorist organization.
The Treasury said PFLP uses Samidoun to fundraise in Europe and North America. The group's activities were banned by Germany last year © Mena Today
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a key international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Washington has designated a terrorist organization.
The U.S. Treasury Department, in action taken with Canada, said in a statement it imposed sanctions on the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, accusing it of being "a sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser" for the PFLP.
The PFLP, which has also taken part in the fight against Israel in Gaza, was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. in October 1997 and October 2001, respectively.
The Treasury said PFLP uses Samidoun to fundraise in Europe and North America. The group's activities were banned by Germany last year.
“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,” Treasury's acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Bradley Smith, said in the statement.
The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for comment.
A member of the PFLP's leadership abroad was also targeted with sanctions on Tuesday.
Canada announced the listing of Samidoun as a terrorist entity on Tuesday. “Violent extremism, acts of terrorism or terrorist financing have no place in Canadian society or abroad," Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement announcing the listing.
The Treasury said the PFLP remained active in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including participating in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage to Gaza, by Israeli tallies.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive so far, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, Katharine Jackson and Ismail Shakil
Palestinians were voting in local elections on Saturday that include Gaza for the first time in two decades and will gauge the political mood at a time when Israel's government is seeking to destroy any future for a Palestinian state.
Syria's Interior Ministry said on Friday it had arrested the main suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, one of the worst acts of violence attributed to the former government of Bashar al-Assad, in which 288 civilians were killed.
Energy prices, the Strait of Hormuz and the Lebanon ceasefire dominate a summit that brings European and regional leaders face to face.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.