US imposes sanctions on a Palestinian NGO and other charities, accusing them of ties to militant groups
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a major Palestinian legal group for prisoners and detainees along with five other charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, accusing them of supporting Palestinian armed factions and militant groups, including Hamas' military wing, under the pretense of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Those sanctioned include Addameer, a nongovernmental organization that was founded in 1991 and is based in the city of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian group provides free legal services to Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli custody and monitors the conditions of their confinement.
The federal government claims that Addameer 'has long supported and is affiliated' with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular, left-wing movement with a political party and an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis. Israel and the United States have labeled the PFLP a terrorist organization.
Addameer did not immediately have a comment on the sanctions.
Israel has alleged that Addameer funds terrorism, a claim that the United Nations previously said it could not support with compelling evidence. In a 2022 report on human rights practices, the US State Department noted Israel's arrest of Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian human rights lawyer and an Addameer employee, in a section on 'retribution against human rights defenders.'
The organization also works with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and is a member of the World Organization Against Torture.
Israel's 2022 storming of Addameer's offices, prompted a rebuke from the UN, who said in a statement that Israel had not provided convincing evidence to support the claim. The UN said Addameer was conducting 'critical human rights, humanitarian and development work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.'
In February, Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group that says it focuses on combatting antisemitism and terrorism, requested Addameer be added to Treasury's sanctions list. The letter, which was written by Zachor, signed by 44 other groups and is addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, relies in part on undisclosed evidence from the Israeli Security Agency in its call for sanctions on Addameer.
Marc Greendorfer, president of Zachor Legal Institute said in an email to the Associated Press that his group is 'very pleased to see Treasury following up on our request.' He said the federal government should act 'to prevent hostile foreign actors from spreading hate and violence in the United States. We applaud Treasury's action and encourage Treasury to expand its focus to the other groups that we identified.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
US urges China to dissuade Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Rubio's comments on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo' show came after Iran's Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of global oil and gas flows. 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,' said Rubio, who also serves as national security advisor. 'If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours.' Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment. US officials said it 'obliterated' Iran's main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict. Tehran has vowed to defend itself. Rubio on Sunday warned against retaliation, saying such an action would be 'the worst mistake they've ever made.' He added that the US is prepared to talk with Iran.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan urges OIC to transform its pronouncements on Kashmir into ‘tangible actions'
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's deputy prime minister has urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to transform its pronouncements on the disputed Kashmir region into 'tangible actions,' the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday, following a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 51st session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul, which came in the backdrop of Israeli military campaign against Iran and Pakistan's recent military conflict with India. While Pakistan's brief standoff with India ended in a ceasefire last month, Israel's attacks on Iran were followed by US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, raising fears of further instability in an already volatile region. Addressing envoys of OIC member states, Pakistan's deputy premier and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, described New Delhi's actions in Indian-administered Kashmir as a replication of the Israeli designs in Palestine, referring to alleged human rights violations and attempts to change demographics of the disputed Himalayan territory. 'The OIC's pronouncements on Jammu and Kashmir are a major source of support to the Kashmir cause,' Dar said. 'However, in view of the mounting challenges to the Kashmiri struggle, the OIC should transform its pronouncements into tangible actions. The Organization should scale up its efforts for mitigation of the Kashmiri people's sufferings and finding a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.' Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries have fought two of their four wars over the disputed region, which is ruled in part but claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan. The latest conflict between the two neighbors was also triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pahalgam resort town, which killed 26 tourists on April 22. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies. New Delhi has long accused Pakistan of fanning an insurgency on its side of Kashmir. Islamabad denies this and maintains that it only offers moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris. Dar said Indian authorities exploited the Pahalgam attack to launch a massive crackdown in Kashmir. 'There are reports that over 2800 Kashmiris were arrested or questioned in the immediate aftermath of the attack,' he said. 'The draconian Public Safety Act was slapped on at least 75 of them. The police carried out extensive searches at multiple residences of the locals. Around three dozen houses were razed to ground through the use of explosives.' The Pakistani deputy PM said the disturbing developments in Indian-administered Kashmir have once again shown that a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute is imperative for a lasting peace in South Asia. 'The region is home to over one-fifth of the world population. It could ill-afford the consequences of irresponsible Indian actions,' he said, urging the OIC and its members to use their influence to urge India to improve the human rights situation, release political prisoners and implement relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Urges China to Dissuade Iran from Closing Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Rubio's comments on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" show came after Iran's Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas flows. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, Reuters reported. "If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours." Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others.
