Analysis: Israel Designates 6 PFLP-linked NGOs as Terrorist Organizations
On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) designated 6 Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations. According to the MoD, 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)
The MoD repeated the ISA (Shabak) May 2021 press release in explaining that these NGOs diverted humanitarian funds from European donors to the PFLP and recruited members into the terror group. Relatedly, a security official told Israel’s N12 news site on October 23 that these NGOs provided a funding “lifeline” for the PFLP, employed PFLP terrorists, and that PFLP terror operatives used NGO offices for meetings.
In addition, since 2007, NGO Monitor has published numerous reports, based on open sources, documenting the close connections between these and other Palestinian NGOs and the PFLP.
These links were further highlighted following the arrest of PFLP officials charged with the August 26, 2019 bombing that murdered Israeli 17 year-old Rina Shnerb, and wounded her father and brother. Samer Arbid- who served as UAWC’s accountant at the time of his 2019 arrests and as Addameer’s accountant until at least 2015 was indicted on 21 counts, including for commanding the cell that carried out the attack.
PFLP response
The PFLP condemned the MoD designation, with PFLP Politburo member Kayed Al-Ghoul stressing “that the Palestinian people are proud of the affiliation of any of their sons to any national faction that resists the occupation, and in this context, whoever belongs to the Popular Front is a source of great pride and honor for him.”
Similarly, the PFLP has often defended these organizations, highlighting its connection to them. It has identified leading officials at these NGOs as PFLP members, including those accused of murdering an Israeli civilian in an August 2019 bombing.
Hours after the IDF confiscated computers and documents from DCI-P and Bisan on July 29, 2021, “The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine renewed its demand to confront the continuing Zionist violations against the active Palestinian civil institutions.”
In an August 26, 2019 bombing, a PFLP cell murdered Israeli 17 year-old Rina Schnerb, and wounded her father and brother. On August 30, 2020, the PFLP referred to Samer Arbid as a “prisoner and commander,” and “one of the heroes of the Bubeen operation” — referring to the bombing.
Notably, representatives from Al-Haq, UAWC, Addameer, UPWC, and Bisan participated in a May 2019 PFLP gathering in Ramallah – including Arbid and other NGO officials detained in connection to the August 2019 attack.
Until 2015, the PFLP’s English website promoted DCI-P, Addameer, and UPWC, and directed visitors to their own websites. (See Appendix II)
Investigations and funding freezes
In August 2021, it was revealed that the EU’s anti-fraud mechanism, OLAF, launched a terror-financing investigation into EU support for Palestinian NGOs. This follows a July 2020 decision by the Dutch government to suspend funding to UAWC and launch its own investigation into UAWC terror ties. Also Additionally, in May 2020, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi stated that he had instructed the heads of the EU delegations to Israel and the West Bank/ Gaza to “look deep[ly]” into allegations that some EU funds go to terror-linked or terror-supporting NGOs, declaring that such funding “will not be tolerated.”
Likewise, multiple financial institutions previously closed accounts and denied payment services to these NGOs. In 2018, Citibank and Arab Bank closed DCI-P accounts, and Visa, Mastercard, and American Express shut down online credit card donations to Al-Haq and UAWC.
Appendix I: PFLP NGO Network Funders through 2021-2023
A number of European national and local governments, and other international donors have funded some of the newly designated terrorist organizations, through 2021-2023:
DCI-P
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) – The NY-based fund is providing $100,000 for 2020-2022
- Basque Agency for Development Cooperation (AVCD) – 800,000 Euro for a 2019-2021 project.
- Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) – 450,000 Euro for a 2020-2022 project.
- Norway- NOK 22.8 million for a 2019-2023 project including DCI-P and other implementing partners
- Sweden- $7.2 million 2019-2021 project including DCI-P and 7 other implementing partners
UAWC
- Canada — $15.6 million project (2016-2022) with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that lists UAWC as an implementing partner.
- Multiple French governmental bodies provided funding to French NGO Experts-Solidaires for a €650,000 project on which UAWC is the implementing partner. These include the French Development Agency (AFD) ( €232,000), the Rhone Mediterranean Corsica water agency (€203,440), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur région (€100,000), and the municipality of Les Mées (€2,000).
- AECID provides UAWC with €400,000 for a 2019-2021 project.
- UAWC: NOK 70.4 million from Norway via Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) for a 2020-2024 project.
- 2017-2021, UAWC and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were implementing partners on a €7 million EU-funded project.
- In 2017-2021, the Netherlands (Representative Office in Ramallah) granted $11.3 million to UAWC to “implement the second phase of the Land and Water Resource Management program.” As detailed above, the grant was frozen in July 2020.
Al-Haq
- Open Society Foundations (OSF) – $800,000 for 2020-2023.
- EU – 300,000 for a 2018-2021 project.
- In 2020-2023, France and Germany (BMZ) provide International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) with €900,000 and €511,065 respectively via the German NGO Brot fur die Welt for a project entitled “Human rights and Globalization.” Al-Haq is listed as one of the implementing partners.
- Sweden- $7.2 million 2019-2021 project including DCI-P and 7 other implementing partners
- Norway- NOK 5.8 million for a 2019-2021 project.
- In 2017-2021, Al-Haq was an implementing partner on a project funded by the German government. Neither Al-Haq nor the German government has revealed the amount of the grant.
Addameer
- Addameer is one of the implementing partners on an 800,000 Euro, 2019-2021 AVCD project. (See DCI-P funding section)
- The municipality of San Sebastian provides Addameer 50,000 Euro for a 2020-2022 project, and 50,000 Euro for a 2019-2021 project.
UPWC
- UPWC is one of the implementing partners on an 800,000 Euro, 2019-2021 AVCD project. (See DCI-P funding section)
- UPWC is one of the implementing partners on a 450,000 Euro, 2020-2022 AECID project. (See DCI-P funding section)
Bisan
- Belgium – Bisan received 340,000 Euro, 2017-2021 Belgian project.
Appendix II: PFLP website
Screenshot of PFLP website in English, which links to DCI-P, Addameer, UPWC, and HWC websites (November 5, 2015) (https://www.ngo-monitor.org/nm/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/PFLP-Website_fixed.png)
Footnotes
- Founded by George Habash in 1967, the PFLP is designated as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US, Canada, and Israel. The PFLP has carried out suicide bombings, shootings, and assassinations, among other terrorist activities targeting civilians, and was the first Palestinian organization to hijack airplanes in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2001, the PFLP assassinated Israeli Minister of Tourism Rechavam Ze’evi. PFLP members took credit for the house invasion and murder of the Fogel family in 2011 and was responsible for the massacre at a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood in 2014 where four worshipers and an Israeli police officer were murdered. The terror organization also praised its “comrades” for their role in the murder of Israeli Border Police office Hadas Malka– and wounding of four other Israelis- in a June 16, 2017 attack in Jerusalem.
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Union of Agricultural Work Committees' Ties to the PFLP Terror Group
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The Union of Palestinian Women Committees Society’s Ties to the PFLP Terror Group
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