Samer Arbid’s Alleged Terror Activities, Arrests, and NGO Affiliations
According to Israeli security officials, on August 23, 2019, Samer Arbid commanded a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror cell that carried out a bombing against Israeli civilians, murdering 17-year old Rina Shnerb, and injuring her father and brother. According to the Israel Security Agency (Shabak), Arbid prepared and detonated the explosive device.
Ties to PFLP-linked NGOs
Arbid worked for Addameer – a Palestinian NGO closely linked to the PFLP, 1 which listed him as the organization’s accountant for several years.
In addition to his work for Addameer, Arbid appears to have worked for another NGO with ties to the PFLP, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC). According to Samidoun, yet another PFLP-linked NGO, Arbid was the “financial director of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the West Bank” in 2016.
Prior Arrests
- In an Addameer-produced video from April 2013, Arbid describes his numerous arrests. He states that he was arrested at the beginning of 2003 and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and served an additional year in administrative detention.
- According to Samidoun, Arbid was placed in administrative detention from March 2007 to August 2008.
- Similarly, Samidoun reported that Arbid was arrested on September 23, 2013 and placed in administrative detention.
- According to Samidoun, Arbid “was ordered to an additional three months’ administrative detention” on March 12, 2016.
While the NGOs do not publish funding details, data from donor governments provides the following partial information:
Government Funding to Addameer
| Government | Funder | Year(s) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | IrishAid | 2020 | €81,000 |
| 2019 | €80,625 | ||
| 2018 | €75,000 | ||
| Switzerland | Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation | 2020 | CHF 135,763 |
| 2019 | CHF 139,347 | ||
| 2018 | CHF 118,280 | ||
| Norway | Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | 2016-2015 | NOK 1,800,000 |
| Spain | Basque Government | 2019-2021 | €799,362 |
| 2017-2019 | €180,000 | ||
| 2015-2019 | €199,988 | ||
| SODePAZ via Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa | 2016-2018 | €81,248 | |
| Municipality of Barcelone | 2017 | €162,712 | |
| 2016 | €57,436 | ||
| Autonomous community of Navarre | 2020 | €120,000 | |
| 2019 | €158,486 | ||
| 2018 | €153,486 | ||
| 2017 | €153,486 | ||
| Municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz | 2016-2017 | €68,332 | |
| Municipality of Rivas-Vaciamadrid | 2016 | €22,630 | |
| Municipality of San Sebastián | 2020-2022 | €48,477 | |
| 2019-2021 | €50,000 | ||
| 2016-2018 | €66,489 | ||
| 2015-2017 | €69,429 |
Funding to Addameer Based on the UN’s Financial Tracking Service
| Project Partners | Government | Donor | Year/s | Grant Amount | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addameer, B’Tselem, DCI Palestine, Wadi Hilweh Information Centre, War Child Holland | Japan | UNICEF | 2017 | $114,144 | Informing humanitarian programmatic and advocacy response through documentation of grave violations against children affected by armed conflict |
| DCI Palestine, War Child Holland, Wadi Hilweh Information Centre, Addameer, B’Tselem | UNICEF | UNICEF | 2016 | $205,028 | Informing humanitarian programmatic and advocacy response through documentation of grave violations against children affected by armed conflict. |
Government Funding to UAWC
| Government | Donor | Direct vs. Indirect Funding | Year(s) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Oxfam Solidarité | Indirect | 2018 | €25,848 |
| 2017 | €260,154 | |||
| France | AFD | Direct | 2019 | €232,000 |
| Germany | Medico International | Indirect | 2017 | N/A |
| Italy | Associazione Di Cooperazione E Solidarieta | Indirect | 2018-2021 | €527,102 |
| Organizzazione Per Lo Sviluppo Globale Di Comunita’ In Paesi Extraeuropei Onlus | Indirect | 2018-2020 | €241,471 | |
| Netherlands | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Direct | 2019 | €1.67 million |
| 2018 | €2.58 million | |||
| 2017 | €3.81 million | |||
| 2016 | €3.81 million | |||
| Norway | Norwegian People’s Aid | Indirect | 2018 | NOK 13,155,986 |
| 2017 | NOK 13,398,655 | |||
| 2016 | NOK 12,355,023 | |||
| Spain | AECID | Direct | 2019-2021 | €400,000 |
Funding to UAWC Based on the UN’s Financial Tracking Service
| Project Partners | Government | Donor | Year/s | Grant Amount | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAWC | Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund | Oxfam Novib | 2018 | $400,000 | Urgent support for the most vulnerable families in Gaza Strip. |
| ACAD, RWDS, Deir Al Balah Wadi as Salqa Al Walaa Association, Khan Younis Abassan Al Kabira, Future House Association, Khan Younis Khuzaa, Qaa Al Qurain Association, Khan Younis Al Fukhari, Maryam Al Azraa, Rafah, UWAC, PARC | Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund | Première Urgence Internationale | 2018 | $300,000 | Protect fragile livelihoods of farmers affected by the Great March of Return in the access restricted area (ARA) through urgent livelihood support to restore their agricultural production capacity. |
| UAWC, Juzoor, Hayat Center, MOH | Germany | Médecins du Monde France | 2018 | $968,915 | |
| Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund | $400,000 | ||||
| UAWC | Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund | 2017 | $248,941 | The provision of rehabilitation for the open field land in Gaza strip | |
| UAWC | Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund | 2017 | $230,585 | Emergency support for greenhouse and poultry farmers to overcome the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip |
Footnotes
- According to Fatah, Addameer is an affiliate of the PFLP, designated as a terror organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. Several of Addameer’s current and former employees, as well as lawyers that work for Addameer, have links to the PFLP. Addameer lawyers regularly defend PFLP terrorists in court.
