Report: 30 Pro-BDS Organizations’ Financial Accounts Closed Over Ties to Terrorism

A new report from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs revealed that the financial accounts for 30 pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) organizations have been closed since 2017 due to their ties to terrorism.

The Jerusalem Post reports that 10 of these organizations were in the United States and 20 were in Europe. One example was Samidoun, an organization that aims to free Palestinians from Israeli prisons, having their PayPal, Donorbox and Plaid accounts shut down over their reported ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. Al-Haq, a Ramallah-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that claims to be a human rights watchdog on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, similarly had their credit cards canceled over their reported ties to the PFLP.

Additionally, Interpal, an organization that purportedly provides financial aid to impoverished Palestinians, had myriad credit cards canceled and fundraising accounts shut down due to the organization’s reported ties to Hamas.

“For years, boycott promoters have disguised themselves as ‘human rights activists’, managing to raise tens of millions of euros from Western countries and citizens who thought they were contributing to causes supporting justice and equality,” Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement. “Over time though, we have revealed that the supposed ‘human rights’ NGOs are in reality, filled with anti-Semitic operatives with deep ties to terrorist groups fixated on destroying the State of Israel. As a result of our actions, countries and financial institutions are now distancing themselves from these organizations.”

A February report from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and a June 2018 Tablet exposé document the various pro-BDS organizations that have ties to terror groups like Hamas, the PFLP and Islamic Jihad.