US and Canada impose sanctions, blacklist pro-Palestinian group Samidoun
Al Jazeera
Curbs against Palestinian prisoner support network imposed amid mounting pressure since Israel’s Gaza war began.
The United States has imposed sanctions against the Palestinian prisoner support network Samidoun, accusing the organisation of being a “sham charity” that raises funds for a blacklisted, left-wing Palestinian political faction.
In a statement on Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury said Samidoun acts as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Washington has designated as a “terrorist” group.
“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 official Bradley Smith said in the statement.
The US sanctions were imposed in coordination with the Canadian government, which on Tuesday designated Samidoun as a “terrorist entity”.
Canada said the group “has close links and advances the interests of” the PFLP, which is also listed as a “terrorist” organisation in the country.
