Introduction

The Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) Addameer is a leader of campaigns in support of Palestinians prisoners convicted of security offenses, referring to them as “political prisoners” and altogether omitting the context of violence and terror.

According to Fatah, Addameer is an affiliate of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – designated as a terrorist 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. As an organization, Addameer regularly provides legal assistance to Palestinians accused by Israel of PFLP membership or activity on behalf of the terror group, such as PFLP General-Secretary Ahmed Sa’adat.  

On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense declared Addameer a “terror organization” because it is part of “a network of organizations” that operates “on behalf of the ‘Popular Front’” (PFLP).  

In June 2025, the US Department of Treasury sanctioned Addameer for “being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the PFLP. ” The Department of Treasury also claimed that “in the spring of 2022, [Khaled] Barakat [founder of PFLP-linked Samidoun]1 coordinated with the PFLP to send funds to Addameer and to arrange meetings between Addameer and Samidoun.” 

 It is important to note that NGO Monitor’s research is based on open source information. It is therefore possible that numerous other Addameer employees and/or board members have ties to the PFLP or other terror groups.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

Founded by George Habash in 1967, the PFLP is a secular Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organization, originally supported by the former Soviet Union and China. The PFLP is a terrorist organization, designated as such by the EU, the US, Canada, and Israel. The PFLP is involved in 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. 

The group was responsible for the assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rechavam Ze’evi in 2001, and its members joined with the Baader-Meinhof Gang (a West German radical group) to hijack an Air France Tel Aviv-bound flight in 1976, landing it in Entebbe, Uganda. 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 Druze 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. In August 2019, a PFLP terror cell carried out a bombing against Israeli civilians, murdering 17-year-old Rina Shnerb, and injuring her father and brother.

The PFLP has never recognized the State of Israel, and opposes all negotiations, instead calling for the “liberation” of all of “historical Palestine,” regularly by means of terror.

The PFLP, a longtime terror ally of Hamas in Gaza, participated in the atrocities of October 7, 2023. On its website and Telegram, the PFLP proudly shared videos, images, and text celebrating the massacre and the attacks against “occupation army troops and the herds of their settlers” in southern Israel. Reportedly, the PFLP was also involved in illegally holding Israeli hostages brought back to Gaza. For more information, read NGO Monitor’s report “PFLP Involvement in the October 7 Atrocities.” 

In addition to Addameer, NGO Monitor has identified a broad network of Palestinian NGOs claiming to advance human rights or humanitarian interests that have links to the PFLP terror group. These connections include current and former NGO board members, officials, and employees who served in the PFLP or spoken on its behalf at public events and taken part in PFLP forums.

Funding

Addameer’s terror affiliation is antithetical to human rights norms and principles. Due to its affiliation with the PFLP and other terror groups, the provision of funds to Addameer is in likely violation of international, EU, and domestic terror financing and material support laws. The organization is therefore an inappropriate partner for governments and individuals seeking to further human rights in the region.

In January 2020, Addameer vehemently opposed a new requirement in European Union grant contracts with Palestinian NGOs that prohibits grantees from working with and funding organizations and individuals designated on the EU’s terror lists.

While Addameer has not published funding details since 2014, data from donor governments provides the following partial information:

Ireland

In 2018-2023 (latest available information), Addameer received €498,250 from Irish Aid.

Spain

Municipality of San Sebastian

  • In 2023-2024, Addameer and Spanish NGO SODePAZ received €49,726 from the Municipality of San Sebastian to “Guarantee the rights of Palestinian political prisoners, with special attention to former women prisoners.”
  • In 2022-2024, the Municipality of San Sebastian provided Addameer and SODEPAZ with €48,147 to “guarantee the rights of Palestinian political prisoners, with special attention to former women prisoners.”
  • In 2021-2023, the Municipality of San Sebastián provided Addameer and SODePaz with €49,740 for a project, “Defense of the rights of Palestinian political prisoners with a global approach to human rights.” 
  • Previous funding to Addameer from the Municipality of San Sebastián for “Defending the rights of Palestinian political prisoners” include €48,477 (2020-2022) and €50,000 (2019-2021).

Basque Agency for Development Cooperation

Municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz

Navarre Autonomous Community

  • In 2020-2022, Navarre Autonomous Community provided SODePAZ and Addameer with €421,362 for a project titled “Protection of the rights of the Palestinian population detained in Israeli prisons.”

Municipality of Barcelona

Switzerland

In 2018-2020 (2018, 2019, 2020), Addameer received CHF 393,390 from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Failure to Obtain UN Accreditation

On January 31, 2012, Addameer’s application to obtain ECOSOC consultative status (granting NGO access to UN forums) was deferred after the US representative to the Committee on NGOs asked “the applicant to clarify its affiliation with the Popular Front for the Organization of Palestine (sic).”

The Committee on NGOs further deferred Addameer’s request, pending its response to the question, in February 2012, June 2012, and February 2013.

In June 2013, Addameer’s request for ECOSOC status was closed after it failed to respond to the question.

Addameer’s Organizational Ties to the PFLP

  • Addameer is an “affiliate” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. 
  • In June 2025, the US Department of Treasury sanctioned Addameer for “being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the PFLP.”
  • On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense declared Addameer a “terror organization” because it is part of “a network of organizations” that operates “on behalf of the ‘Popular Front’” (PFLP). 
    • In a 2022 interview with Al-Shabaka, Addameer international advocacy officer Milena Ansari referred to the designations and claimed, “The right of the Palestinian people to resist this ongoing occupation with whatever means provided for them is always neglected in these scenarios” (emphasis added).
  • Three Addameer employees (Khalida Jarrar, Naser Abu Khdair, and Bashir Al-Kahiri) appeared on the PFLP list for the scheduled May 2021 Palestinian Legislative Elections, which were postponed indefinitely.
  • Until 2015 at least, the PFLP linked to the website of Addameer on its homepage.

Al-Da’maer

Addameer conducts a youth program called Al-Da’maer that “empowers the youth’s role in strengthening and protecting human rights.” According to Addameer, “Participants are trained in international humanitarian law, international human rights law, establishing advocating campaigns and managing small projects. [The] Al-Da’maer program has initiated activities in support of the prisoners’ cause on prisoner’s day…” (Click here to read more on this program.)

On April 3, 2016, Addameer posted an article about an Al-Da’maer training course, led by “released prisoner” Ismat Mansour and his associate Hasan Karajah, as well as Addameer staff. Mansour was sentenced to 22 years in prison for assisting in the kidnapping and murder of the Israeli civilian Haim Mizrahi in 1993. In an interview to Israeli TV upon his release, Mansour said, “I have no regrets…I was part of the struggle of my people, I don’t reconsider my contribution.” On November 18, 2020, Massar News reported that Mansour was a leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) –a terrorist organization designated as such by Israel.

On April 20, 2014, Addameer uploaded pictures to its official website from an Al-Da’maer visit to the families of Ayman Al-Tabeesh and Iyad Haribat. When visiting Al-Tabeesh’s family, Al-Da’maer participants held a poster of him and gave an award to the family, which was inscribed, “…In honor of his sacrifice and resistance to the prison and the prison guards and in appreciation of what he gave to the nation…” According to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al-Tabeesh spent a total of 13 years in Israeli prison “due to his affiliation, membership and activities in the PIJ” – designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and Canada.

Al-Da’maer participants visited Ayman Al-Tabeesh, holding a poster of him and awarding his family a plaque inscribed, “in honor of his sacrifice and resistance to prison and prison guards and in appreciation of his contribution to the nation…”

On April 23, 2015, Addameer shared on Facebook a photo album labeled “Al-Da’maer of Jalazone [a Palestinian village north of Ramallah] organized an exhibition on the anniversary of Palestinian Prisoner Day.” According to Addameer, “the exhibition incorporated pictures of martyrs and prisoners from Jalazone refugee camp…participants wrote letters to Palestinian prisoners and detainees who are in the occupation’s prisons…” Among the pictures was an official PFLP poster of “the comrade hero Ali Safi.” On March 18, 2015, Safi, a PFLP member, was shot by Israeli forces after participating in a violent riot in Jalazone. He died of his wounds a week later, on March 25, 2015.

On the left: pictures of Palestinian martyrs, including an official PFLP poster of “the comrade hero Ali Safi.” On the right: Children presenting their letters to Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Addameer Staff Ties to the PFLP

In addition to the organizational ties between Addameer and the PFLP, this report identifies 15 current and former Addameer board members, officials, and employees who are linked to the PFLP. Additionally, it includes 4 different Addameer officials who have publicly glorified terrorists or praised acts of violence.

Abdul-Latif Ghaith

According to a November 6, 2019 Addameer article, Ghaith is the “former Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association Chairperson.” An October 2011 Addameer article also refers to Ghaith as “one of the founders of Addameer” and notes that he has “been serving on the Board for the past twenty years.”

PFLP Activity

  • In October 2018, the Palestinian news agency Wafa identified him as a member of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) – a PA governmental body that includes representatives from different factions – representing the PFLP. Wafa again  identified him in this role in February 2022. 
  • In December 2021, PCHR referred to “….activist and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abdel Latif Ghaith…”
  • According to an Al-Quds City news outlet article from February 2021, Ghaith “was one of the founders of the PFLP and its wing operating in Jerusalem and Hebron, under the name ‘the heroes of return…’ He operated as part of a cell of the late [PFLP senior member and one of its founders] Abd Al-raheem Jaber, which carried out a series of special operations in Jerusalem and occupied Jaffa…following the escalation of the first Palestinian Intifada’s events, Abdul Latif Ghaith started his project to support the prisoners and empower them…he established together with activists and public figures the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association…to this day [Ghaith] is still the associations’ chair of the board.”
  • In 2014, Ghaith attended a PFLP event celebrating the release of one of its prisoners.
  • Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri banned him from traveling in February 2019  and also in February 2017. According to the Interior Ministry, Deri “was convinced that Abdul-Latif, an activist in the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] organization and a person who has connections to the organization’s activists abroad, will utilize his travel abroad for the organizational purposes of the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine].”
    • An August 27, 2017 PalInfo article notes that Deri stated that “Ghaith is still an active member of the banned Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and in contact with its leaders abroad, so his departure for other countries would contribute to strengthening the objectives of his organization and thus harm Israel’s security.”
  • According to the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Samidoun, Ghaith, a Jerusalem resident, was banned from entering the West Bank between September 28, 2014 and March 15, 2015.
  • According to the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Al-Haq, in 2012, Abdul-latif Ghaith was banned by Israel from travelling internationally. 
  • According to Addameer, he was banned from entering the West Bank in 2011.  Electronic Intifada reported that this ban continued until at least April 2014.
  • A 2009 article by Ma’an News Agency refers to Ghaith as a member of the PFLP’s “political bureau.”

Khalida Jarrar

Khalida Jarrar served as vice-chairperson of Addameer until 2017.2 She is also seen being interviewed at Addameer’s offices in a 2019 video. 

PFLP Activity

  • Jarrar has represented the PFLP on the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) since she was elected in 2006. According to the PLC, as of October 2022, Jarrar still holds a seat at the PLC representing the PFLP. 
  • Khalida Jarrar appeared on the PFLP list for the scheduled May 2021 Palestinian Legislative Elections, which were postponed indefinitely.
  • An October 2018 article by the PFLP-linked Al-Hadaf lists her as a member of the PFLP Political Bureau.
  • In addition, Khalida Jarrar attended the 2019 and 2016 general assembly of the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked NGO Health Work Committees (HWC).
  • In May 2019, Khalida Jarrar attended a memorial event organized by the PFLP. It centered on PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna, who, according to information posted by the PFLP, “contributed to the establishment” of several PFLP-affiliated NGOs. The hall was decorated with PFLP paraphernalia.
  • On December 7, 2019, PFLP-linked Al-Hadaf reported: “In his statement made during a central celebration organized by the PFLP in Gaza on the occasion of the anniversary of its establishment, [PFLP Deputy Secretary-General] ‘Mezher expressed his congratulations, pride and esteem for the martyrs, the wounded and our heroic prisoners, first and foremost, the leaders Samer Arbid, Khalida Jarrar…’”

Previous Terror-related Convictions

  • Jarrar was arrested on October 31, 2019 on suspicions of “involvement in terror activity.” On December 18, 2019, it was revealed that Jarrar has “emerged as the head of the PFLP in the West Bank and responsible for all the organization’s activities” (emphasis added). In September 2021, Jarrar was released from prison. According to her indictment:
    • Jarrar was indicted on one count of holding a position in an illegal organization, dating back to June 2016.
    • The indictment discusses how she and two other individuals arrested for their alleged involvement in the PFLP-terror cell that killed a 17-year old Israeli girl Rina Schnerb divided their responsibilities. The two others are Walid Hanatsheh (who works as the financial and administrative director at the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Health Work Committees; HWC), and Abdul Razeq Farraj (administrative manager at the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Union of Agricultural Work Committees; UAWC). The indictment explains that Jarrar was responsible for political and national activities, for terror, and Farraj for organizational development and recruitment.
    • Jarrar was kept abreast of the work of her colleagues. The trio had multiple meetings in which they updated each other on their activities, dating back to 2014.
  • According to Addameer, Jarrar was arrested in July 2017 and placed in administrative detention. According to Addameer, her detention was extended multiple times until she was released on February 28, 2019.
  • On March 1, 2021, Jarrar was sentenced to two years in prison for “holding office in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine from 2016 until her arrest in 2019.”
  • Jarrar was rearrested in December 2023. In January 2025, Jarrar was released as part of the exchange to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
  • Jarrar was administratively detained on April 1, 2015 by Israeli security forces and on April 15, 2015 she was indicted for various offenses including active membership in a terrorist organization (the PFLP) and inciting violence through a call to kidnap Israeli soldiers to be used as “bargaining chips for the release of Palestinian prisoners.”
  • Jarrar accepted a plea bargain and was reportedly convicted on “one count of belonging to an illegal organization and another of incitement” receiving a 15- month prison sentence with an additional 10-month suspended sentence. According to an article in Haaretz, “The court noted that Jarrar was not being tried for being a member of the Palestinian parliament but rather for her activity in the PFLP.”

Source: alresalah, June 2017

Source: Kan 11, “The Popular Front found an original way to receive funding from the UN,” November 14, 2016.

Source: alresalah, June 2017

From Left to Right: Youssef Katalo, the mural’s artist; Abdul Rahim Mallouh, former PFLP Deputy secretary-general; Bashir Al-Khairi; Archbishop Atallah Hanna; Abla Sa’adat, the wife of the PFLP General Secretary Ahmed Saadat; Khalida Jarrar, senior PFLP official and former Addameer Vice President; Mohammed Kana’aneh, “leader of the Abna’a el-Balad Movement in occupied Palestine 1948.” Source: PFLP, “PFLP in Beit Sahour Unveils Mural Commemorating al-Hakim,” May 4, 2014

Salah Hamouri

Until October 2019, Addameer’s Arabic website listed Salah Hamouri as a field researcher. A September 11, 2019 interview with the French “Pourquoipas,” the interviewer refers to Hamouri as a “lawyer at Addameer,” to which Hamouri responds “yes, I am a lawyer” and adds that he is one of six lawyers at the organization. In 2022, Hamouri, who has French citizenship, was expelled to France. In May 2023, Hamouri was invited by several French NGOs to an event in which funds collected were directed to Addameer. It is not clear if Hamouri is still a member of Addameer.  

PFLP Activity 

  • In an October 2011 statement, the PFLP referred to Hamouri as a “comrade.”
  • In September 2022, the PFLP identified Hamouri as a PFLP member who had launched a hunger strike while in Israeli prison. 
  • In February 2022, Salah Hamouri attended a ceremony honoring Badran Jaber, a PFLP “leader and co-founder.” 
    • According to several Palestinian news sources, following Jaber’s death, the PFLP stated that “it has lost an extraordinary military fighter and commander and a revolutionary who represented a spiritual father for all of its comrades in the nation and the diaspora..” The articles mention that Jaber “played a part in establishing the PFLP…in 1967 he left Palestine to Jordan… three years later he was tried in front of the occupation’s military courts and charged with conducting military training and being a member of the organization [PFLP]. He was arrested [once more] for being a member in the PFLP and for charges regarding organizing, training and arming others as part of a special active operational cell…in 1972, the occupation forces arrested him [again]…” 
  • On December 18, 2018, in an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Telegramme, Hamouri was asked: “Are you a PFLP member?” Hamouri replied, “It is not a question to which I can answer. The PFLP is considered as a terrorist organization…I cannot say if I am a member or not.”
  • Upon his release in 2011, according to the PFLP, Hamouri stated that “there is no option for the Palestinian people except resistance because it is the only way for us to achieve our people’s rights, our freedom, and our self- determination.”
  • A 2009 video supporting Hamouri includes footage from PFLP rallies and a photo of him (below) alongside notorious terrorists.

Previous Terror-related Convictions

Left to Right: Ahmed Saadat, General Secretary of the PFLP; Samir Kuntar, “top Hezbollah operative” and responsible for the 1979 terrorist murder of an Israeli family including a four year old girl; Marwan Barghouti, head of Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades terror group, convicted to five life sentences for murder; and Salah Hamouri http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9q8gi

Salah Hamouri with PFLP Flag. Source: HadfNews, September 30, 2018: https://tinyurl.com/v9qf4yx

Source: Hadaf News, September 30, 2018

Sahar Francis

According to Addameer, Sahar Francis has held the position of general director since 2006. Francis joined Addameer as a lawyer in 1998.

  • In May 2022, Addameer director Sahar Francis was prevented from boarding a flight to the United States. 
  • According to a February 2019 interview with +972 Magazine, “One of the achievements Francis is proudest of is supporting Khader Adnan during his 2012 hunger strike.” Adnan is senior leader of PIJ.
  • According to the PFLP and Arab media, in September 2014, Francis participated in a PFLP-organized memorial event for Hashem Abu Maria, Sultan Al-Zaakik and Abe Al-Hameed Breigheth. During the event, Francis “talked about Hashem the human, Hashem the fighter, Hashem who did not know the meaning of defeat, Hashem who smiled at hardships. Hashem was a school for love, truth and commitment.”
    • In July 2014, Abu Maria was killed during a violent confrontation in Beit Ummar. Following his death, he was hailed by the PFLP, which issued an official mourning announcement, as a “leader.”
  • On February 22, 2016, during Apartheid Week events in London, Francis argued that while it was “not certain or proved…she shared with the audience the increasing suspicions that Israel was harvesting organs from Palestinian corpses before returning them” (emphasis added).
  • In an April 2014 Addameer report, Francis elaborates on the legal grounds that justify “Palestinian civilians’ right to resist occupation” and “acknowledging the resistant movements that are organized against colonialization and occupation.” No mention is made of the killing and wounding of innocent civilians.

Ayman Nasser

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Ayman Nasser as the coordinator of Addameer’s legal unit. Nasser is referred to as a “legal unit coordinator” in a September 2019 Amnesty International article.

  • According to Amnesty International, “on 11 September 2019, the Israeli Ofer Military Court approved the renewal of Ayman Nasser’s administrative detention for a further four months. His detention is now expected to end on 4 January 2020. Ayman Nasser has been detained since 17 September 2018, without charge or trial in Ofer prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Ayman Nasser is the legal unit coordinator of Palestinian NGO Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Right Association.”
  • According to Addameer, Nasser was arrested on September 9, 2018. On September 16, 2018, Nasser received a 6-month administrative detention order.
  • On July 29, 2019, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled on Nasser’s administrative detention.  It found that he had engaged in “organizational activity in the context of the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine], “which was “significant and dangerous, along with additional Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] members.” [On file with NGO Monitor]  
  • According to Addameer, Nasser was arrested on September 18, 2014 and placed in administrative detention. His administrative detention was renewed three times and he was released on September 13, 2015.
  • On June 3, 2013, the Israeli military court convicted Nasser, who admitted to being a member of an unlawful organization, the PFLP, and for providing services to the organization. He was released in October 2013.
  • On December 18, 2012, an indictment was filed against him in Israeli military court attributing a number of offenses relating to membership in the PFLP and activities on behalf of the organization.
  • According to Amnesty International, he was arrested on October 15, 2012  for links to the PFLP.
  • According to Addameer, he was imprisoned by Israel from 1992 to 1997.

Samer Arbid

Addameer’s website listed Arbid as an accountant for several years.3 In correspondence with NGO Monitor, Swiss officials claimed that Arbid’s employment at Addameer ended in 2015 (on file with NGO Monitor). 

Arbid is currently standing trial for allegedly commanding the PFLP terror cell that carried out a deadly bombing attack. According to his indictment, Arbid also prepared and detonated the explosive device.

PFLP Activity

  • According to Israeli security officials, on August 23, 2019, Samer Arbid commanded a 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 indictment, Arbid prepared and detonated the explosive device. A December 18, 2019 article in the Jerusalem Post notes that according to the Shabak, “Arbid prepared the explosive device and detonated it when he saw the Shnerb family approaching the spring.” On August 30, 2020, the PFLP issued a press release confirming that Arbid is a PFLP “commander and one of the heroes of the heroic Ein Bubin operation,” referring to the August 2019 attack.
  • According to Amnesty International, Arbid’s lawyer is “part of the Palestinian human rights group ‘Addameer.’”
    • According to Arbid’s indictment, Arbid was indicted on 21 counts in Israeli military court. His alleged crimes include:
      • Premeditated causing of death
      • Planting an explosive
      • Multiple counts of premeditated attempt to cause death. These include involvement in shooting attacks against civilian buses and private vehicles, as well as the August 23, 2019 bomb attack in which Rena Schnerb was murdered.
      • Illegal possession of weapons.
      • Weapons trafficking.
      • Membership in an illegal organization.
      • Weapons trafficking.
      • Membership in an illegal organization.
  • On August 23, 2022, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the attack, the PFLP’s student wing, the Democratic Progressive Student Pole (DPSP), commemorated the attack and praised Arbid, referring to him as a “leader comrade” who “commanded the military operation in the Front.”
  • On January 27, 2020, the PFLP reported that “senior officials of the PFLP” participated in an event organized by the “The Prisoners Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine” in Gaza. According to the PFLP’s account, “During the event, the participants raised pictures of the prisoner Hanatsheh, the prisoner Mays Abu Ghosh, the prisoner Samer Al-Arbeed, and all the prisoners who were arrested from the Popular Front recently” (emphasis added). 
  • On December 7, 2019, a PFLP-linked media outlet reported: “In his statement made during a central celebration organized by the PFLP in Gaza on the occasion of the anniversary of its establishment, [PFLP Deputy Secretary-General] ‘Mezher expressed his congratulations, pride and esteem for the martyrs, the wounded and our heroic prisoners, first and foremost, the leaders Samer Arbid, Khalida Jarrar, Ahmad Zahran, Walid Daqqa and [the rest of] our comrades in the Front’s organization in the prisons, and to the martyrs of the Palestinian revolution, firstly, the doctor [George Habash’s alias], Abu Ali [Mustafa], Maher Al-Yamani, Ghassan Kanafani, Wadie Haddad, Guevara of Gaza [Mohammed Al-Aswad’s alias].’” 
  • In May 2019, Arbid attended a memorial event organized by the PFLP. It centered on PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna, who, according to information posted by the PFLP, “contributed to the establishment” of several PFLP-affiliated NGOs. The hall was decorated with PFLP paraphernalia.

Previous Terror-related Convictions

Yacoub Odeh

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Yacoub Odeh (Yaquod Oudeh) as a board member.

  • According to Passia (Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs), Odeh joined the PFLP in 1967.
  • An August 27, 2013 PA TV interview with the terrorist Aisha Odeh links Yacoub Odeh to a 1969 terrorist attack in Jerusalem. According to Aisha Odeh, “…Rasmieh Odeh and Yaqub Odeh are from Lifta. I am from Dir Jarir. In addition there were Samia Al-Tawil and Mahmoud Al-Ubeid. The five of us were tried together, even though I had no connection to any of them aside from Rasmieh. Yaqub Odeh was sentenced to 3 life sentences, Rasmieh Odeh was sentenced to 3 life sentences, and I was sentenced to 2 life sentences… One life sentence for carrying out an operation, one life sentence for not reporting the operation, and ten years for my membership in the [PFLP] organization… Israelis died [in the bombing]. We placed two bombs. One bomb exploded and one bomb was discovered a few moments before it exploded. Two were killed and 10 (sic., 20) were wounded…”
  • According to the PFLP, Odeh spoke at a February 8, 2014 PFLP ceremony where “Hundreds of PFLP members and activists participated in the event honouring veteran activists, who announced they are launching an association of PFLP veterans and long-term cadres.” According to the PFLP “Comrade Yacoub Odeh, who spent 17 years in Israeli prisons, spoke on behalf of the veteran cadres, carrying a unified message of commitment to the Popular Front’s united position and dedication to the freedom of the Palestinian people and the liberation of the land of Palestine. He confirmed that the veteran comrades’ deep commitment to the front was built on the sacrifices of the martyrs and great leaders who forged the path, and that now it is necessary to continue to achieve the goal for which the Front was launched.”
  • In 2017, Odeh participated in a conference, “The 1987 Intifada: History and Memory” in commemoration of “the thirtieth Anniversary of the First Palestinian Uprising against the Israeli Occupation.” The conference, held in Gaza on November 24-26 and in Beirut on November 28-30, featured speakers that are former or current members of the Hamas and PFLP terrorist organizations. The event was originally co-sponsored by the Heinrich Boll Stiftung but after the terrorist links of many of the speakers were publicized, the Foundation withdrew its sponsorship.
  • According to the PFLP’s Al-Hadaf publication, in June 2019, Odeh participated and spoke at an official PFLP event, mourning and lauding PFLP senior member Jammal Farraj. 

Mahmoud Jiddah

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Mahmoud Jiddah as a board member. Jiddah also serves as a board member at the Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P) in 2012 – 2016. A May 13, 2017 picture taken at a meeting of the DCI-P General Assembly shows Jiddah standing next to DCI-P’s General Assembly President Nassar Ibrahim, indicating his ongoing affiliation with DCI-P.

PFLP Activity

  • According to news reports, following a 2016 meeting with Jiddah, Didier Ortiz, then a Green Party candidate for the Fort Lauderdale City Council, posted an Instagram photo of Jiddah citing the latter’s PFLP affiliation.
  • An April 2017 article in Arabic language media notes that Jiddah is “of the PFLP cadres” and that he spent his last twenty years serving different periods of time in jail.

Previous Terror-related Convictions

  • Jiddah was imprisoned by Israel for 17 years for carrying out grenade attacks against Israeli civilians in Jerusalem in 1968. He was released in 1985 in a prisoner swap. A February 2017 Al Jazeera article furthers that Jiddah was arrested in 1968 for joining the front and carrying out terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tel Aviv.
  • A March 2006 article in Arabic language media notes that Jiddah was arrested and refers to him as a PFLP official.

Bashir Al-Khairi

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Bashir Al-Khairi as a board member. He was also the president of the PFLP-linked Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) board until 2011. 

PFLP Activity

In May 2019, Al-Khairi attended a memorial event organized by the PFLP for PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna (Source: Wattan News)

Previous Terror-related Convictions

From Left to Right: Youssef Katalo, the mural’s artist; Abdul Rahim Mallouh, former PFLP Deputy secretary-general; Bashir Al-Khairi; Archbishop Atallah Hanna; Abla Sa’adat, the wife of the PFLP General Secretary Ahmed Saadat; Khalida Jarrar, senior PFLP official and former Addameer Vice President; Mohammed Kana’aneh, “leader of the Abna’a el-Balad Movement in occupied Palestine 1948.” Source: PFLP, “PFLP in Beit Sahour Unveils Mural Commemorating al-Hakim,” May 4, 2014

Hasan Safadi

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Hasan Safadi as Arabic Media and Communications Officer.

  • According to Addameer, Safadi was detained by Israel on May 1, 2016 after returning from Tunisia and was placed in administrative detention on June 10, 2016. Addameer adds that the “public prosecution claimed that Safadi is affiliated with an illegal organization and has visited an enemy state (Lebanon) more than one time. It also claimed that he has illegal activities without specifying the details of these activities, in addition to claiming that he is affiliated with other detainees without identifying the names of these detainees.”
  • Amnesty International confirms that Safadi was “detained since 10 June 2016.” 
  • According to Front Line Defenders, on October 26, 2016, Safadi was sentenced to three months and one day imprisonment for visiting Lebanon.

Yousef Habash

In October 2019, Addameer’s website listed Yousef Habash as a board member. He is similarly referred to as an Addameer “member” in a May 2018 article published by the French NGO UJFP.

PFLP Activity

  • Israel prevented Habash from leaving the West Bank in 2011-2012. According to Addameer, Israel prevented Habash from leaving the West Bank twice in 2011.
  • A 2011 BDS National Committee statement includes him as a member of the group.
  • According to the PFLP, Habash participated in the “World Social Forum” in Tunisia in March 2015 and is a member of the “Forum’s international coordinating committee and a representative of the Palestinian national committee for the Forum.”4
  • Habash is apparently the nephew of PFLP founder George Habash.
  • In 2001, an article posted on the Palestinian NGO Miftah’s website, written by the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), an umbrella organization of Palestinian NGOs that is itself linked to Palestinian terrorist organizations, included Habash in a list of “PFLP members (or ex-associates of the PFLP)” [sic] arrested by the PA Palestinian National Authority following the 2001 assassination of the Israeli Minister Rehavam Ze’evi by the PFLP.
  • Habash was also reportedly HWC’s “European representative,” until at least 2015.5
  • On December 11, 2020, Habash shared on Facebook a poster of PFLP Founder George Habash and a video honoring the PFLP’s establishment. Habash wrote, “On every anniversary of the establishment the promise of the idea is renewed….the establishment is not only an occasion but a confirmation of a path that started 52 years ago and continues to the heroes of Ein Bubin [referring to PFLP-planned Dolev bombing in which 17-year-old Rina Shnerb was murdered]…”
  • On August 1, 2020, Habash shared on Facebook Palestinian magazine Al-Hadaf’s cover page featuring George Habash and wrote, “Peace be upon your birthday. Peace be upon you and your spirit which hovers over Palestine from the river to the sea…it reaffirms, despite the betrayal and the failure, that the only way to Palestine is with the gun. We miss you, our doctor, father and teacher.”
  • On May 6, 2019, Habash shared on Facebook a picture of former PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna, and wrote, “Today passed away the man who shaped in his work one of the pages of the national civilian and societal struggle. Abu Marwan (Muhanna’s alias) now joins his comrades and brothers…You will remain, and your work and donation will remain.”

Habash shared a picture of former PFLP political bureau member Rabah Muhanna and wrote a eulogy for him.

  • On January 26, 2018, Habash shared on Facebook a poster of George Habash and pictures showing his participation in the funeral of the latter. The poster quotes George Habash, “I swear by the orange of Jaffa and the memories of the refugees, we will hold accountable those who sold our land and those who bought us.” Habash wrote, “On the anniversary of the teacher’s passing…May your spirit have glory, we remain faithful to the promise, you represented Palestine with your personality…Your teachings and you remain within us as long as we live.”
  • On January 25, 2013, Habash shared on Facebook a video hailing PFLP leadership and wrote, “You remain within us. The heart of Palestine.”

Habash shared on Facebook a video hailing PFLP leadership.

Mazen Abu Aoun

According to Addameer, Mazen Abu Aoun has been working as an attorney at Addameer since 2010.

  • According to Addameer, the PA arrested Abu Aoun on January 10, 2011 and on May 18, 2015.
  • In April 2011, Abu Aoun represented the PFLP terrorist Munzter Ahmad Muhammad Hamdi, who was charged with shooting and throwing explosives (see “The Military Court of Samaria, File No. 1411/10, April 7, 2011”).
  • According to the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, on January 28, 2008, Abu Aoun was placed in administrative detention by Israel.
  • On June 28, 2016, Abu Aoun posted on Facebook, “To make a long story short, normalization is betrayal whether it is Arab or foreign. What is worse than normalization are those who defend normalization and find justification for it…a traitor will find a thousand justifications for his betrayal, whatever they will be.”
  • On February 21, 2015, Abu Aoun posted on Facebook, “When an Iranian official appears and says we can destroy Tel-Aviv in ten minutes…your slogan ‘death to Israel’ is just that, slogans and empty words. Israel’s real enemy is the resistance in Gaza [Hamas] and it is the only one qualified to speak in the name of the resistance…”

On November 26, 2012, Abu Aoun shared on Facebook a post that consisted of a series of comments on various terrorist leaders, accompanied by their pictures: “The martyr Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantisi [former leader of Hamas] carried the rifle and said ‘this is my dialogue with the Jews.’ The martyr Abu Ali Mustafa – ‘Whoever thinks that the time of the resistance has passed and, in its place, arrived the time of settlement is mistaken. As long as the occupation exists in its colonial and military form, resistance is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people.’ The martyr Abu Jihad Al-Wazir [Fatah’s co-founder and commander of its armed wing] – ‘No voice is louder than the voice of intifada…Listen: there is no appeasement with the occupation as long as it exists.’”

A series of quotes by Palestinian terrorist leaders shared by Mazen Abu Aoun.

Naser Abu Khdair

Addameer’s 2011 Annual Report lists Naser Abu Khdeir as a board member. As of January 2020, Khdeir was still listed as a board member. However, due to Addameer’s lack of transparency, it is not possible to determine if he still holds this position. 

PFLP Activity

Previous Terror-related Convictions

  • The October 2016 Elia Association for Youth news report following Abu Khdeir’s release states that he spent five and a half years in prison for “establishing military cells in the West Banks [sic] operating under the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the PFLP.” 
  • As reported on the Arab48 website, the Shin Bet arrested Abu Khadair in 2011 for heading a terrorist cell that planned to commit terrorist attacks and kidnap a soldier. Arab48 adds that he was the connecting link with PFLP leadership in Damascus and met with PFLP officials in Jordan in order to receive training and funds.
  • According to a January 2018 article published by Samidoun, “Abu Khdeir is a prominent leader in Jerusalem and has spent 15 years in Israeli prison. Most recently, he served five and a half years in Israeli prison for membership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.” 
  • Israeli-designated PFLP-linked Samidoun notes that Abu Khdair was “imprisoned from:
    • 17 October 1977 – 18 April 1978
    • 1 April 1981 – 10 March 1986
    • 16 October 1994 – 24 May 1995
    • 21 February 2001 – 17 June 2002
    • 14 December 2003 – 9 June 2004
    • 7 June 2005 – 16 March 2006
    • 15 April 2011 – 13 October 2016”
  • According to an October 14, 2016 article in the PFLP-linked Al-Hadaf, Abu Khdeir is “one of the PFLP’s activists” and was released in October 2016 after serving 5.5 years in prison for “his involvement in resistance activities and his role in one of the PFLP’s cells…” 

Mahmoud al Safadi 

As of January 2020, Mahmoud al Safadi is listed as an Addameer board member. Addameer’s 2011 Annual Report also lists al Safadi as a board member. 

PFLP Activity

  • On January 1, 2014, Al-Safadi posted on Facebook, “The fact that the PFLP has reaffirmed the election of the comrade Ahmed Sa’adat…means that the Front is still walking on the path of this commander, who is an extension of the doctor [PFLP founder George Habash’s alias] and Abu Ali Mustafa’s path, the path of resistance and upholding the national principles. Congratulations to the Front and our people for this reaffirmation.”
  • On September 29, 2019, Al-Safadi shared on Facebook a painting he made of prisoner uniforms on a cross and wrote, “Samer Arbid, they crucified you and did not know that you are the messiah who will rise above his wounds and bring victory to his people. May you have glory…”
  • On March 2, 2014, Al-Safadi posted on Facebook, “The assassination did not target Mu’ataz alone but the spirit of the resistance within us.”

Previous Terror-related Convictions

According to a 2004 Arabic language media article, al Safadi is a member of the PFLP and was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment. The article notes that he was convicted in an Israeli court of carrying out guerrilla operations. According to the Goethe institute, he served 18 years in prison.

Anas Barghouthi

Anas Barghouthi was an Addameer lawyer. Addameer notes that Barghouthi was a “lawyer at Addameer between 2009-2013, and is one of the first lawyers to defend political prisoners in Palestinian Authority prisons.”

PFLP Activity

  • Barghouthi was arrested in September 2013 and was subsequently charged with “membership of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine” and “leadership of a committee to organize demonstrations.”
  • In February 2017, Barghouthi accepted a plea that includes “a 7,000-shekel ($1,892) fine, as well as a suspended sentence of 18 months in prison if Barghouthi is found to be involved with PFLP in the coming five years.

Halima Abu-Solb

In a March 2013 interview, Abu-Solb acknowledged that she is one of Adameer’s founders. 

PFLP Activity

  • In a July 2012 article on its website, the PFLP reported that Abu-Solb spoke at a conference organized by the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counselling. 
  • According to an undated Al-Ayyam article, Abu-Solb participated in an event with the wife of the PFLP secretary general Ahmad Sa’adat at a “Land Day” commemoration event organized by UPWC’s Bethlehem branch.

Previous Terror-related Convictions

  • According to a June 2007 Al-Watan article, Abu-Solb was sentenced to a three year “PFLP prison-sentence,” and in a March 2013 interview, Abu-Solb acknowledged that she was sent to prison in the 1980s for a period of three years. 

Sumoud Sa’adat

Sumoud Sa’adat has held the position of field researcher at Addameer since April 2016. Previously, Sa’adat held the position of documentation officer from July 2015. She began working at Addameer in 2011 as a research assistant. Sumoud is the daughter of PFLP Secretary General Ahmed Sa’adat.

PFLP Activity

  • On October 5, 2016, the official PFLP website published an article by Sa’adat and referred to her as a “comrade.”
  • In March 2019, Sa’adat participated in a PFLP event commemorating the 13th anniversary of PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Sa’adat’s arrest by Israeli forces. The event was attended by PFLP senior members and featured the PFLP’s insignia.
  • On February 23, 2021, Sa’adat shared on Facebook a picture of her father, Ahmed Sa’adat, and wrote, “…Good morning Abu Ghassan (Sa’adat’s alias), good morning our stubborn and firm bright flame…you are 68 years old and still capable of giving and sacrificing the long years of your life in prison for your people and for human liberty which you believe in. May you be free despite the shackles and the prison guards. May you be the lighthouse which guides us. We love you so much our role model…”
  • On November 10, 2020, Sa’adat shared on Facebook a picture of Kamal Abu Waer and hailed him, “…The martyr prisoner Kamal Abu Waer, may you have glory.”
    • Kamal Abu Waer was dealt multiple life sentences for his role in several terror attacks against Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada, as a member of the Tanzim, an armed branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement.
  • On August 20, 2020, Sa’adat shared on Facebook an official PFLP poster of Muhammad Sa’adat, a PFLP member and brother of Ahmed Sa’adat, who was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces. Sa’adat wrote, “Your passing is still worse than painful. 18 years have passed and you are still ever present, may your spirit have glory and peace…” The poster reads, “The PFLP mourns its martyr fighter Muhammad Sa’adat. May you have glory and our loyalty.”
  • On June 7, 2020, Sa’adat shared on Facebook a poster of former PIJ Secretary General Ramadan Shalah, and wrote, “Mercy and glory to your spirit, may your firm mind have eternal life.” The poster calls Shalah “the national commander.”
  • On October 17, 2016, Al-Quds News published an article by Sa’adat titled “October 17, a unique symbol in the resistance’s history,” in which Sa’adat glorifies the PFLP’s assassination of Israel’s Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi that took place on October 17, 2001. In the article, Sa’adat calls the assassination “a heroic operation” and says that “before all else, we must send our proud and loyal congratulations to the minds and forearms of the knights that carried out the judgment of the Palestinian people.”

Concerning Rhetoric

  • On October 7, 2023, in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack, Sa’adat wrote on Facebook, “Freedom is inevitable. May you have a good morning.”
  • On October 12, 2023, Sa’adat shared a picture of PFLP central committee member and the head of the prisoners department [of the PFLP] Awad al-Sultan, and wrote, “Glory to the martyrs and mercy on their spirits.”

Sumoud Sa’adat shared a picture of her father and PFLP Secretary General Ahmed Sa’adat praising him

Concerning Imagery and Rhetoric

Numerous Addameer staff members have celebrated convicted terrorists, posted violent images, and made antisemitic comments on social media. (Read NGO Monitor’s report “Addameer Employees’ Violent Social Media Accounts.”)

Mohannad Karajah

Mohannad Karajah worked as an attorney at Addameer from June 2014 to June 2019.

  • Karajah has expressed his support for the PFLP on multiple occasions.
  • On May 30, 2017, Karajah posted on Facebook a lengthy text glorifying the 1972 Lod Airport massacre. Karajah wrote, “Due to the great honor of this Japanese Palestinian international revolutionary, the PFLP held a warm welcome for Kozo Okamoto in the Lebanese Beqaa region and they lifted him on their shoulders.” On May 30, 2015, Karajah shared another picture of Okamoto with the same post.
    • Okamoto, along with two others, was hired and trained by the PFLP to commit the Lod Airport Massacre, in which the Japanese Red Army killed 26 people and injured 80 others.
  • In December 2015, Karajah shared on Facebook a number of pictures from a PFLP march in Saffa, west of Ramallah, and wrote, “This picture from the PFLP’s 48th anniversary of its establishment in Saffa. We asked to publish it and it was not enabled until now.”

PFLP march in Saffa village in December 2015

  • On December 8, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook an article from Fateh Media and wrote, “This article accuses the Jerusalem operation carried out by comrades Ghassan and Uday Abu Jamal of not being ‘heroic’. How can a resistance movement as Fatah publish this defeatist article on its website…how can it publish an article which assassinates once again the martyrs and turns every word in it to a bullet aimed at the resistance…”
  • On October 18, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook a picture of Hasan Karajah and a picture of PFLP supporters carrying PFLP flags. Karajah wrote, “My brother Hasan…my comrades, my friends, I wish I could be with you when the hero Hasan is welcomed, I would have liked to carry you Hasan on my shoulder…Hasan, tomorrow in the Tunisian capital I will call with you all to free you and the fighting comrades.”
    • Hasan is Mohannad’s brother, who was arrested several times during 2013-2020 for “security offenses” and for “endangering the region.” According to the IDF Spokesman as quoted in a July 2016 Sicha Mekomit article, “Hasan was arrested due to his activity in the PFLP, which poses a real and grave security risk according to intelligence information.” On October 19, 2014, Palestine Today reported that Hasan Karajah was arrested in January 2013 after facing several charges, among them communicating with Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization by the US, Canada and Israel.

On the left: PFLP rally; On the right: Hasan Karajah, arrested multiple times for his security offenses and his links to terrorist organizations as the PFLP and Hezbollah (Source)

  • On August 20, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook an official PFLP video published by Quds News Network. Karajah wrote, “Long live Palestine. Long live the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades [PFLP’s armed wing]. Long live Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. My friends in Palestine and the world, this is the Front’s promise to you and your peoples.” In the video, PFLP states that “…our battle with the occupation will not cease until it is eliminated…until full liberation…death to the Zionist occupiers and victory to our people and brave resistance…”

An official PFLP video calling for the elimination of Israel and “death to the Zionist occupiers.”

  • On July 25, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook an official PFLP obituary notice of Hashem Abu Maria, and wrote, “This is the comrades’ promise to us, this is the Front leadership’s promise to us, that they will be the first in bullets and the first in Intifada. #The_Martyr_Hashem_Abu_Maria.”

An official PFLP obituary notice of one of its members Hashem Abu Maria.

  • On July 3, 2014, Karajah wrote on Facebook, “At this point in time we recall that on the anniversary of [PFLP Secretary General] Abu Ali [Mustafa]’s martyrdom, comrade [PFLP Secretary General] Ahmed Sa’adat said, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a head for a head.’ After a few days the Front assassinated the Zionist minister Rehavam Ze’evi and thus our motto with the Zionists is an eye for an eye.”
  • On May 31, 2019, Karajah shared on Facebook a picture of Yusouf Sehwail, who was shot dead after stabbing two Israelis in Jerusalem. Karajah called Sehwail a martyr hero and congratulated his family for “this honor and this path, the path of martyrs.”
  • On March 6, 2019, Karajah shared on Facebook pictures of Basel Al-A’araj, who was allegedly part of a terrorist cell planning to carry out attacks on Israeli targets and was killed by Israeli forces after opening fire on them. Karajah wrote, “on the anniversary 3/6/2017, this morning, the martyr Basel Al-A’araj died as a martyr with a book and a rifle…this pharmacist youth died while refusing to surrender and charting a new path on which the martyrs following him will walk…”
  • On January 8, 2019, Karajah shared on Facebook pictures of and hailed Suleiman Khater, an Egyptian police cadet who gunned down seven Israeli tourists in the Ras Burqa massacre on October 5, 1985. Karajah wrote, “Sleep peacefully with Allah’s blessings Suleiman…25 years to your pure body’s passing and still you are within us with your bravery and daring, you are still with us in your spirit and strength which we all miss…”
  • On August 23, 2018, Karajah shared on Facebook a picture of Hani Al-Majdalawi, who fired at Israeli forces on August 20, 2018, while trying to infiltrate Israel from Gaza near Zikim. Karajah told Majdalawi’s life story, describing the latter as a “martyr” and a “hero” several times. Karajah wished that “God will have mercy upon you and receive you with the rest of the martyrs. May your spirit have peace Majdalawi.”
  • On June 23, 2017, Karajah wrote on Facebook, “The hideous crime that [the] Jenin municipality committed against the nation and the martyrs by removing the martyr Khaled Nazzal’s gravestone is a dangerous precedent. This issue does not hurt the Democratic Front [alone], but hurts any patriot and the martyr’s family and is even a disavowal of our martyrs’ sacrifices and their families’ cries. This municipal council must be removed from office now. #No_for_covering# No_for_covering_the_martyrs” (emphasis added).
    • Khaled Nazzal planned the 1974 Maalot massacre in which Palestinian terrorists murdered 22 school children and 4 adults.
  • On October 5, 2015, Karajah called the 2015 shooting attack in which Hamas members killed Eitam and Naama Henkin a “heroic operation.”
  • On March 2, 2015, Karajah wrote on Facebook, “There is no doubt that the Egyptian court’s decision to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization is a wrong political decision that commits a hideous crime against the resistance movements, and first and foremost Hamas…” Hamas is a designated terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.
  • On August 17, 2014, Karajah shared a video of the Guardians of Al-Aqsa Brigades and wrote, “Whoever doubts the resistance is a traitor. Long live the resistance and all its brigades, regardless of their political orientations and religious beliefs. #Guardians_of_Al-Aqsa_Brigades.” In the video the Guardians of Al-Aqsa Brigades threaten to retaliate with force against any Israeli attack against them.
  • On July 9, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook an official poster of Hamas’ frogman unit, stating, “A martyr entrusts the next martyr.” The poster identifies the man encircled in red as Bashar Ziad Abed Ahmed, the commander of the Hamas infiltration operation of Zikim beach. Karajah wrote, “ʻWhat is important is not that one of us dies, but that others continue – [PFLP spokesperson and member of its Political Bureau]’ Ghassan Kanafani. The picture of the hero martyr Bashar Ahmed, the hero of the Zikim and commander of the commando frogman unit. #Gaza_resistance #Martyr_Bashar_Ahmed.”
  • On June 26, 2014, Karajah shared on Facebook an official DFLP video published by Quds News Network, and wrote, “Long live the national resistance brigades, the military wing of the DFLP.” In the video, DFLP call for an armed resistance, intifada and the end of the security coordination between the Israel and the PA.

Ziad Suhweil

Ziad Suhweil has held the position of administrative and financial unit coordinator at Addameer since 2011.6

  • On July 30, 2019, Suhweil shared on Facebook an official Addameer poster listing nine Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, among them Mustafa Hassanat, Huthaifa Halabiya, and Mohammed Abu Akker. Suhweil wrote, “Glory is made by heroes and freedom has its leaders. May the occupation and its prisons be gone. #May_Administrative_Detention_fall.”
    • On August 6, 2019, the PFLP referred to Hassanat, Halabiya and Abu Akker as “comrades.” The PFLP reported that PFLP leadership was able to withdraw the decision to extend the arrest of Hassanat and Abu Akker.
  • On February 22, 2017, Suhweil shared on Facebook a picture of Nael Barghouti, who served over 30 years in Israeli prison for stabbing bus driver Moti Yakuel to death in 1978. Suhweil wrote: “Abu Nour [Barghouti’s alias], I see the truth as a hammer you wield in your hands…I know that the nation is a plough you manufactured with the enduring strength of your lifetime, and that the difference between those who pledged, but submitted and betrayed and those who chiseled liberty with the enduring strength of titans…is clear and obvious. Commander Nael Barghouti…you have not been defeated and never will.”
  • On October 13, 2015, Suhweil shared on Facebook a picture of Ahmed Mansara after being shot. Mansara was sentenced to nine years in prison for taking part in two stabbing attacks in 2015. Suhweil quoted the poet Muthaffar Al-Nawab, “Despite your scream, your voice was sweet. All birds are slaughtered while singing.”
  • On July 12, 2014, Suhweil posted on Facebook, “The historic moments which our people live through as a result of the resistance in Gaza [Hamas] are moments full of power and honor, all the Palestinians regard the resistance and its heroic work on the path of victory and liberation of Palestine in its entirety as sacred…the security coordination is betrayal and is not sacred to us. The Palestinian intifadas are the choice of a people that strives for liberty in honor and bravery…Gaza’s rockets…the work of those participating in the intifada from the inner area, Jerusalem and the [west] bank is the work of freemen…#Palestine backs the resistance#” (emphases added).
  • On August 20, 2012, Suhweil shared on Facebook a post with a poster of Ahmed Daqamseh’s mother holding Daqamseh’s picture, which reads, “Oh mother, do not cry for your son is a Jordanian hero in word and deed. Oh mother, do not be sad, we are the branch and you are the root. Ahmed Daqamseh’s mother.” Suhweil wrote, “Ahmed Daqamseh, an Arab Jordanian hero. Thanks to the belly that carried you.”
    • In March 1997, Daqamseh perpetrated the Island of Peace Massacre, opening fire with an automatic weapon at Israeli schoolgirls on a trip to the Jordan-Israel border, killing seven of them and wounding five others and a teacher.

Suhweil praising Ahmed Daqamseh who committed the Island of Peace Massacre.

  • On January 29, 2016, Suhweil shared on Facebook a picture of seven excavators of a Hamas terror-tunnel who died when the tunnel collapsed on them. Suhweil quoted the Palestinian poet Ibrahim Tuqan, “Do not cry because of his [lack of] well-being, his spirit is above his comfort. His suit is what interests him, the shroud is more [important] than the pillow.” Suhweil added, “What is important is that you continue. #Glory_to_the_martyrs.”

Suhweil shared a picture of and praised seven dead Hamas terror-tunnel excavators

  • On July 14, 2015, Suhweil shared Addameer’s post on Facebook regarding Senior Leader of the PIJ Khader Adnan with the latter’s picture. Suhweil wrote, “Khader Adnan is a free role model and a figure respected in a time when freemen have bravery.”
  • On September 24, 2013, Suhweil shared on Facebook a picture from a protest to release Palestinian prisoners and wrote, “Prisoner colleagues, Ayman Nasser, Anas Barghouti, Samer Arbid. Freedom to you and to the freedom prisoners.”
    • Nasser is the former coordinator of Addameer’s legal unit. On July 29, 2019, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled on Nasser’s administrative detention. It found that he had engaged in “organizational activity in the context of the Popular Front,” which was “significant and dangerous, along with additional Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] members.” [On file with NGO Monitor.]
    • Barghouti was an Addameer lawyer who was arrested in September 2013and was subsequently charged with “membership in the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine” and “leadership of a committee to organize demonstrations.”
    • Addameer listed Arbid as an accountant for several years. Arbid was placed several times in administrative detention since 2007. According to Israeli security officials, on August 23, 2019, Arbid commanded a 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 indictment, Arbid prepared and detonated the explosive device.
  • On October 20, 2011, Suhweil shared on Facebook an article by Walid Daqqa and wrote, “Congratulations to the hero Walid Daqqa and thank you for this spirit and high morale…My comrade, we learn from your endurance and persistence. We take pride that you are our father and uncle. May you and all the prisoners have glory…”
    • Daqqa, a member of the PFLP, was sentenced in 1987 to life in prison for the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam.

Ehteram Ghazawneh

According to Addameer, Ehteram Ghazawneh has been working as the research and documentation unit coordinator at Addameer since 2011. According to an October 12, 2021 Al-Araby article, Ghazawneh held the role of “head of the [research and] documentation unit at Addameer.” According to Arabic-language media sources, in 2010, Ghazawneh held the role of head of the “women prisoners support program” at Addameer.

  • On March 8, 2020, Ghazawneh shared on Facebook a picture of Amal Takatka and detailed the story of her arrest. Ghazawneh wrote, “Amal [Arabic for hope], her name carries what we all wish for the women prisoners, hope for a fast freedom and a necessary victory. On International Women’s Day, salutations to the women prisoners who [themselves] outline the most magnificent role models and embody the ideal Palestinian woman in their steadfastness and opposition to the prison officials’ oppression.”
    • Takatka was arrested by Israeli forces on December 1, 2014, after she attempted to stab an Israeli citizen at the Gush Etzion junction.
  • On July 22, 2016, Ghazawneh shared on Facebook a post with a poster calling for “freedom for the prisoner hero Bilal Kaid,” and wrote, “On the anniversary of the assassination of the artist Naji Al-Ali, may the prisoner fighter Bilal Kaid have freedom. #Naji_Al-Ali #Freedom_for_Bilal_Kaid.”
  • On March 8, 2014, Ghazawneh posted on Facebook, “To every Palestinian woman in the world, to the farmer, hard-working laborer and employee, to the martyr’s mother, the prisoner’s mother and the women prisoners, to the martyr Mu’ataz Washha, to all of you, long live the Palestinian woman, as a symbol for the fight and struggle and a stage for opposition and steadfastness” (emphasis added).

Funding to Addameer

GovernmentFunderYear(s)Total
IrelandIrishAid2022€80,625
2021€81,000
2020€81,000
2019€80,625
2018€75,000
SwitzerlandSwiss Agency for Development and Cooperation 2020CHF 135,763
2019CHF 139,347
2018CHF 118,280
NorwayNorwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs2016-2015NOK 1,800,000
SpainBasque Government2019-2021€799,362
2017-2019€180,000
2015-2019€199,988
SODePAZ via Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa2016-2018€81,248
Municipality of Barcelona2023€160,000
2022€120,000
Autonomous community of Navarre2020-2022€421,362
2019€158,486
2018€153,486
2017€153,486
Municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz2016-2017€68,332
Municipality of Rivas-Vaciamadrid2016€22,630
Municipality of San Sebastián2023-2024€49,726
2022-2024€48,147
2021-2023€49,740
2020-2022€48,477
2019-2021€50,000
2016-2018€66,489
2015-2017€69,429

Appendix 1: PFLP Website Links to Addameer

Screenshot of PFLP website in English, which links to Addameer’s website and to the sites of other organizations with suspected PFLP ties (November 5, 2015):