The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Addameer, a Palestinian legal advocacy organization, alongside five other entities operating across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Officials allege the groups have supported militant factions, including Hamas’ military wing, under the pretense of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Addameer, based in Ramallah, west Bank Palestine and active since 1991, is internationally recognized for its work documenting prison conditions and defending the rights of Palestinian political prisoners. It has worked alongside major human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the World Organization Against Torture.
The U.S. government claims Addameer is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) — a secular leftist group with both political and military wings. Both the U.S. and Israel consider the PFLP a terrorist organization. However, Israel’s past attempts to link Addameer to armed groups have faced international skepticism.
In 2022, after Israeli forces raided Addameer’s offices and designated it as a “terrorist organization,” the United Nations strongly criticized the action, stating that Israel had failed to present credible evidence. The UN recognized Addameer’s role in “critical human rights and humanitarian work” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The U.S. sanctions follow lobbying efforts by Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group. Their petition to the Treasury, co-signed by 44 other organizations, cited classified information from Israel’s security services — details that remain undisclosed to the public.
While Addameer has yet to comment on the new sanctions, rights groups say the move is part of a growing pattern of targeting Palestinian civil society and restricting advocacy under the pretext of counterterrorism.
The decision raises further concerns about shrinking space for humanitarian and legal work in the region, especially as the war on Gaza continues to intensify.
Source: Arab News