The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Addameer, a significant Palestinian legal group, along with four other charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe on Tuesday, accusing them of supporting Hamas’ military operations under the guise of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Addameer, founded in 1991 and based in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has been providing free legal services to Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli custody while also monitoring conditions within the facilities.
The federal government claims that Addameer has longstanding affiliations with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist group that possesses both a political party and an armed wing recognized by Israel and the United States as a terrorist organization.
Addameer has not yet responded publicly to the sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.
The Israeli government has accused Addameer of funding terrorism; however, this assertion lacks the compelling evidence required for support, as stated in previous United Nations reports.
A 2022 U.S. State Department report acknowledged Israel’s actions against Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian human rights lawyer employed by Addameer, characterizing the situation as retribution against human rights defenders.
Furthermore, Addameer collaborates with several international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and is a member of the World Organization Against Torture.
The organization’s offices in Ramallah experienced a significant raid by Israeli forces in 2022, which prompted criticism from the U.N.
The U.N. stated that Israel had not provided convincing evidence to back claims against Addameer, recognizing the group’s role in conducting essential human rights, humanitarian, and development efforts in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In February, the Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group dedicated to combating antisemitism and terrorism, requested that Addameer be added to the Treasury sanctions list.
This request was backed by a letter signed by 44 other organizations and directed at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, citing undisclosed evidence from the Israeli Security Agency as part of their rationale for the sanctions.
Marc Greendorfer, president of Zachor Legal Institute, expressed satisfaction over the Treasury’s decision to act on their request, urging the federal government to prevent foreign entities from spreading hate and violence within the U.S.
The group called the measures taken by the Treasury a positive step forward and encouraged a broader investigation into other organizations identified in their initial appeal.
The other entities subjected to sanctions on Tuesday include: Al Weam Charitable Society from Gaza and its leadership, the Turkish charity Filistin Vakfi and its leader, El Baraka Assn. for Charitable and Humanitarian Work and its leader, and the Israa Charitable Foundation Netherlands along with two employees.
Additionally, the Italy-based Associazione Benefica La Cupola d’Oro was also included in the sanctions list.
According to a 2024 Treasury report on terrorist financing, online crowdfunding is increasingly being utilized to support terrorist activities under the cover of legitimate charitable contributions, thereby complicating law enforcement efforts to identify potential terrorism financing cases linked to crowdfunding.
The report emphasizes that since the majority of crowdfunding is legitimate, this creates additional challenges for law enforcement agencies investigating these connections.
image source from：https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-06-10/us-imposes-sanctions-on-a-major-palestinian-ngo-and-other-charities-accusing-them-ties-to-hamas
